The Island
The Island (2005)
Image From IMDB
There’s few things I like more in life than witnessing utter Bayham, so combined with Sci-fi I'm always going to be a fan. On top of that, The Island feels like a reimagining of one of my absolute favourite films, Logan’s Run, so all said, it’s fair to say I'm a big advocate of The Island, and will never fully understand why it wasn’t more popular. It has a fantastic director, a top cast, and a great story.
The Island is about a so-called utopia created after a disastrous contamination ended life as we know it. In the current facility resident live in relative peace waiting for their chance to win the lottery and be sent to the paradise Island to continue the renewed building of human kind. Only, Lincoln Six-Echo (Ewan McGregor) has some questions about the legitamacy of the contamination, and is forced into action when his friend/soon-to-be-partner Jordan Two Delta (Scarlett Johansson) wins the lottery as is to be sent to her death… I mean… The Island.
The Island was, and still is, exactly what I wanted it to be. It’s Logans Run with insane Michael Bay action and camera work. It has a great story and plenty of moral complexity, especially a side story involving Jordan and her Sponsor, but it also has futuristic bike chases, giant metal dumbbells falling off the back of a truck, and our heroes falling off a skyscraper and surviving completely unharmed. It’s sheer madness, utterly enjoyable, but also with an intriguing story.
The Logan’s Run aspect comes in with the dystopia/utopian setting, and the lies being told to those kept there. But, there’s also plenty of nods throughout, with the end shots almost being the same. The ‘Run Runner Run’ moment in this one is great when our heroes escape the facility and we get to see more of what it truly is. Plus, the reveal of the outside world not being totally fucked also counts, although sadly there’s no Cats references that I noticed in this one.
The story and world building are constant through-out but that doesn’t stop the action being fast paced and insane when it kicks in. Every chase feels exhilarating, every set piece (baring maybe the finale) feels big and epic. Everyone within the film is great, with the two leads both putting on solid performances and the type of supporting cast you could only get in the late 90’s early 2000s.
The duplicity stuff when Lincoln meets his sponsor was awesome and probably my favourite part of the story. But, I also liked the unfolding arc of Jordan’s character with her sponsor legitimately needing her organs and the fact that she had a kid. It was kinda brushed under the carpet at the end, but for a moment big questions where being asked and if it was a drama rather than an action film things could have taken a very very dark turn.
For me, The Island is a really solid movie. A great sci-fi with a superb concept. The action is fast paced, the story well told, and the crazy moments are just good old fashion fun. The chemistry between the leads worked well for me given that their characters are kinda children in adult bodies, and I liked them learning and beginning to understand the futuristic world they escaped into. I think it’s a pretty safe film to recommend to anyone.
