Don’t get me wrong. The Island is as stark a reminder as any of Hollywood’s target demographic--teenagers--but it takes an intriguing premise based on the ethics of stem cell research and sets up a clever ruse of a human assembly line in the not very distant future.
We open with squeaky-clean hordes in their white jogging suits (and matching Puma shoes; the marketing machine behind this movie could do with a lesson in subtlety) as they carry lipstick traces of a whole array of movies from years past -- Gattaca, Logan’s Run, 1984, The Matrix series, a healthy mix of Star Wars episodes -- and bustle around in icy, postmodern vistas.
Except for this one inevitable outlier who begins to, oh no, wonder, ask pesky questions of his surroundings. The techno bunkum is semi-believable but then my popcorn was impeccably salted.
And then, boom! We kick into full throttle as the snazzy posters had screamed. The CGI team earns its keep, some of the action is superbly executed, even if the camerawork is needlessly jerky. Certain road chase sequences for instance are reminiscent of Matrix Reloaded from very recent memory, but Matrix had handled it with a poise that didn’t leave my pupils somersaulting. The bikes are cooler on the Island though.
As airheaded as the plot twists are (an aberrant scientist who befriends one of the clones in the dungeons and ultimately....no, watch it yourself) they add a dash of humor to the proceedings. Much of this comic respite comes from Steve Buscemi and his goofball nonchalance, pitting human follies against the impish innocence of these machin..er..CC humans. Scarlet Johannsen looks Nivea soft when appropriate but oh can those legs run and clamber! Ewan McGregor hardly conjures up images of an action superstar but his pimple-forehead charm is infectious.
Sadly, with all this going for it, the last quarter falls prey to some dopey chase sequences and a hail of product placements (MSN, Nokia, Puma, Chrysler...long winding list). Then there are sudden exalted messages of slavery that build into an unsatisfying segue - one of our clone buddies was a US president’s lookalike, what happened to these freed folks?
Well, as they say, suspend your disbelief, leave your Oscar hat at home, lean back with a big cup of Coke, no ice. The soundtrack is fabulous and it props some well paced eye candy so relish it for what it is. Recommended if you can catch it in a theatre with Dolby and the whole shebang.