Michael Bay has delivered what is possibly his most fully realized film yet. After the sheer carnage of Bad Boys II (which I liked), and the cinematic bluster of Pearl Harbor, Bay has moved away and made his first post-Bruckheimer film. That is not to imply that this is a perfect movie, far from it, but I like the direction that he is going with this one.
The Island is more like two different films put together. Each one has it's own tone and pacing. The good news is that when taken separately they both work on their own terms, on the other hand, if you try to reconcile the two halves, you will most likely disappointed. It is like a battle between the intellectual and the physical, the substance versus the style. Actually, I think the best way to describe the film would be to use an analogy, War of the Worlds(1953) is to Independence Day as Logan's Run is to The Island. That pretty much sums it up.
The first half plays out as a serious science fiction drama as Lincoln 6 Echo questions his surroundings, wondering why everything is controlled the way it is. He also has a budding, yet forbidden in this world, relationship with Jordan 2 Delta. The big secret is what the Island is. This is a post apocalyptic world filled with just the survivors of some big outbreak of disease, or so they are told. Some things are not as they seem, and Lincoln is determined to find out what it is. It's a shame that the secret is revealed in the trailers and commercials.
Once Lincoln discovers that secret, it is off to the races and the second film kicks off. The second film is a chase film, and more Bay-like. This is the chase to recapture Lincoln, who has Jordan in tow, as they cause as much damage as possible while eluding the forces that wish them harm.
I can't say that there is anything terribly original, but despite the apparent lack of originality, I still found myself interested in the plight of our heroes and the nefarious deeds of our evildoers. I think that is a credit to the creative team that they successfully distracted me from thinking of those other films it borrows from until well after the lights came up.
The first thing that was done right for this was the casting, it was perfectly cast from the leads right on down to the supporting cast. Ewan McGregor is a talented actor who was one of the acting bright spot in the Star Wars prequels and seems poised to really become a major player. He brings us two versions of the character of Lincoln here, in the first half he is the inquisitive man who is trying to figure out what is going on, transitioning that inquisitive nature into the action hero of the second half, convincing at all times. Then there is Scarlett Johansson, who is building quite a resume at a young age, in what may be her highest profile role yet building the naive Jordan into a much more resourceful force later on, plus she was looking gorgeous in this film.
The supporting cast is just as strong. Sean Bean turns in another fine performance as Merrick, he is becoming a fantastic character actor, one of those guys that you start to recognize by face, if not necessarily by name. Steve Buscemi plays an instrumental role, part comic relief, part expostionary. Notable among the cast is Djimon Hounsou, he has such a charismatic appearance onscreen, makes one wish he had more screen time. Some have expressed a dislike for his convenient change of heart, but I found it to work based on what we are given in the film.
Bottomline. This was a surprisingly entertaining, if derivative film, one that I have no qualms recommending it. It is well acted, action packed, and has some ideas that will bring up some questions, it is not without a brain, even if it is small.
Recommended.
Also at Blogcritics.
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