Island

Pros: McGregor and Johansson, great action, fast paced
Cons: Underutilized supporting cast, too many 'Run Lola Run' reminders

So I went to a deserted island last week. Actually I went to see The Island, and it was deserted (thank Jay Leno for that joke). Seriously though, this has been one of the worst received blockbusters of the year, and did not premiere in theaters with a ...

Pros: Great idea, great cast, some parts very enjoyable...
Cons: ... overlong,doesn't fulfill its potential, flawed theories

Sorry if this review is a little confused, but that was how I found the film – lots of things to like about it, but lots of things that let it down as well. Many things I’ve touched on in this review may seem a little ambiguous, but that’s ...

Pros: Nice action with an excellent cast and director.
Cons: Introduction and set up is a little long.

When good Hollywood directors are on short supply, intransigent cineastes tend to anxiously cling to the auteurs in their midst. Like John Carpenter or Peter Jackson, Michael Bay is one of a diminishing number of true visionaries who even in their flops ...

Pros: Great story
Cons: The trailers didn't do their job

It should be noted that The Island is blockbuster director Michael Bay’s first bomb. After a string of successful action movies such as Armageddon and The Rock, it was inevitable that something of his bit the dust. What’s sad is that ...

Pros: convincing depiction of the future, intense action scenes, McGregor and Johansson do a convincing job
Cons: not quite intelligent enough, too cliche, lacks depth.

The Island is an interesting movie in that the premise of it is so plausible that it is almost frightening. The movie is based on this idea that clones of humans can be made for the purpose of being a backup for their originals, that is if the ...

Pros: Awesome premise
Cons: Blasé execution

I only saw The Island's trailer once, but once was all it took for it to stick in my head. After a while, all I remembered was the image of Michael Clarke Duncan running terrified down a solid white hall. But that image alone is fascinating, and ...

Pros: dazzling, action-packed fun, with timely issues and great performances
Cons: clones other movies shamelessly

The Island is a lot of fun to watch, even if this tale of human cloning for parasitic purposes is, in fact, a tale of directorial cloning for parasitic purposes. Summer is supposed to be popcorn season, and there's been precious little of that. Sure, ...

Pros: Explosions, Steve Buscemi
Cons: EVERYTHING ELSE

Let’s see. 1 cup THX 1138 1 cup The Matrix semi-clarified (skim it but do not remove all confusion) ½ cup The Running Man 2 cups Gattaca Dash of Metropolis Hint of Soilent Green Fellini’s ...

Pros: Entertaining, thought-provoking concepts, attractive visuals
Cons: Too many action scenes back-to-back in second half

The Island stars Ewan McGregor (Lincoln Six Echo) and Scarlett Johansson (Jordan Two Delta) as inhabitants of a futuristic indoor world after the “contamination” of the outer world. Life is filled with rigorous rules regarding eating, sex, and ...

Pros: Good script, action and acting.
Cons: Perhaps a little too much violence.

I have a growing fascination, bordering on infatuation, with Scarlett Johansson. And no it’s not the blonde hair. She has this look of innocence that draws one in, a sweetness that make you want to watch and see if she’ll ever shed her little ...

Pros: The One-Liners Steve Buscemi is Given.
Cons: Incompetent Directing, Messy Script, Bland Production, Editing, & Cast.

When there's a debate about directors, the best is always put on the tables. Names like Kurosawa, Lean, Fellini, Antonioni, Coppola, Ford, Leone, Kubrick, Truffaut, Godard, Bergman, and more recently, Spielberg, Wenders, Jarmusch, and von Trier. ...

Pros: Steve Buscemi. Ewan McGregor.
Cons: Dull action sequences. Derivative plot.

As I explained in my previous column, I have been somewhat incommunicado recently due to what one can only call an enforced stay at an exclusive, if rather dreary tropical resort called Gizmo or Gitmo or some such name. I have been unable to locate it ...

Pros: entertaining, filled with action, acting 
Cons: totally derived from other works, runs out of story, uses over-the-top action

Warning  This review is filled with spoilers, but you'll want to watch the movie for the action, anyway.  The story falls apart about halfway through.  Review  Take the 1978 movie ...

Pros: Good action. Fun and entertaining.
Cons: No surprises really. Predictable and unoriginal.

It's very hard to make an original movie when you are borrowing from so many others that came before. Even your own films. Michael Bay almost gets there, but not quite. I found the film, The Island, to be fun and exciting and interesting enough. I ...

Pros: McGregor. Cast. Use of CGI. Attempted ideas.
Cons: Underdeveloped Johansson character. Naive and physics defying at times.

It is quite evident on Epinions that any component of a Michael Bay fan club is non-existent. I for one have despised much of the directors previous work. I severely have disliked nearly everything he has created and I am sure I will be abhorred by ...