The Island (2005 film)

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The Island
The Island poster
Directed by	Michael Bay
Produced by	Kenny Bates Michael Bay
Written by	Caspian Tredwell-Owen Alex Kurtzman Roberto Orci
Starring	Ewan McGregor Scarlett Johansson Sean Bean Djimon Hounsou Steve Buscemi
Music by	Steve Jablonsky
Cinematography	Mauro Fiore
Editing by	Paul Rubell Christian Wagner
Distributed by	North America: DreamWorks Pictures International: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s)	July 22, 2005
Running time	127 min.
Country	USA
Language	English
Budget	$126 million
Gross revenue	$162,949,164

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.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Controversy 3.1 Lawsuit 3.2 Plot similarities with Parts: The Clonus Horror 4 Behind the scenes 5 Reaction 5.1 Box office performance 5.2 Critical reception 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Plot

Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor) lives in an isolated compound where people's lives are strictly regulated and everyone waits for a chance to go to "the Island" (supposedly, selection is by lottery), which they are told is the only place not contaminated by a deadly pathogen. In a session with Dr. Merrick (Sean Bean), Lincoln Six expresses his discontent with the plain white clothes everyone is given and the strict social controls. Concerned, Merrick inserts robot probes into Lincoln to monitor his cerebral activities for 24 hours.

While illicitly visiting a construction area, Lincoln Six discovers a moth in a ventilation shaft, leading him to deduce that the outside is not contaminated, and witnesses two lottery winners killed (one is killed after giving birth and the other has his liver harvested). As Lincoln Six attempts to rescue Jordan Two Delta (Scarlett Johansson), who has just won the lottery, Dr. Merrick discovers that Lincoln Six now knows the truth.

Upon escaping, Lincoln Six and Jordan Two discover that both the deadly pathogen and the Island are myths, and that each of them is a clone of a wealthy "sponsor" who intended to use them for spare parts. Technology developed by Dr. Merrick allows clones to be incubated into adulthood. Merrick claims that the clones do not obtain consciousness, though when he hires African paramilitary mercenary Albert Laurent (Djimon Hounsou) to kill or capture the escaped clones, he confides that unconscious clones' organs inevitably fail, making them useless.

The two clones escape to Los Angeles in hopes of finding their sponsors. Jordan Two's sponsor, famous model Sarah Jordan, is no help as she is in a coma from a car accident. Lincoln Six's sponsor, Tom Lincoln, agrees to appear on television with Jordan Six to expose the insurance company but secretly turns against his clone on the way to the studio. Lincoln Six turns the tables on his sponsor by tricking Laurent into killing Tom and assumes Tom's identity.

Posing as Tom, Lincoln Six then returns to the compound in order to destroy holographic projectors and expose the truth to his fellow clones. Meanwhile, Merrick has ordered the destruction of clones from Lincoln Six's entire product line since they share a flaw of inheriting memories from their sponsors. With help from Laurent (who finds moral qualms with treating the clones as if they are less than human) and Jordan Six, Merrick is killed, the projectors are destroyed, and the clones are saved. The last scenes of the film shows a man and a woman (presumably Lincoln Six and Jordan Two) together on the deck of a specially designed boat which had always appeared in Lincoln Six's memory.

[edit] Cast

Actor/Actress	Role	Notes
Ewan McGregor	Lincoln Six Echo	Protagonist; clone of Tom Lincoln
	Tom Lincoln	Automotive experimental designer from Scotland, sponsored his clone for a new liver since his viral hepatitis is destroying his liver. Killed after being shot by Laurent, who was tricked by Six Echo into believing Tom was Six Echo.
Scarlett Johansson	Jordan Two Delta	Protagonist; clone of Sarah Jordan
	Sarah Jordan	Actress, model and mother from New York; initially sponsored her clone to keep her in fresh looking skin, but she dies as a result of a car accident.
Djimon Hounsou	Albert Laurent	Ex-GIGN French private military contractor who runs Blackhawk Security, the team Merrick hires to bring back Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta.
Sean Bean	Dr. Merrick	Antagonist; owner of Merrick Biotech and creator of the cloning technology
Steve Buscemi	James McCord	Employee of Merrick Biotech; helps Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta after they escape. Killed after helping the two clones.
Michael Clarke Duncan	Starkweather Two Delta	Cloned from a football player for his organs
	Jamil Starkweather	New York Giants football player, a.k.a. "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 and his clone
J.P. Manoux	Foxtrot, a new compound resident picked on by Gandu 3 Echo

[edit] 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]

[edit] 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]

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Reaction

This section requires expansion.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] See also

• The 6th Day
• Never Let Me Go
• Blade Runner
• Destination: Void
• Product placement

[edit] Notes

[edit] 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.

[edit] External links

• Interview with the creators of Parts: the Clonus Horror about their lawsuit alleging copyright infringement
• The Island Official website
• The Island at the Internet Movie Database
• The Island at Allmovie
• The Island at Rotten Tomatoes

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