The Island 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Island 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 11, 2026

Michael Ritchie's "The Island" (1980) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critic Mike Leeder; new audio commentary by critic Howard Berger; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It is hardly a secret that Michael Caine considers The Island one of the absolute worst films he appeared in over the years. Caine does not just dislike The Island. He detests it with genuine passion and has refused to discuss it on numerous occasions.

It is most unfortunate that Caine feels this way. The Island has issues galore, many very, very serious ones, too. However, The Island is one of those special old genre films that very effectively transforms many of its weaknesses into its greatest strengths. Some of its fans have speculated that it is more or less what Michael Ritchie imagined. However, this is a tricky theory because many of the swings between the good and the bad in it are quite random. In other words, there is plenty in The Island that does not happen intentionally, some of which is good, and plenty more of which is bad.

But there is a crucial development in The Island that makes it an enjoyable film. The quality of the acting remains immune to the bad. To be clear, neither Caine nor any of the supporting actors will be remembered for their contributions to The Island. However, they all handle their parts professionally, without ever creating the impression that The Island is a seriously mismanaged project, which is what does the trick. It is because of this crucial development that The Island is a wild ride full of unexpected -- and definitely unintended -- surprises. (In a genuinely bad genre film, the acting is as bad as everything else. Battlefield Earth is a great example of such a genre film).

The Island tells a story with decent potential. In New York City, veteran journalist Blair Maynard (Caine) convinces his bosses to let him go down to Florida and the Caribbean to investigate a series of perplexing ship disappearances. In Florida, Maynard and his teenage son, Justin (Jeffrey Frank), board an old, dingy cargo plane operated by a shady, second-rate pilot and his pet pig. When the pilot crashes the cargo plane on the fictional island of Navidad, Maynard and his son are taken hostage by a motley crew of pirates, all believing to be descendants of the legendary French buccaneers led by the infamous Jean-David Nau.

The most problematic element of the story is the validation of the pirates. They are in a cult-like environment, partially aware that the world has dramatically changed, breeding and killing while referencing a set of primitive laws from a tarnished book. However, the leader of the pirates, John David Nau (David Warner), and his most trusted men have allowed Dr. Windsor (Frank Middlemass), a highly educated outsider, to act as their liaison to the modern world. This is too much.

The rest works. Not brilliantly well, but well enough to either amuse or pleasantly surprise in unconventional ways, which is typically how proper genre films impress. For example, the temporary brainwashing of Caine’s son looks oddly convincing, and the escape attempts are quite well done. There is plenty of surprisingly gory action material that looks right for a so-bad-it-is-actually-good genre film as well.

Here’s the indisputable proof that Ritchie did not go to work to deliver a second-rate genre film. There are some legitimately gorgeous casual and panoramic visuals, lensed by arguably the greatest French cinematographer of the last century, Henri Decae, whose name is attached to such masterpieces as Le Samouraï, Bob the Gambler, and The 400 Blows. Also, these visuals are often complemented by predictably great harmonies composed by the legendary maestro Ennio Morricone.

*Kino Lorber's combo pack release presents an exclusive new 4K restoration of The Island, sourced from the original camera negative. The version of the film features on the 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray is approximately 115 minutes long (1:54.19).

The Island 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of The Island is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that all screencaptures included with this article are taken from the the Blu-ray. We have not provided any downscaled screencaptures from the 4K Blu-ray.

The combo pack release presents an exclusive new 4K restoration of The Island, sourced from the original camera negative. The restoration was completed at Universal Pictures. In native 4K, the new 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with HDR. However, I spent slightly more time with the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.

The Island made its high-definition debut debut with this Blu-ray release, produced by Scream Factory in 2012. I do not have a copy of it in my library. However, even if I did, I would not have wasted any time performing comparisons with it. It is because the new 4K restoration is a jaw-dropper that looks equally striking in native 4K and 1080p. I am not exaggerating when I write that at times it produces gorgeous visuals that can be borderline distracting. Delineation, clarity, and depth are outstanding, even during the darker footage, where some shadow nuances are quite subtle. While a few fluctuations can be spotted, the density levels of all visuals are very impressive as well. Color reproduction and balance could not have been better. All primaries and all supporting nuances are perfectly set and balanced. Unsurprisingly, virtually all of the panoramic footage can be used as 'reference quality' material. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections, such as sharpening, contrast boosting, degraining, etc. Image stability is outstanding. The HDR grade does help most of the outdoor footage, where color variety is great. It is where the superior dynamic range of the visuals becomes easier to appreciate. However, the 4K restoration is so well done that the native 4K and 1080p presentations of it are equally impressive upgrades in quality.

The Island 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I did my best to use both tracks in as many active areas of The Island as possible. I lean toward the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track as the slightly better option, but not because the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is in any way underwhelming.The former simply does a bit more with the action material, or at least the one I tested. Both tracks are very healthy, without any distracting age-related anomalies.

The Island 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Hong Kong-based critic Mike Leeder. Some of the more interesting comments address the quality of the action material, why some parts of the narrative do not come together very well, and Michael Caine's performance. Leeder also points out, and I agree, that The Island has aged far better than expected, and too many people disliked the film because it did not meet their expectations. (The few observations about The Deep are justified as well).

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Howard Berger. This is a more narrative-specific commentary that addresses how various sequences work/do not work well, Michael Caine's British appearance and unique qualities of his character, the action material, etc.

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Hong Kong-based critic Mike Leeder. Some of the more interesting comments address the quality of the action material, why some parts of the narrative do not come together very well, and Michael Caine's performance. Leeder also points out, and I agree, that The Island has aged far better than expected, and too many people disliked the film because it did not meet their expectations. (The few observations about The Deep are justified as well).

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Howard Berger. This is a more narrative-specific commentary that addresses how various sequences work/do not work well, Michael Caine's British appearance and unique qualities of his character, the action material, etc.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for The Island. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Cover - a reversible cover with alternate vintage poster art for The Island.

The Island 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Michael Caine has been one of the harshest critics of The Island. Ironically, not because he has said too many bad things about it, but because he has refused to discuss it at all. The Island has issues, and this is indisputable, but it is an enormously entertaining film. Caine and various other character actors are consistently good, creating wild contrasts, the majority of them unintended, that make viewing The Island quite an unpredictable roller-coaster ride. I think that this is what has helped it age surprisingly well, too. Kino Lorber's combo pack presents a marvelous exclusive new 4K restoration of it, prepared at Universal Pictures. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.