Review of The Island (2005) by Marcus G — 22 Sep 2010

This is a film left wanting for more. Being directed by Michael Bay, and bear in mind that I am someone who really likes Bay's work, though many wouldn't go so far as to classify it as such, this was to thoughtful considering how stylised it was.

Unlike films such as Gattaca, who's style is at its heart, no matter how implausible such designs might be, this is set up to look like any other Bay actioner but fails to deliver.

There's a strong heart, both moral and emotional but both a subdued by the soft warm sepia effects of the high contrast direction, Bay's love of mid-western charm is all too apparent and unnecessary.

The whole film is filled with the parts of movies that build up to action and don't really work as well without any. The only notable sequences are the freeway 'train wheel' chase with leads straight onto the 'flying bikes' which seems out of place somehow.

In certain ways this film bares a resemblance to "Logan's Run", but it never seems to get a grip on what it actually is, when it's set or where it's going.

It is a shame because this film has many good points, such as the music and the direction, for what there is, but it simply needed raining in, and Bay needs to do what he does best, and that is crashing cars!

It's the only element that he consistently gets right, leading to his best work with "Transformers". If this was left to another director it might have been something else, but in the end, it's never quite sure what the hell it is...