The Island

For me, Michael Bay's best film, which is just short of perfection. It's a great blend of sci-fi, drama and action, all spiced up with a touch of romance. It's all accompanied by an incredible soundtrack, composed by the until recently unknown to me Steve Jablonsky. The plot was absolutely meticulously thought out and I didn't get lost at all. The visual effects were carefully done and convincing. In short, this a very good film with an original and unorthodox theme, it could have benefited from a shorter running time, but even that was bearable. (22/08/2010)

In terms of content (screenwriting), The Island is Michael Bay’s most riveting film yet. It’s serious subject matter (with several depressing scenes) is skilfully made into a brisk Hollywood blockbuster that fulfils all of the required parameters. The central duo of actors was a bad commercial (producer) decision, but it was a perfect dramaturgical (directorial) move. Their characters needed the greatest possible realism and they played the biggest character roles as they were being familiarised with the “new world”. My favourite passage of the film is the encounter with the children at the station... Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson did not disappoint. The action scenes are peak Bay; the one with the “wasp” and its flight over a skyscraper is a real eye-candy highlight. The visual and musical concepts are kitschier than in Minority Report, for example, but still maintain a certain dignity, are believable and manage to captivate the viewer. And composer Steve Jablonsky steps out from under his own shadow. There are a few holes in the logic and the film has two endings, but it never becomes boring. I was glad it wasn’t ending yet and I could be kept in suspense for a while longer… This is the first Michael Bay movie that interested and entertained me with more than just nice visuals. The Island is a more interesting and daring sci-fi popcorn flick than last year's I, Robot. (24/09/2005)

For someone who has seen Logan's Run, The Island is a completely pointless affair. Even though the story does go in a different direction in the second half and the whole thing seems to be just a bastardized take on Equilibrium. But I realize that it may not be that much of a big deal for fans of McGregor, Johansson, or Bay. (06/11/2011)

Bay’s attempt at making a different type of movie than he usually does stopped somewhere half-way along the route. In the end, the initially intriguingly developing screenplay proves to be the weakest aspect of this movie. Despite the fact that something is always going on in this picture and despite the frantic editing, paradoxically this seems to lack pace. But even so, thanks to an excellent McGregor and the precise technical aspects, this is an above-average picture which is definitely more endearing than Bay’s previous movies, but unfortunately it isn’t one of his best. (05/09/2005)

When I thought, after the Bad Boys II, that Michael Bay had permanently drowned in his action-comedy affectations, I couldn't have been more wrong. Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman wrote him a script that suited him perfectly and although it's a timid prelude to Transformers, the futuristic romance is worth it. Ewan McGregor excels in a role that could finally elevate him to the absolute top class (but due to the mentioned box office failure, we didn't get to see it this time either), the rest of the actors support him at a distance, but skillfully. Perhaps it could have spent a little less time before the reveal, but the action in the second half lifts the film completely someplace else. (14/02/2006)