I'm not sure who told me about this movie ("The Island") or what possessed me to add it to our Netflix queue. The description says it's a "stylish sci-fi thriller", so I'm certain my wife didn't add it. I don't remember moving it to the top of the queue, but again, I'm sure she didn't.
Anyway, it arrived and I really didn't want to read emails last night, so it seemed like a good idea to watch a movie. I didn't recognize any of the stars, until I saw Neelix (Ethan Phillips) from Star Trek Voyager. It really bothered me until I figured out who he was.
It's hard to describe the movie without giving away the secrets. It was full of twists and turns and a LOT of action. Fast motorcycles that can ride in the air (this is Sci-fi), cool looking elevated trains. Things that blow-up, all the good stuff.
The premise is about a society that exists entirely inside. Residents dream of someday winning the lottery and going to "the island", the only uncontaminated place left outside on earth. But then the star gets bored with the same old rat-race, same clothes every day, boring job, etc. and begins to ask "why?" His discovery leads to a desparate escape and he learns more than he ever dreamed.
The movie is rated PG-13. I can't recall a lot of profanity or sex scenes, there is one implied. There's also a scene where the star looks at some pin-ups on a friend's wall, you really can't see anything. Depending on the age of the kids involved, a couple of scenes may require explanations. There is a lot of violence, things getting blown up and a few people being shot. By today's standards, it's relatively mild.
I give them movie 4 stars out of 5. The action was good, one chase scene was a little long, and I like it when things blow up. Mostly, the action was not overdone. The plot wasn't the strongest in the world, but since I was tired from 3 days of travel, it was just right. The characters were believable and the female star was pretty, but not outrageously so. I'm betting that the budget wasn't very big, they didn't seem to have a lot of anything.
My wife would probably rate it at 2 or 3 stars. She's not a sci-fi fan and just doesn't have a great appreciation for things blown up. There was a little love story involved, so that made it tolerable for her.
2 comments:
This was the weirdest movie I believe we have watched in a long time. You were right about the fact that I didn't care so much about it. You were wrong about the fact that I would rate it with 2/3 stars. I would be generous in giving it a 1 rating. It definitely will NOT be on "MY" referral list.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, you needed some down time.
I'll have to throw it into the Netflix queue.
I think I've got over 100 videos in there. LOL!
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