The Island

Dreamworks pictures presents

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johanson, Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean, Steve Buscemi

Directed by: Michael Bay

Rating:****

Plot: We follow a man named Lincoln Six Echo(Ewan McGregor) as he lives in a very sheltered life in a utopian facility. He befriends a young woman named Jordan Two Delta. They can't really hang out much because the rules are very clear and they can't break a proximity level. The people in the is facility live a very controlled life but they only focus on the lottery, in which the winner gets to go to a paradise called The Island, which they are told is the only other livable area on Earth. Lincoln and Jordan become too curious and after finding out a horrible secret they must run for their lives before being killed by the forces that kept them in the facility. Let the chase begin...

Acting: Ewan McGregor is not just a good looking man but very talented actor. He's spent several years now playing Obi-wan Kenobi in the Star Wars Episodes 1-3 but here instead of playing a master who knows all, he knows nothing of the world around him. He asks questions which are automatically shot down. I admire both lead actors in this film simply because they most play innocent for almost two hours. Both characters are like children when facing real life situations which would be difficult to do. Scarlett Johanson is probably one of the most attractive actresses out there if you don't believe that statement watch this movie and your opinion will be completely turned around. Djimon Hounsou plays an ex-military guy who hunts the two leads but has some personal issues to deal with it. He is good for what he has to do. Sean Bean who I will always remember as 006 from the famous Goldeneye film plays sadly the general type of bad guy who wants to be God, but guess what he's great at it. The cast all around is great and really worked well with the script.

Directing/Writing: This is really two movies in one. The first half maybe of this movie is very detailed look at a future world where everything is controlled and we try and dive into the characters emotions and what controls human emotions. The second half of this movie is a long chase scene with cars exploding, hover speed bikes battling. Both done well but the movie feels uneven as if it didn't understand what it was. Michael Bay has proven himself as a gifted director with visuals and camera direction. This film alone is leagues ahead of garbage like Armaggeddon and Gone in 60 Seconds. I really actually enjoyed Bad Boys 2. Here Bay uses great use of color and images to create a future world that is not just stunning but realistic. The action is smooth and intense unlike other movies where the action is chaotic and badly filmed. I don't want to give away a lot about the plot not to ruin anything but the film also goes into deep issues about cloning and what it means. At the end they made it into some sort of evil vs. good deal that just didn't work in my opinion. The ending is a let down to a really well paced and filmed movie.

Overall: A great time at the movies but at 2 hours and 7 minutes it feels a little long. With the mix of serious sci-fi plot and over the top action might leave movie goers uneasy or confused even. I hope this movie does well to at least push people towards making new films instead of remakes but I doubt it.