Movie Malcontent / THE ISLAND

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THE ISLAND / Malcontent's Mark: C

July 19th, 2005

Lincoln Six Echo/Tom Lincoln: Ewan McGregor
Jordan Two Delta/Sarah: Scarlett Johansson
Merrick: Sean Bean
Albert Laurent: Djimon Hounsou

Directed by Michael Bay.
Written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Caspian Trewell-Owen.
Rated PG-13

In previous reviews, I may have claimed director Michael Bay represents all that’s wrong with Hollywood movies. He once proved himself a promising action director with his first movie Bad Boys, and then The Rock - perhaps the least offensive of his films. But at some point during his third film Armageddon, I had a revelation: Bay is a man who actually embraces the absence of story in favor of superficiality and nihilism. He actually celebrates brain-dead character-types grunting at each other midst loud noises and explosions.

However, Bay’s latest, The Island is his first directorial effort without his mentor, producer Jerry “Guns Ablazin’” Bruckheimer. Also, Steven Spielberg tapped Bay to direct the script. Such developments suggest The Island could possibly be Bay's baptism in becoming a mature storyteller and a craftsman.

Not bloody likely.

At least Bay allows the set-up to unfold at an unhurried pace. In The Island, Ewan McGregor is Lincoln Six Echo, an obedient worker in a futuristic facility that protects its inhabitants from a supposedly contaminated Earth. The planet’s one “last pathogen-free zone” is the titular island, and the only chance for Lincoln Six and the thousands of other workers to visit the island, is through a lottery. But Lincoln suspects the lottery is rigged. Along with his best friend, Jordan Two Delta (Scarlett Johansson), he seeks out the truth.

For the first half-hour, Bay somewhat successfully wrests free from his typical action-fueled formula - shots actually last for more than a few seconds, and there are no logic-defying action sequences. However, several plot points and design ideas seem directly lifted from Logan's Run, Coma, and Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery. And though the soulless atmosphere and simplistic characterizations seem suitable for the narrative, I’m wondering if these very features in fact prompted Spielberg to tap Bay.

Once Lincoln Six discovers the truth about the lottery, and that he may actually be a clone, The Island becomes a chase movie. And then Bay resumes his full throttle frat-boy theatrics. Bay’s directing is so formulaic, you can boil it down to two basic rules: 1) action scenes equal whip pans and rapid-fire editing, and 2) “character scenes” (the scant scenes when two people are allowed to talk) equal sunset-tinged orange lighting. He’s so slavish to these rules, he must direct with a checklist

Though the action scenes are undoubtedly engaging, they’re uninspired. We see yet another action sequence where the heroes hop aboard a moving tractor trailer on the freeway, and then assault their pursuers with the rig’s cargo. Now I get as thrilled as the next guy by highway mayhem, but you’ve got to wonder – who’s driving these rigs? When they see their cargo being dumped on the freeway, they just shrug and keep driving?

Of course, McGregor and Johansson are diamonds in the rough. It’s a shrewd casting move - though the critics hate Bay, McGregor and Johansson are the darlings of the highbrow crowd. And both have the talent to transcend any trashy material. Though The Island allows no room for their acting chops, both charmingly play up their celebrity personas when they confront their real-world “sponsors.”

And believe it or not, buried deep within the mindless action, The Island is an issue movie. Look past all the loud noises and explosions, and you’ll find a not too subtle indictment of stem-cell research.

I imagine people will find The Island either dumb fun or insultingly dumb. I count myself in the latter. Calling The Island a “popcorn summer movie” is fair, but it's also unfortunate, since it could have been more. Bay delivers what's expected, and not a thing more. Although it may engage most audiences for its two-plus hour running length, expect an ultimately unfulfilling and depressing experience on The Island.

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