Product Details

• Actors: Scarlett Johansson, Ewan McGregor, Djimon Hounsou, Steve Buscemi, Sean Bean
• Directors: Michael Bay
• Writers: Alex Kurtzman, Caspian Tredwell-Owen, Roberto Orci
• Producers: Heidi Fugeman, Ian Bryce, Josh McLaglen, Kenny Bates
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Dreamworks Video
• DVD Release Date: December 13, 2005
• Run Time: 136 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (405 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000BO0LH2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,112 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "The Island" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When you add up all the best things about The Island, you might just conclude that there's hope yet for Hollywood's most critically reviled hit-maker, Michael Bay. Recruited by Steven Spielberg to direct this lavish and often breathtaking sci-fi action thriller, Bay rises to the occasion with an ambitious production that is, by his standards (and compared to Bay's earlier hits like The Rock and Armageddon), surprisingly intelligent as it explores the repercussions of cloning in a sealed-off society where humans are cultivated for spare parts, surrogate parenthood, and full-body replacements for wealthy clientele. But when two of the clones (Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johanssen) begin to question their fate and the motives of their keepers, they escape into the real world and The Island becomes just another Michael Bay action extravaganza, albeit an impressively exciting one. With elaborate chase scenes and a high-tech feast of CGI to dazzle the eye, The Island recycles much of the plot from 1979's Clonus while borrowing elements from Logan's Run, Gattaca and Minority Report, and while it's not as smartly conceived as those earlier films, there's no denying that, in many ways, it's Bay's best film to date. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

Blockbuster action director Michael Bay delivers a striking look at a strange world of the future in this sci-fi action drama. Midway through the 21st century, Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor) lives in a confined indoor community after ongoing abuse of the Earth has rendered most of the planet uninhabitable. One of the only places in the outside world still capable of sustaining life is an idyllic island where citizens are chosen to live through a lottery. Or at least that's what Lincoln and his fellow citizens are taught to believe; the truth is that Lincoln, like everyone he knows, is actually a clone who is kept under wraps to provide needed organs when the person who supplied his or her DNA falls ill. When he becomes aware that his existence is a fraud, Lincoln escapes to the outside world with a fellow clone, Jordan Two Delta (Scarlett Johansson), though the powers that be are determined to see that no one gets away alive. The Island also stars Steve Buscemi, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Sean Bean.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

112 of 136 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the better films you will see this summer...honestly! July 29, 2005

By T. Henderson

I hate Michael Bay. I have hated everything he has ever done. I can't stand his explosions and car chases over plot mentality. Even though "The Island" had many of these same qualitites, and it was just a redo of "Logan's Run," I still loved it!

(Minor spoilers ahead)

The story centers around two clones: Lincoln 6 Echo (McGregor) and Jordan 2 Delta (Johansson) - aren't those the coolest names ever?!! - who dwell in a futuristic utopian society. It's much like Orwell's "1984," in which everything is controlled, programmed and run by an unseen force. In this case it's a sinister doctor - masterfully played by Sean Bean - who is the "God" over the clones. Now, the clones go about their daily life, oblivious to the fact that they live underground and that their entire existent is a lie. You see, in the future, clones are grown and harvested and kept in this underground habitat. The clones only purpose is to provide vital organs to the real people that they were cloned from. For example, if you needed a liver transplant, they would grow a clone (which takes 12 months) and then take the healthy liver from the clone. Of course, the clone would have to be disposed of, which brings up an interesting moral dilemma of a side plot - would you take an organ from a clone of yourself to help you live? Don't be so quick to say no! Unfortunately, these clones have no idea that they are not real, as they have been brought up to believe that they are the survivors of a post-apocalyptic Earth. Their only chance to leave is if they win the lottery, and they are selected to travel to 'the island' - a mythical realm which happens to be the only non-contaminated place left on Earth.

The obvious question is asked, well why didn't anyone ever figure out that their life is a lie? The film answers this by stating that the clones are only schooled to a 9th grade education - no higher level thinking skills are ever developed. It's a rather interesting solution to the problem.

Much to the chagrin of the cloning industry, L6E discovers that the lottery isn't real, and neither is the island paradise. This is simply just a way of taking the clone that is needed to provide their vital organs to their host. L6E and J2D decide to escape from their environment to venture into the unknown, and thus our movie is off and running. Sounds pretty complex for a Michael Bay film doesn't it?

Well, after the two clones are on the run the movie basically turns into one extended action scene after the next - keep an eye out for the fantastic sequence in which train wheels are dumped off a back of a truck by the clones to thwart a persuit by the agents persuing them. Eventually the clones decide to seek out their hosts, in the hopes of alerting the public to the injustice of the cloning industry.

