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After five films working with uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Michael Bay had built up a reputation for directing flashy, slick and hollow action movies. He'd also never had a commercial failure. In 2005, the partnership ended as Bay jumped ship to Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks - and promptly made a flop. The irony is that The Island was possibly the director's best film yet; a verging-on-thought-provoking science fiction thriller with an appealing cast but still all the Bay stylistic trademarks. Constant swirling cameras and ample helicopter porn are all present and correct.
Unexpectedly, though, Bay actually shows some restraint. The film does open with a typical quick-cut montage but then for about an hour settles down into something resembling George Lucas' first film THX 1138. For the duration of this section the script confines events within a futuristic indoor city, populated by people wearing white jumpsuits going about their monotonous, repetitive lives. Notices warn them of the perilous nuclear wasteland that is the Earth of 2019; the last safe place on the planet is the mythical 'Island', to which one lucky citizen is periodically selected to depart. Ewan McGregor's Lincoln is the only one to question their limited existence. Gradually Lincoln comes to realise the truth about The Island, a critical plot revelation that was unfortunately spoiled in the trailers but I will not divulge here. McGregor is a likeable lead, clearly enjoying not having the Star Wars prequels' dialogue to stumble over, and makes a good pairing with the then-'it-girl' Scarlett Johansson. Several respectable actors in minor roles add a touch of class, including the ever-reliable "funny-looking" Steve Buscemi and the talented but slightly typecast Djimon Hounsou.
The second half is where the action really explodes, and it's expertly handled as would be expected. Michael Bay certainly knows how to film a high-octane chase scene. Only at one point does the film completely lose grip of reality, and this is partially compensated for by a knowing wisecrack from an astounded observer. The running time also feels slightly over-extended but it's a minor fault. Everything is beautifully shot, with characteristically extensive application of coloured filters and a strongly saturated palette. The future is excellently realised, with its not-too-distant timeframe allowing for some in-jokes and clever uses of current technology (alongside some glaring product placement). The images are accompanied by an impressive Steve Jablonsky score which has already been pilfered for use in several previews for other films.
Despite its many positives, it's easy to see why the film failed at the box office. To date it is the last major blockbuster to be released without any pre-release brand awareness (all of this year's crop, for example, are either sequels or well-known brands like Transformers) other than Night at the Museum, and that had an easily marketable pitch and Ben Stiller above the title. McGregor and Johansson, conversely, were untried leads, and science fiction on the whole tends to be a hard genre to succeed in. Those commercial disadvantages actually benefit the film, making it feel relatively novel and fresh. Steven Spielberg has been quoted as saying that he wish he'd read The Island's screenplay before embarking upon shooting Minority Report. Spielberg should have few regrets, however, as he made the more intelligent and innovative film - but The Island is perhaps more fun.
The extras
On the DVD there is a run-of-the-mill 15-minute Making Of. The only other feature is a DVD-ROM weblink to a director's commentary, but it doesn't really work. You have to download some annoying special software, and once you get the commentary you can barely hear it - the normal film soundtrack is not muted and there is no way to adjust the commentary's volume separately (the computer requirement also obviously means that it can't accessed on a regular DVD player). Why not just put the commentary on the DVD? Pointless.
The summary
An underrated science fiction thrill-ride, The Island should tick most of the boxes for genre fans. Others may even find it worth giving a shot.
