By Robert Sims, Special to Hollywood.com
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Thursday, August 14, 2008
8. The Island (2 stars)
Year of Release: 2005
U.S. Box Office Gross: $35.8 million
Reported Budget: $126 million
The Reassessment: Michael Bay’s first louder-than-bombs extravaganza made without producer Jerry Bruckheimer was also his first outright flop. It’s not hard to see why. This lead-footed tale of two human clones—manufactured for body parts—fleeing their creator is nothing but The Sixth Day by way of Logan's Run. For all the God-like technology on display, Bay’s depiction of a future world desperate to cheat death is as nondescript as the performances by Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. Unlike Gattaca, The Island never concerns itself with the ethical questions raised by human cloning. Or, for that matter, does Bay bother to explore in any depth the existential crisis endured by McGregor’s curious clone. Then again, as a spare-no-expense, ground-to-air chase around L.A. proves, Bay’s only comfortable when he’s causing death and destruction.
Photo courtesy of DreamWorks S.K.G.