(End minor spoilers)

I love the fact that this film makes an almost seemless transition from sci-fi film to action film back and forth. The film slowed down when it needed to and got loud and noisy in the appropriate places. All in all, I felt that the film was the most exciting and entertaining sci-fi film since the original "Matrix." I would highly recommend this to fans of sci-fi films and action pics. In a summer of completely disappointing films - aside from the glorious return of Batman - this film is truly a refreshing surprise. Big explosions, car chases, attractive leading stars and some distant semblance of a plot help to make this film more than the average Michael Bay film.

154 of 191 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Michael Bay's Best Ever July 23, 2005

By Reviewer

This movie, because it's a "Summer, Sci-Fi/Action" flick, will probably do extremely well at the box office, if for no other reason than the fact that Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson are in the cast. Regrettably, however, even after it's been out for awhile it will probably never reach as wide and diverse an audience as it deserves until it's release on DVD, when-- hopefully-- positive word of mouth recommendations will lead those who usually avoid this particular genre to it. Because "The Island," directed by Michael Bay, is a cautionary, thought-provoking tale set in the not-so-distant future that holds a mirror up to our current society and poses some serious questions about moral judgement and how unmitigated secrecy on the part of institutions and those we "should" be able to trust affects us all on a daily basis that is especially relevant in today's world.

The story concerns the survivors of a "contamination" who must dwell within a seemingly sterile, self-contained city where their happiness is paramount to those in charge, while at the same time their only hope for the future is to be the next lottery winner, which would afford them a one-way ticket to the last uncontaminated place on earth, The Island. And to tell it, director Bay, no stranger to action films with such offerings as "The Rock," "Armageddon" and "Bad Boys I&II" under his belt, has drawn upon myriad other classics of the genre and used the collective threads to successfully weave his own story and imprint it with the kind of metaphor that elevates it beyond the next action sequence or explosion. A comparison to "Logan's Run" goes without question, along with an obvious nod to "Blade Runner," a smattering of "The Matrix" and even a pinch of "Star Wars." Which is not to say this is a "copy" of any of those; it definitely is not. Bay has merely-- and wisely-- drawn upon some of the more successful elements of those films, and in most instances expanded upon them, to deliver a memorable film that far surpasses the genre's usual board of fare.

Arguably, this is Michael Bay's best overall film to date. Though he has demonstrated in the past that he knows how to do action, he has outdone even himself with this one. There is one heart-stopping scene, for example, involving a number of vehicles and helicopters that eclipses even the highly touted freeway sequence of the second "Matrix" film. The F/X are top notch, and once the action begins in earnest, he sets a pace that builds the excitement without allowing it to lay or lapse even for a second, right up to the very end. Add to that the fact that this film really has something to say, and it will make you appreciate what Bay and his company of actors and technicians have accomplished here even more.

Ewan McGregor is perfectly cast as Lincoln Six Echo, using his boyish charm, good looks and manner to lend the necessary credibility of innocence to his character. The charismatic Scarlett Johansson finds just the right note, as well, to bring her character, Jordan Two Delta, to life. Bay gives each of his actors, in turn, a moment in which to define their respective characters and underscore the plausibility of the film, and when that time comes they each succeed in a way that sustains the interest in the story beyond the action and the F/X. Excellent performances by both McGregor and Johansson.

In a supporting role, Steve Buscemi adds color to the proceedings as McCord, the man with the answers to a number of questions Lincoln Six has been asking about their environment and way of life; questions to which others in positions of authority respond with guarded circumspection, among them Merrick, one of the apparent caretakers of the city. Played by Sean Bean, Merrick is one of the pivotal characters of the film, and while Bean's performance is decent, it lacks the nuance that could have taken it to a much higher level. As it is, while effective to an extent, it is a fairly lackluster and generic portrayal.

The excellent supporting cast includes Michael Clarke Duncan (Starkweather); Ethan Phillips (Jones Three Echo); Brian Stepanek (Gandu Three Echo); Noa Tishby (Community Announcer); and Siobhan Flynn (Lima One Alpha). For most, "The Island" will be an exciting summertime diversion; but for those who pay attention to the underlying social and political significance of the story, the rewards will most likely exceed any and all expectations. And that's the magic of the movies.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Can be bought from Amazon UK for less the $25US incl. ship! January 31, 2009

By Jeff C.

Format:Blu-ray

I really liked this movie and have hoped it would come to blu ray in the US. After some research I found that I could get it from amazon.uk for less than $25US, and that includes shipping. Got mine in less than a week! It plays fine on my PS3 and believe it is region free. Hope this review helps anyone else interested in this awesome sci-fi flick.