The Island
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 2 hours, 16 minutes
Directed by: Michael Bay
Starring:
Ewan McGregor - Lincoln Six-Echo / Tom Lincoln
Scarlett Johansson - Jordan Two-Delta / Sarah Jordan
Djimon Hounsou - Albert Laurent
Sean Bean - Dr. John Merrick
Steve Buscemi - McCord
His films are held up as a shining example of what is wrong with movies today. His movies are seen as loud, obnoxious, shallow, and at times even misogynistic and racist. And yet, through it all, it seems like director Michael Bay is just giving the people what they want as none of his films have flopped. Sure, some are more successful than others, but he’s never had a film that just tanked. But then Michael Bay decided to go and visit The Island.
For those that didn’t see any trailers or TV spots for the film and were divinely inspired to see it but don’t know what it’s about, the story is about a facility filled with people thinking they’ve survived a plague and that they’re waiting to be called through lottery to an island where they can help in repopulating the world. Already, we have an interesting social metaphor of reward only through chance and to fear the outside while never questioning the inside. But Lincoln Six-Echo (Ewan McGregor) has an insatiable curiosity and it leads him to discover that there is no island but rather they’re being used for parts and as his friend McCord (Steve Buscemi) tells him, it’s all for rich people out in the real world (again, good social commentary of the rich exploiting the uneducated for their own personal gain). Of course, everyone thinks that they’re just getting their new hip from a comatose double and so Lincoln and love-interest Jordan Two-Delta (Scarlett Johansson) set out to find Lincoln’s “sponsor” (his original) in order to expose the evil of Dr. Merrick’s (Sean Bean) facility. Because a chase isn’t very fun without someone chasing you, Merrick sends out a mercanary team led by former-military-type-guy Albert Laurent (Djimon Hounsou) to capture and the return the escaped “products”. Not a bad premise and in theory it seems like there’s no reason why Michael Bay is the absolute wrong choice for this project.
You see, I’m a Michael Bay defender. I thoroughly enjoy The Rock, and I think that Armageddon and the Bad Boys films are certainly entertaining. His only rotten film was Pearl Harbor, and perhaps that film was doomed from the start as it was an obvious attempt to ape the success of Titanic, never realizing that while one story was about an unfortunate run-in with an iceberg, the other was about how the U.S. entered into World War II. So aside from the intense 45-minute sequence of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the film is a pathetic love triangle which disgraced all three of its leads not to mention anyone who died in the attack.
So Bay stepped back, went on to do Bad Boys II, obviously had a lot of fun with it (perhaps a little too much), and then decided to step up again and see if he could handle a thoughtful science fiction film. I certainly thought he could. You see, I think Bay is a talented director. I think that as much as you may hate his films, you can recognize the difficulty of shots and sequences and how he’s always going for broke.
The biggest flaw in The Island is that Bay always goes for broke. He is the film’s largest liability. It’s a moderately-intelligent science fiction story that’s constantly fighting against a dumb, empty, action film. And it’s not that an action film can’t be smart or a science fiction film can’t have cool set pieces. The problem is that a story like this requires levels and this film makes it clear that while Bay might be a skilled director, he’s not talented. Good direction is making sure that all elements are in service of the story. To do so requires levels. It requires the restraint to say “this would be really cool, but it’s innapropriate for the story I’m trying to tell”. Bay lacks that restraint and his only level is LOUD.
So while the set design and costumes are brilliant, the action sequences seem woefully out of place (there’s even a repeat of one of the car chases from Bad Boys II, because as in most Michael Bay films, one car chase isn’t enough), and the moments of tenderness between Lincoln and Jordan are ruined with musical cues that are step away from just flashing the word “ROMANCE” on the screen. Also, I'm getting a little disturbed that the trademark of the Michael Bay film seems to be the sassy black extra. The first time it was funny. Now it’s beginning to seem a tad inappropriate. And while the film appears to have great cinematography, the smaller, more intimate moments are overdone thorugh close-ups and camera movement. Bay needed to adjust his style to the film and instead the film ends up being adjusted to Bay.
Still, Bay can’t take all the blame as the script has some glaring problems. For one, all the “deep” philosophical scenes are set aside. They tend to take place in one room with two people talking about humanity and life and all that good stuff. Second, the Laurent character is a mess. He’s nothing more than a badass military guy until we discover that he has a soft spot for branded people because of an incident involving his tribe (because what African doesn’t have one of those?) when he was child so he decides to help the good guys. And on a casting note, what a terrible waste of…well, just about everyone. This movie has SIX excellent actors and not a one of them gets pushed to their full potential. Michael Clarke Duncan is barely in the film and I find that surprising as he seems like the kind of guy who could intimidate you into being toilet paper. You want to give a guy like that as much screen time as possible and maybe your firstborn, just for good measure.
While all my commentary seems negative, I don’t think it’s a bad movie. I didn’t walk out of it feeling disgusted like I did with Pearl Harbor. If anything, I felt that this was a career defining film for Bay as I don’t think his strengths and weakness have ever been more evident than they are here. And your tolerance for Bay’s style will obviosly influence your feelings towards the film. So while the weaknesses of the film are quite clear, there’s still enough good stuff to warrant seeing it in theatres, although you may want to catch the matinee.
Michael Bay’s next film is The Transformers and while I’m sure he can handle robots in disguise, I can’t help but wonder if the forty-year-old director will ever grow as a filmmaker and be able to work with the next smart premise that comes along rather than pound it into submission.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
7.29.05