Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Island Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 11, 2009

If there is one thing no one can deny about Michael Bay, it is the fact that his work is always an easy target for critics and film snobs. And we all know why – Michael Bay’s films are loud, flashy and full of mindless action. Simply put, they are difficult to swallow if one isn’t particularly interested in the type of entertainment they offer. Region-Free.

Welcome to the future!

The Island (2005) is Michael Bay's sixth feature film and, arguably, his most ambitious one. It tells quite an unusual story about a giant incubator where humans are cloned and bred as “insurances” for wealthy but seriously ill customers. As the story progresses, we also understand that the owners of the incubator follow a strict program according to which all of the “insurances” are fed and disinfected daily so that harmful infections are avoided. We also learn that the poor souls are completely unaware of the outside world, which they are told has been devastated by a deadly plague.

Further into the film, we see that there is some sort of a lottery that the residents of the incubator are excited about. Apparently, whoever wins it is automatically transported to a mysterious island that has been spared by the deadly plague. At least this is what the hopeful ones are told.

The reality, however, is rather different. The purpose of the lottery is to get the “insurance” prepared for the client who has ordered it – the winning "insurance" is neutralized and its vital organs, for which it has been bred, transplanted into the client.

When a curious “insurance”, Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor, Eye of the Beholder), however, accidentally discovers what is really going on in the incubator, things get complicated. He and his friend, Jordan Two Delta (Scarlett Johansson, Vicky Cristina Barcelona), who has just won the lottery, manage to outsmart the security guards and run away. Shortly after, the owners of the incubator dispatch a team of highly skillful mercenaries who are told to eliminate them as quickly as possible.

Despite the fact that The Island was showered with plenty of harsh criticism from some very prominent critics, who did not like the fact that not everything in it was logically explained, the film isn’t half as poor as many of them claimed. Sure, Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson are often heard exchanging lines that do not make a whole lot of sense, but the The Island was never intended to replicate the philosophical overtones Gattaca (1997) for example introduced. This is a film that relies on the strength of its visuals and it certainly makes it obvious from the get-go.

We can all agree, however, that the transition from the futuristic and more ambient first half to the action-infused second half of The Island simply does not work. In fact, it almost feels as if these two halves were meant to be two separate films; there are completely different themes that they build upon, which consequently stimulate two very different types of atmosphere.

Still, the flashy action masks a lot of the rough spots in Caspian Tredwell-Owen, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci’s screenplay. Michael Bay and his team of tech wizards have truly pulled all the stops in order to create one of a kind spectacle where you won’t find two similarly looking action sequences. The highway chase scenes in particular are amongst the best of their kind – the wild camerawork allows us to witness the action in a manner that very few films that I could recall have been able to accomplish.

The Island Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with VC-1 and granted a 1080p transfer, Michael Bay's The Island arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Brothers-UK.

This yet to be released in the US film has received a very pleasing treatment by Warner Brothers in the UK (actually, this is a Pan-European release that has been available in a number of countries for quite some time now). The VC-1 encoded transfer reveals a terrific color-scheme where blues, yellows, reds, whites and blacks look fantastic. There are a number of futuristic scenes from the first half of The Island that have the marquee "popping" look many Blu-ray enthusiasts are looking for as well. Furthermore, contrast is about as good as one could expect it to be on a 1080p transfer. Clarity and detail are also very strong – during the second half of The Island, where there are quite a few outdoor scenes (the desert footage in particular), you will notice that Michael Bay and cinematographer Mauro Fiore have opted for a very heavy yellow tint that eases the transition from the more futuristic first half of the film. As a result, even though the film isn't as edgy-looking, its color-scheme is still quite wild. This being said, edge enhancement and macroblocking are not a serious issue of concern with this release (I did spot a bit of edge enhancement during the incubator scenes, but it did not bother me at all). The actual print used by Warner Brothers is very healthy – I did not detect any debris, scratches, or stains to report here. (Note: Even though this Blu-ray release is marketed as Region-B, it is in fact Region-Free. This means that those of you in North America with Region-A PS3s and SA will be able to play The Island just fine).

The Island Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are six different audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, German Dolby Digital 5.1, Italian Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 and English Descriptive Audio 2.0.

Obviously, it is somewhat disappointing to see that this very early Warner release did not include an English Dolby TrueHD 5.1. Given how impressive the action scenes are in The Island, I have to conclude that Warner missed an opportunity to have a reference-quality Blu-ray disc. This being said, the English Dolby Digital 5.1 track is actually very pleasing. There is plenty of movement in the rear channels, the bass is very potent and balance appears quite well handled. For example, the first highway scene (where cars and trucks are flipped over) is quite impressive; the bass in particular is so powerful that I had to adjust my audio system. Yet, I could clearly tell that the English Dolby Digital 5.1 track did not possess the type of depth we have come to expect from excellent loseless audio tracks. Still, the dialog was crisp and very easy to follow. I also did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report here. Once again, though, I cannot but think that any loseless track would have been a great addition to this film. For the record, Warner have supplied optional English, English HOH, French, German, German HOH, Italian, Italian HOH, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles.

The Island Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The only supplemental feature on this Blu-ray disc is a standard Making Of featurette where Michael Bay and members of the cast and crew share their thoughts on the production history of The Island (it is in fact quite interesting to hear and see how many of the big action scenes in the film were shot, what type of equipment was used, etc). The "Making Of" arrives with optional English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles. For the record, the supplemental feature is in 480/60i (which means that it is perfectly playable on US PS3s or SA).

The Island Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Visually, The Island is a stunning film. It offers plenty of Michael Bay's marquee high-octane action with a distinctively futuristic flavor unseen in his previous works. Yes, there are quite a few issues with its script, but, if you could ignore them, The Island has more than enough to offer. This being said, the Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Warner Brothers-UK, looks very good. I certainly think that the distributors could have added a loseless track of some sort, but given that The Island never made it on Blu-ray in the United States, this Region-Free disc looks mighty tempting. Recommended.