The Island is a 2005 science fiction film directed by Michael Bay and starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. It was released on July 11, 2005 in the US. It was nominated for 3 awards including the Teen Choice award. It is described as a pastiche of "escape-from-dystopia" science fiction films of the 1960s and 1970s such as Fahrenheit 451, THX 1138, Parts: The Clonus Horror, and Logan's Run. Set in 2019, the movie's plot revolves around the struggle of Ewan McGregor's character to fit into the highly structured world he lives in, and the action-packed series of events that unfolds when he questions exactly how truthful that world really is. The film, which cost $126 million to produce, earned only $36 million at the United States box office, but earned $127 million overseas, for a $163 million worldwide total.
Plot
It is 2019, and for the last three years, Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor) has lived in a colony of uncontaminated humans, each awaiting their chance to go to the last habitable place on Earth, known as "the Island." Lincoln is discontent and although he works and socializes well, he is known for being an outsider. During a meeting with Dr. Merrick, the leader of the area where he lives, Lincoln seems helpless to explain his feelings. He is frustrated by the plain white clothes everyone is given and the strict control over everyone's activities and habits. Concerned, Merrick asks to run tests on Lincoln, and inserts some nano bots into his eyes to monitor his activities for 48 hours. Lincoln learns that his best friend, Jordan Two Delta (Scarlett Johansson), will soon be leaving for "the Island." Through an illicit visit to a construction area, Lincoln Six surreptitiously discovers that two former colonists, who were recently thought gone to the Island, are instead being subjected to brutal, ultimately fatal medical procedures and organ harvesting. He returns to the colony to rescue Jordan Two from a similar fate, but not before company chief Dr. Merrick (Sean Bean) discovers that Lincoln Six now knows the truth.
Through their escape, Lincoln Six and Jordan Two discover that the outside world is completely habitable and uncontaminated, and that each of them is a clone of a wealthy "sponsor" who paid five million dollars to be cloned as "insurance" to prolong the sponsor's life. Though they appear human, clones are in fact incubated to adulthood in as little as a year and thought of only as a product. While cloning itself is legal, allowing the clones to attain consciousness is not, and is contrary to what clients are told. However, without consciousness, Merrick confides, the product is not viable - the clones die and no use can be made of them. Thus, for financial and legal motivations, Merrick hires a paramilitary force, commanded by Albert Laurent (Djimon Hounsou), to use any means necessary to take out the two escaped clones. Merrick also discovers that Lincoln Six has some of the memories and skills inherited from his sponsor, therefore instead of having a mind designed equivalent of a fifteen years old, he is as intelligent as an adult.
The two clones escape to Los Angeles in hope of finding their sponsors. During these times, they've begin to explore their feelings they have toward each other since before their escape, eventually becomes romantic. Jordan learns she is the clone of a famous model, Sarah Jordan, who has recently suffered a debilitating accident and is in a coma in New York City. They find Lincoln Six's sponsor at his L.A. home. He is Tom Lincoln, who is in imminent risk of liver failure. While sponsor and clone become acquainted, Lincoln Six recruits his sponsor to appear together on T.V. in order to expose the corporation and reveal the truth. On the way to the T.V. studio, however, Tom Lincoln attempts to preserve his "insurance" by turning against his clone. Lincoln Six turns the tables on his sponsor, tricks Laurent into killing Tom, and assumes Tom's identity.
Though Merrick is much relieved to hear Lincoln Six is dead, he has discovered that two entire product lines share the same "flaw" (clones exhibiting similar neural patterns as Lincoln Six before birth) and subsequently orders a "recall" — the destruction of scores of clones. Meanwhile, having assumed the identity of his sponsor, Lincoln Six finds a way to turn the tables on Merrick's corporation, and with help from Jordan and an unexpected alliance with Laurent, kills Merrick and rescues the colonists. The film ends with Lincoln and Jordan together riding the powerboat Renovatio to an unknown destination, which translates from Latin to mean the verb "Rebirth" or "Restoration".
Cast
| Actor/Actress |
Role |
Notes |
| Ewan McGregor |
Lincoln Six Echo |
Protagonist; clone of Tom Lincoln |
| Tom Lincoln |
Car/motorcycle/boat experimental designer from Scotland, currently living in L.A. Initially sponsored his clone so he could have a new liver; he suffers from cirrhosis secondary to viral hepatitis. |
| Scarlett Johansson |
Jordan Two Delta |
Protagonist; clone of Sarah Jordan |
| Sarah Jordan |
Actress and model from New York; initially sponsored her clone to keep her in fresh looking skin, but dying as a result of a car accident. She is also a mother of a child. |
| Djimon Hounsou |
Albert Laurent |
Ex-GIGN French private military contractor who runs Blackhawk Security, the team hired by Merrick to bring back Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta. |
| Sean Bean |
Dr. Merrick |
Antagonist, owner of Merrick Biotech and creator of the various clones |
| Steve Buscemi |
James McCord |
Employee of Merrick Biotech; helps Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta after they escape |
| Michael Clarke Duncan |
Starkweather Two Delta |
Cloned after a football player for at least his liver, and judging from The Island's official website, probably his heart as well (Jamil Starkweather is noted to have multiple early warning signs of impending cardiac problems) |
| Jamil Starkweather |
New York Giants football player; aka "The Juggernaut"[1] |
| Ethan Phillips |
Jones Three Echo |
Clone; works with Lincoln Six Echo |
| Brian Stepanek |
Gandu Three Echo |
Clone; works with Lincoln Six Echo |
| Noa Tishby |
Community Announcer |
Makes community announcements including the lottery |
| Siobhan Flynn |
Lima One Alpha |
Cloned to carry a baby to term for her sponsor |
| Kim Coates |
Charles Whitman |
Director of Public Relations for Merrick Biotech |
| Tom Everett |
President of the United States; clone |
| J.P. Manoux |
Foxtrot; new guy picked on by Gandu 3 Echo |
Controversy
Due to some points of similarity, some have accused the filmmakers of remaking the 1979 film, Parts: The Clonus Horror, without crediting that concept.[2] DreamWorks settled out of court for $1 million, the same amount the screenwriters were paid for the script.
