The Island

Rating:

Let me start off by saying that I am not a fan of Michael Bay.

When I saw the Rock and Armageddon all I could do was lament the fact that someone agreed to spend all that money to make two hour long music videos. Pearl Harbor sank to new lows. Bad Boys was at least a little fun, but Bad Boys 2 was just schlock. So I had the bar set pretty low when I went to go see the Island. I was expecting stylishly shot explosions and running (the two ingredients that my college roommate Jeff said were the absolute bare requirements for any ‘action’ movie).

But I was pleasantly surprised. This update of Logan’s Run was indeed stylish, filled with pretty shots of pretty actors in pretty sets, but it also moved at a very good pace, and spent just enough time on the film’s major discovery and setup that you didn’t feel rushed into the chase phase of the film. And it is a pretty good chase. I actually clapped at a few of the better done collisions and explosions.

The thing I liked the most about the movie though was the balance it found between all the action and the pretty major discovery that the main characters have to go through. Finding out you’re a clone, and your entire purpose in life is to be an organ donor, and that there really ain’t no pathogen-free paradise really sucks, and the movie gets that across, as well as some of the fun of the situational comedy inherent to any ‘clones on the run’ story.

Ultimately, a lot of credit goes to the writer for coming up with such moments, and the actors, for their deft execution. Both McGregor and Johansson (who is just unbearably gorgeous in her role as the clone donor of a supermodel) deliver all the indignity, wonder, and heavy breathing that the script demands of them. I never really thought of Ewan McGregor as an action hero kind of guy, but he’s completely believable and manages the physical stuff well.

All in all, if you’re looking for a fun summer ride with lots of running, explosions, an innovative story, and a dash of comedy, the Island is as good a destination as any.