The Island
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In 2019, Lincoln Six-Echo is a resident of a seemingly "Utopian" but contained facility. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully-controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to The Island — reportedly the last uncontaminated location on the planet. But Lincoln soon discovers that everything about his existence is a lie.
What critics thought
The Island splits critics right down the middle — its first half, a genuinely unsettling sci-fi premise about cloning and identity, earns real praise, but most reviewers felt Bay abandoned that potential the moment the action sequences took over. The performances, particularly Ewan McGregor and Steve Buscemi, are frequently cited as highlights stranded inside a film that keeps interrupting itself with car chases and explosions. Product placement drew its own share of criticism.
“[the first half] is a spare, creepy science fiction parable, and then it shifts into a high-tech action picture. Both halves work. Whether they work together is a good question.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“the weighty moral conundrums of human cloning, resolving them in a storm of bullets, car chases and more explosions than you can shake a syringe at”
Justin Chang·Variety
“[gets] really interesting, Bay thinks he needs to throw in a car crash or a round of gunfire to keep our attention”
Stephanie Zacharek·Salon
“[the] film is smarter than you might expect, and at the same time dumber than it could be.”
A.O. Scott·The New York Times
Genres
Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Cast & Crew
Michael BayDirector
Ewan McGregorLincoln Six Echo / Tom Lincoln
Scarlett JohanssonJordan Two Delta / Sarah Jordan
Djimon HounsouAlbert Laurent
Sean BeanDr. Bernard Merrick
Steve BuscemiJames 'Mac' McCord
Michael Clarke DuncanStarkweather Two Delta / Jamal Starkweather
Ethan PhillipsJones Three Echo
Brian StepanekGandu Three Echo
Noa TishbyCommunity Announcer
Siobhan FlynnLima One Alpha
Troy BlendellLaurent Team Member
Jamie McBrideLaurent Team Member
Steve JablonskyComposer
Roberto OrciWriter
Alex KurtzmanWriter
Mauro FioreCinematographyThe Island
In 2019, Lincoln Six-Echo is a resident of a seemingly "Utopian" but contained facility. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully-controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to The Island — reportedly the last uncontaminated location on the planet. But Lincoln soon discovers that everything about his existence is a lie.
What critics thought
The Island splits critics right down the middle — its first half, a genuinely unsettling sci-fi premise about cloning and identity, earns real praise, but most reviewers felt Bay abandoned that potential the moment the action sequences took over. The performances, particularly Ewan McGregor and Steve Buscemi, are frequently cited as highlights stranded inside a film that keeps interrupting itself with car chases and explosions. Product placement drew its own share of criticism.
“[the first half] is a spare, creepy science fiction parable, and then it shifts into a high-tech action picture. Both halves work. Whether they work together is a good question.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“the weighty moral conundrums of human cloning, resolving them in a storm of bullets, car chases and more explosions than you can shake a syringe at”
Justin Chang·Variety
“[gets] really interesting, Bay thinks he needs to throw in a car crash or a round of gunfire to keep our attention”
Stephanie Zacharek·Salon
“[the] film is smarter than you might expect, and at the same time dumber than it could be.”
A.O. Scott·The New York Times
Genres
Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Cast & Crew
Michael BayDirectorEwan McGregorLincoln Six Echo / Tom LincolnScarlett JohanssonJordan Two Delta / Sarah JordanDjimon HounsouAlbert LaurentSean BeanDr. Bernard MerrickSteve BuscemiJames 'Mac' McCordMichael Clarke DuncanStarkweather Two Delta / Jamal StarkweatherEthan PhillipsJones Three EchoBrian StepanekGandu Three EchoNoa TishbyCommunity AnnouncerSiobhan FlynnLima One AlphaTroy BlendellLaurent Team MemberJamie McBrideLaurent Team MemberSteve JablonskyComposerRoberto OrciWriterAlex KurtzmanWriterMauro FioreCinematographyStream
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