Hey folks, Harry here... Well it's looking like a fun summer for us... the turds seem to be the obvious ones at this point, and thankfully this doesn't seem like one of them. Word is coming in that George Clooney is going to be the voice of Optimus Prime - but at the bottom of this review, while Michael Bay says that it will not be the original voices in his TRANSFORMERS... he also says the script isn't done yet. So the 'rumors' on Clooney as Optimus Prime may be a bit early. Here's WillHunting with his look at THE ISLAND! The film is an early cut that isn't quite finished yet. Will seems to have taken a "this is silly" take, which seems to be counter to what most people that have seen the first 45 minutes feel. So we'll have to wait and see what others think. Here ya go...
Hello, Harry, first time poster, long time visitor to your awesome website.
I just got back from the very first test screening of The Island, at the Long Beach Town Center and all of the bigwigs from Dreamworks were there, Katzenberg, Geffen, Parkes, you name it.
Also in attendance, Michael Bay himself, who had some great news about Transformers, first the review:
The Island, as everyone knows is primarily about cloning.
Ewan McGregor plays Lincoln Six Echo, which is codeword for his host, a scot named Tom Lincoln who needs Lincoln Six Echo's liver to survive.
Scarlett Johansson plays Jordan Six Echo, Lincoln's best friend and co-worker.
The film is basically about these two "clones" who work in a sterilized enviornment wear the foods you eat and your daily contact are monitored lightly.
The believability of this film is narrow at best, one of Scarlett's beginnign scenes is smooth talking one of the cafeteria staff to give old Lincoln some bacon even though he's not allowed to have it.
These people think that they have been rescued from some sort of natural disaster, and they are the only ones still alive.
Lincoln starts having nightmares about going to see and drowning, he visits the head of the cloning facility, (Can't remember his name) but, it's played by Sean Bean, otherwise known as Boromir, Yeah, Obi-Wan and Boromir in the same room, can't go wrong there, (chuckle)
Anyways, we find out that the cloning facilty is really a harvest facility where clones are produced to harvest babies, and other vital organs for their "hosts"
The clones think that they are going to "The Island" when they are really going to get their organs harvested for their hosts.
Michael Clarke Duncun, who plays a small part is overjoyed to think he is leaving the faciility when he's really getting his liver removed.
Lincoln, after leaving his work detail witnesses this operation, and gets his "friend" Jordan, who has also won a trip to "The Island" out of there.
Once the pair leave the harvesting facilty, it's all one big chase scene, with all sorts of unbelieveable, as in nonsense action sequences, including hanging from a hotel sign logo. The two make it to L.A. but not before Lincoln's friend, played by Steve Buscemi, is killed at a train station.
The highlight of the film of course, was the freeway chase, where Lincoln and Jordan stop an entourage of large cars with dumbbells, yes, dumbells. afterwards these futurisitic flying mototcycles provide some energy.
The two finally meet Lincoln's host, Tom Lincoln, played again by Ewan McGregor, this time with a Scottish accent. His one liner about Lincoln Six Echo not "doing" Jordan had the audience in stiches.
In any case, Tom Lincoln is killed and Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Six Echo, decide to return to the harvesting facility to "rescue" the other clones.
I won't give away the ending, but silly would be a good word to desribe it.
This is a departture for Bay, but it's still his usual blow them up escapate, although on a larger level. McGregor is flat as both Lincolns and it's obvious that Johansson is out of her league in her first big budget action film.
The only two memorable performances were Sean Bean, as the villian of the piece, and Dimon Hussou, (can't spell his name right, he's the guy from Gladiator)
You could tell the film wasn't quite finished as there were still some unfinished shots, and the ending had Hans Zimmer's Gladiator Score attached, as well as the theme from Heat during the freeway chase.
All in all, I would only mildly recommend this. After a great summer with Revenge of the Sith, Batman Begins, War of the Worlds, and Fantastic Four, I would say wait for it on video.
At the end the crowd gave a somewhat polite applause, afterwards, I shook Bay's hand in the theater lobby and asked him about Transformers, he said that the studio (Dreamworks) was still working on the script but that he was indeed involved. He hopes to start shooting early next year, and that the voices, won't be the original cast, from the old cartoon, but different voices, bummer. He wants a fresh approach to the Transformers.
Also, I shook the hand of the main man, composer, Hans Zimmer who told me that the Batman Begins score was definitely one of his best and that the film was definitely his favorite out of all of the Batman films so far, I'm stoked.
I also spoke with Walter Parkes (Producer of The Island) who told me that a third Men In Black project was in the "planning phase" and they hope to have both Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones to return for a third time. Right now the project is still in development phase, so go figure.
In any case, youre website rocks, and if you use this information, (I hope you will) Please call me WillHunting, Thanks, and keep up the great work!
