Micheal Bay's latest attempt at cinema
*contains some spoilers, but then again, if you rent "Parts: The Clonus Horror" you will have seen a better version of this film*
This past Saturday I had an oppurtunity to see Micheal Bay's "The Island" about two weeks before it came out. My primary motivation for seeing the film was the attachment of Scarlett Johansson. I realize that it is quite chic to bash the work of Micheal Bay , especially after the uproarious "Team America: World Police," but I was willing to give the film a chance. I did like "The Rock." I even enjoyed "Bad Boys" when I saw it...ten years ago.
Unfortunetly, "The Island" aims very high and falls far short of the intended target. The story was original...thirty years ago. The premise of the film is eerily similar, though no credit was given, to a film from the 70's called "Parts: The Clonus Horror." While that film was no gem, it was the first time this story was told, and to some degree it was told much better.
The amount of plot holes and "magic bullets" is laughable. It's extremely hard to swallow that clones can somehow acquire their progenetor's memory, even though they have not experienced the memories themselves nor were they present at the time of the clones birth. Another brutal turn is the sudden conscience and moral dilemma of Djimon Hounsou, playing a contract killer, who throughout the majority of the film has no qualm with murdering countless civilians, police officers, and employees of the cloning facility.
Despite having several beautiful scenic shots, the film on the whole felt like a commercial. The aesthetic is that of almost any car advertisement, and I wouldn't be surprised if Bay was payed to maintain that image - since he was clearly thrown money by Microsoft, Puma, Calvin Klein, Aquafina, Michelob, Dodge, Cadillac, Nokia, and several magazines (including Maxim). I've come to realize that I hate the fashion in which most action sequences are shot. While this film wasn't anything like "The Bourne Supremecy," which felt like somebody got their first video camera and made a movie, it was very hard to focus on what was happening in the frame. Since the actors spend most of their time running, the camera - instead of remaining somewhat stationary and removed - is running alongside the actors, attempting to follow them while blurs of color fly through the shot.
This film was a let down on so many levels. Maybe since "Batman Begins" and "War of The Worlds" were both great I was hoping for a third successful summer action picture, and I set myself up to be let down. Unfortunetly for the audience, the actors fall flat behind horrible dialogue - rivaled only by the work of George Lucas, and the story falls short of it's inspiration. The final product was a generic sci-fi action film with dull action and uninspired performances.
It will be interesting to see what happens two weeks from now at the box office.
