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August 19, 2005
The Island
Sorry for the lack of updates, got busy with school stuff.
The Island (2005), Michael Bay:
Ok, I didn't expect it to be good, but it could've at least been The Rock.
Man, it was a terrible movie. People kept talking about the smart premise (and it was, to some degree), but all sorts of stupid little shit completely sabotaged whatever sci-fi cred there was. I mean, they're in a virtual utopia; why are they drinking Dasani? And why are they surrounded by such amazing technology, only to be beset by problems that were solved by tech ten years old (they're using huge physical keys to get into the sensitive areas of the complex, keys; plus they lose Ewan Mcgregor and Scarlett Johanssen really easily--apparently a brand on the wrist is enough).
There were a couple strange turns. The product placement, as previously mentioned was forced to the point of the surreal. Ace Hardware owns a huge building in downtown LA? At the very least, it's nice to see Amtrak's future is well secured. Also, I noticed six people get hit in the head with huge metal objects before I lost count.
The acting was completely wasted. Ewan looks like he's having fun, but it seemed as if Scarlett's only stage direction was "look dumb". Maybe "tilt your head".
So it wasn't completely terrible. There is some elegant carnage, for which Michael Bay was always noted. Not nearly enough, however, to justify the rest.
4/15
Posted by bing at August 19, 2005 09:57 PM