Michael Marshall Smith's 1996 novel, Spares, in which the hero liberates intelligent clones from a "spare farm", whose clients are told they are not conscious, was optioned by DreamWorks in the late 1990s but was never made. It remains unclear if the story inspired The Island, and so Marshall Smith did not consider it worthwhile[3] to pursue legal action over the similarities. Paramount (once sister studio to DreamWorks after its parent Viacom purchased DreamWorks in late 2005, then spinning it off again in 2008) was in talks to option the novel after DreamWorks' rights expired, but declined after The Island was released. Marshall Smith considers it unlikely a Spares film will ever be made.[4]
In addition, Tessa Dick, former wife of science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, accused the filmmakers of plagiarizing his 1964 novel The Penultimate Truth, as well as several other works of fiction. She writes, "I'm watching this film, and I realize that everything in it is derivative of someone else's work. ... The basic premise is outright stolen from ... The Penultimate Truth. Everybody lives in an underground shelter because, they are told, the Earth is contaminated. This lie keeps them inside their underground shelter/prison. ... They do throw in some action scenes from Blade Runner, which rips off Ridley Scott more than it does Phil. [Blade Runner is based on Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?] And there are bits and pieces of Brave New World."[5]
A second film version of Logan's Run was also in the works when The Island was released. It is possible due to the similarity of both plot and story, that the release and domestic box-office reception of The Island caused the production of Logan's Run to be abandoned in favor of the 2008 film Speed Racer. Though the similarities between the two films are striking, the author of Logan's Run has not so far commented on The Island's concept.
Reviewers have also objected to the prominent product placement within the film. Cisco Systems, MSN Search, Calvin Klein, Xbox, Puma, Reebok, Miller Light, NBC, NFL, Budweiser, Michelob, Apple, Aquafina, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, Mack, Coca-Cola, Speedo, TAG Heuer, Amtrak, Ben & Jerry's, and Nokia are some of the sponsors of the film.[6] In an Entertainment Weekly cover story, Bay stated that the extensive product placement was the result of trying to offset production costs - "Bay called on friends at major corporations — outfits like Budweiser, General Motors, and Microsoft — and offered overt product placement in exchange for cash. 'We made about $850,000 on that,' he says. 'And we needed that money to get this movie made.'"[7]
Lawsuit
The Island mirrors Parts: The Clonus Horror in a number of ways. The makers of Clonus filed suit, claiming copyright infringement.[8] On August 25, 2006, the court presiding over this case ruled that it could proceed to trial.
According to a 2007 interview with Clonus screenwriter Bob Sullivan, DreamWorks and Clonus' associates reached a seven-figure settlement on November 20, 2006, the specific terms of which are sealed.[9]
Plot similarities with Parts: The Clonus Horror
The following are plot points which accurately describe both movies.
- There is a secret community of clones who are being created so that their organs can eventually be harvested in order to extend the lives of people, living outside of the community, wealthy enough to afford the process.
- When it is time for a clone (or more precisely, his or her organs), the clone is led to believe that he or she has been "randomly" chosen to go to what has been advertised as a utopia. The utopia, which of course does not really exist, is "America" in Clonus, and "The Island" in The Island.
- The community of clones is closely monitored by video surveillance and uniformed guards, who closely observe the actions of the clones.
- The main character is an inquisitive clone living in the community who finds clues about the outside world.
- The main character eventually escapes the community.
- A woman, which the community staff try to keep the main character from getting too close to, becomes the love interest for the protagonist, urging the protagonist to return to the facility after escaping.
- The project director sends assassins after the character.
- The main character gets betrayed by a genetic parent/sponsor he seeks and contacts in the outside world.
- The President (candidate for President in Clonus) is known to have a clone.
- The cloning program is exposed at the end of the film.
Behind the scenes
Johansson reportedly wanted to go topless instead of wearing a bra in a scene where she wakes up. Director Michael Bay decided against it to keep a PG-13 rating.[10]
The computer in Merrick's office at the Institute, which features a large, tabletop touchscreen display capable of detecting several forms of input, was rumored to be a conceptual Microsoft Surface. The design was actually proposed by a technology adviser at MIT, who aimed for producing a believable vision of futuristic technology.[11]
The city parts of the movie were filmed in Detroit, Michigan.[12]
The boat featured at the end of the film is the 118 WallyPower, built by Monte Carlo-based Wally Yachts.
The car that Tom Lincoln owns is a 2002 concept car, the Cadillac Cien.
The Calvin Klein advertising Jordan sees in the street, in which she recognizes her sponsor Sarah Jordan, is the actual advertising for the Eternity Moment fragrance by Calvin Klein, in which Johansson starred in real life.
Reaction
Box office performance
Domestically, The Island was considered a box office bomb; it only made $36 million in the United States from a budget of $126 million. However, the film did significantly better worldwide, where it made a total of $162,949,164.
Critical reception
The Island received generally mixed reviews from critics. It has a 40 percent, "Rotten" rating at Rotten Tomatoes, and it has received a 50 out of 100 from Metacritic.
See also
Notes
References
- Breznican, Anthony (March 18, 2005). "Car-wreck 'Island' keeps director smash-happy". USA Today, p. E1.
- Fierman, Daniel (July 22, 2005). "Attack of the Clones". Entertainment Weekly, issue #830. Retrieved from http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,,00.html on June 19, 2006.
External links
