The Island

Bay’s attempt at making a different type of movie than he usually does stopped somewhere half-way along the route. In the end, the initially intriguingly developing screenplay proves to be the weakest aspect of this movie. Despite the fact that something is always going on in this picture and despite the frantic editing, paradoxically this seems to lack pace. But even so, thanks to an excellent McGregor and the precise technical aspects, this is an above-average picture which is definitely more endearing than Bay’s previous movies, but unfortunately it isn’t one of his best. (09/05/2005)

A weaker 4 stars. Definitely not because Bay made a swashbuckling actioner out of stuff someone else would have made Blade Runner out of -). More because I kind of got lost in it at times, and if the camera had stayed still for a moment I wouldn't have minded at all. Otherwise, probably the most logical lapses I've seen recently. (10/01/2009)

Gorgeous Bruckheimer-style camera filters, swooping shots, and overhead views – basically everything that Michael Bay can offer us. The Island is visually stunning, full of gloss, light, and thrilling action. At the same time, it is philosophically and narratively the most sophisticated film by this creator. (09/02/2005)

For someone who has seen Logan's Run, The Island is a completely pointless affair. Even though the story does go in a different direction in the second half and the whole thing seems to be just a bastardized take on Equilibrium. But I realize that it may not be that much of a big deal for fans of McGregor, Johansson, or Bay. (11/06/2011)

When I thought, after the second Miserables, that Michael had permanently drowned in his action-comedy mannerisms, I couldn't have been more wrong. Orci and Kurtzman wrote him a script that suited him perfectly and although it's a timid prequel compared to Transformers, the futuristic romance is worth it. Ewan McGregor excels in a role that could finally elevate him to the absolute top class (but due to the mentioned box office failures, we didn't get to see it this time either), the rest of the actors support him at a distance, but skillfully. Perhaps it could have spent a little less time before burning the point, but the action in the second half lifts the film completely somewhere else. (02/14/2006)