The Island [DVD] [2005]

Set in the not too distant future, the story centres on a dystopian world where everyone is conditioned and controlled. They wear white and live for the day when they become a lottery winner; the prize is removal to an idyllic life on an island.Scrape the surface and there’s something rotten at the core of this brave new world. All is not as it seems and Ewan McGregor and his love interest, Scarlett Johansen discover they’re clones and plan their escape. It’s very much a film of two halves with the first part raising a number of moral and ethical considerations and the second part being a shooty, shouty explosive mayhem.Kept me entertained and the filming throughout is lush and colourful with some great effects. Not much bonus material; a short making of the film featurette.

I have lost count the amount of times I have watched this and although I know what's coming, watching Ewan and Scarlet escape the facility and negotiate their troubles in the real world is always entertaining. I love this movie.

Michael Bay continues his tradition of making explosive and action packed films, The Island is no exception it delivers massive thrills and unusually for a Bay film it has brains behind its plot. The idea of this film is an intriguing and original one, but to reveal it in this review would ruin the film. A basic synopsis is: a population of humans live in an enclosed facility cut off from the world that has been 'affected' by some massive contamination, but once the two leads of the film discover a terrifying secret they break out of the facility and go on the run.The first half hour is slow and the sense of mystery is clear as for a while you may not have a clue what is going on, but the action soon picks up and there are car chases that will blow your mind. Michael Bay provides his usual bucket load of explosions and original stunts and it is these that make the movie so edge of your seat. The special effects are very realistic and do in no way detract from the plot line or acting. With Ewan Mcgregor, Scarlet Johansson and Sean Bean giving great performances the film is made all the more enjoyable to watch.Fans of futuristic sci-fi will lap this film up and those who enjoy action packed movies with plenty of intelligence will also love this. I had to detract one star for the slow set up but other than that it is a brilliantly made and slick slice of sci-fi action.

I already had this movie and decided to buy the blu-ray version. I am really pleased that I did. In addition to being excellent value it made a fantastic action movie even better with great picture and sound. From start to finish action packed and all the actors fit to their parts so well. The whole idea of having human clones produced for those that can afford it and really dont care how it is done is the reality of the world we live in and this movie really brings that to the screen. Having escaped from there plastic mind controlled world the two stars are faced with the real world and do it so well it does make it all seem real.If you have not seen this movie you are missing a real treat. Go get it in any version it will not disappoint

I think this movie was unfairly panned by critics.Not to say that the criticism wasn't deservced,it just didn't detract from the movie as much as they made out.I really enjoyed it. I liked the plot, and it held my attention throughout.I also thought the score was great, as was the soundtrack. Ewan Mcgregors American accent was a bit dodgy though. Normally I hate seeing British actors selling out and putting on Yank accents, but this time it was actually relevant to the plot.The problems with the movie come in when it loses the initial intimate feel and goes all Hollywood.Ridiculous over the top chase sequences and a James Bond style ending with the destruction of a huge machine. I hate this Hollywood stuff!Also I didn't like the scene where Michael Clarke Duncan woke up on the operating table. If those guys were able clone people, are we to beleive that they can't even manage a general anasthetic? The whole thing was un-necessary. It would have been far more effective for Ewan to simply witness what happened to thepregnant woman, and then what would ultimately happen to Michael Clarke Duncan without him waking up.What dropped this movie a star for me was the Hollywood aspect.To make it commercial we have over the top action, whereas to make a piece of art, less is often more.In this case, if the OTT bits had been toned down to maintainthe intimate feel it started with, it would have been a really great movie.As it is, it's just a good one.Well worth checking out though...

As soon as I hear the name Michael Bay I instantly start thinking... big action, small plot and will leave me brain dead for an hour and a half but will pass the time happily enough. The Island is a bit of a surprise to me then. Not only does it have Bay's usual action packed antics but it also has an interesting and involving plot. Okay it's all over the top but hey that's Hollywood right? The acting is good, especially good old Ewan who has turned his hand to the action like a pro. I have to admit I really enjoyed this film, it even had a bit of a moral story to it too. Well worth a look if you get the chance.

As noted elsewhere, a much under-rated release so I didn't see it at the cinema but had to buy it after seeing it (spoiled by adverts) on TV. I was genuinely worried for the two key characters (Ewan MacGregor and Scarlett Johansson - after her awful 'Lost in Translation) They play the innocence of clones so well that you feel for them; and Sean Bean is frighteningly callous. It plays a realistic future possibility - maybe not in the US but somewhere, and scientists have just created 'life' in cells from DNA. What next? It's a good and thoughtful action sci-fi thriller. Bought it for my collection.

I loved this film- clever story, lots (!) of action- great car chasing - all in all worth watching