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Movies / On DVD / The Island
The Island

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The Island (2005)

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Reviews Counted:180

Fresh:72

Rotten:108

Average Rating:5.4/10

Consensus: A clone of THX 1183, Coma, and Logan's Run, The Island is another loud and bombastic Michael Bay movie where explosions and chases matter more than characters, dialogue, or plot.

Runtime: 2 hrs 16 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Synopsis: Michael Bay ("Armageddon," "Pearl Harbor") directs the futuristic action thriller "The Island," starring Ewan McGregor ("Star Wars: Episodes I, II & III," "Moulin Rouge!") and Scarlett Johansson... Michael Bay ("Armageddon," "Pearl Harbor") directs the futuristic action thriller "The Island," starring Ewan McGregor ("Star Wars: Episodes I, II & III," "Moulin Rouge!") and Scarlett Johansson ("Lost in Translation," "Girl With a Pearl Earring"). Lincoln Six-Echo (McGregor) is a resident of a seemingly utopian but contained facility in the mid-21st century. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to the "The Island"—reportedly the last uncontaminated spot on the planet—until he makes a terrible discovery that everything about his existence is a lie…and that he is actually more valuable dead than alive. Together with a beautiful fellow resident named Jordan Two-Delta (Johansson), Lincoln makes a daring escape to the outside world he's never known. Now, with the forces of the institute that once housed them relentlessly hunting them down, Lincoln and Jordan engage in a desperate race for their lives. Rounding out the main cast of "The Island" are Oscar® nominee Djimon Hounsou ("In America," "Gladiator") as the leader of the security team pursuing Lincoln and Jordan; Sean Bean ("National Treasure," "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy) as the head of the Institute; Steve Buscemi ("Ghost World," "Armageddon") as a man who befriends Lincoln despite working for the institute; and Oscar® nominee Michael Clarke Duncan ("The Green Mile," "Armageddon") as another resident who is elated and envied when he is selected to go to "The Island." Michael Bay directed "The Island" from a screenplay by Caspian Tredwell-Owen and Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci, based on a story by Tredwell-Owen. Walter F. Parkes, Michael Bay and Ian Bryce produced the film, with Laurie MacDonald serving as executive producer. "The Island" is a co-production of DreamWorks Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures, with DreamWorks distributing the film domestically and Warner Bros. handling the international release. -- © Dreamworks [More]

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Ewan McGregor, Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Ewan McGregor, Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean, Steve Buscemi, Michael Clarke Duncan

Director: Michael Bay

Director: Michael Bay
Screenwriter: Robert Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Caspian Tredwell-Owen
Story: Caspian Tredwell-Owen
Producer: Walter F. Parkes, Michael Bay, Ian Bryce, Laurie MacDonald
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution LLC

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Reviews for The Island

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/07/06
Empire Magazine
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
08/13/05
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]

Unapologetically action-oriented but it has a passionate subtext too - this Michael Bay's take on every sci-fi movie ever made.

Full Review Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
08/07/05
Joe Utichi
Joe Utichi
FilmFocus

It’s extremely well acted by McGregor and Johansson, both of whom bring more to their roles than the script really deserves.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
08/13/05
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

[T]here's plenty to enjoy in the more intimate, character-based moments, if you can cope with the relentlessly overblown action that surrounds them.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
08/09/05
Nev Pierce
Nev Pierce
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An intelligent, provocative premise wrapped in a bone-chillingly stupid action movie.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
07/28/05
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

See this and you'll think someone has harvested your brain.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
07/22/05
E! Online
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
07/23/05
Boston Phoenix
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N/R

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Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
07/23/05
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
08/05/05
Sydney Morning Herald
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N/R

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Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
AV Club
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This lavish, exhaustingly kinetic film is smarter than you might expect, and at the same time dumber than it could be.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
07/21/05
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Veraniega en el sentido más comercial de la definición, sobresale en su género particular, en un buen nivel dentro de ese cine que no pide muchas neuronas (clonadas o no).

Full Review Source: Cinenganos | comment Comment
08/02/05
Alex Ramirez
Alex Ramirez
Cinenganos

Product placements are seen as a necessary evil, but do they really have to be constantly seen? The film itself doesn't add up to the sum of its ads.

Full Review Source: Juicy Cerebellum | comment Comment
07/19/05
Alex Sandell
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

Classic Bay, except it's missing the crass director's fine-tuned rhythm, his feel for adrenaline, his breakneck edits and sense of humor.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
07/21/05
Allison Benedikt
Allison Benedikt
Chicago Tribune

When making a point about the sanctity of life, the argument is so much stronger when all life falls into that category, not just the chosen

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
07/16/05
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

The action is sometimes exciting and occasionally clever but, like most Bay run/drive/explode sequences, it’s mechanical and less involving than it ought to be.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
07/30/05
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

An Island worth visiting. Bay action proves a good mix with McGregor humour.

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
07/26/05
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca

If you find yourself at The Island I have only three words of advice: Vote yourself off.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
07/22/05
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
all

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