Directed by Michael Bay, The Island was released in 2005, and is a science fiction film that stars Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. The film tells of a large group of people who live together in complete isolation from the outside world. Everything from their clothing and food to their jobs are selected for them.

They are 'brainwashed' to believe that they are the only survivors from a global contamination. Their only chance of ever leaving isolation and on to the island - meant to be the last contaminant free zone in the world - is through a lottery. Some of the population however become curious about the outside world and start to investigate. What they discover horrorfied them, and they attempt to let the entire world know what's happening.

Throughout the film some good moral questions are raised, such as how far we would, and should go to preserve and extend our own lives. The film also has some has got some stunning chase sequences. Brought on by the escape of two people into the real world. It is set in the not to distance future (2019 if I remember correctly) and is generally believable for a film of this genre. The story itself was very interesting, and the acting for the most part was excellent. I also liked the 'things are not what they seem' undertone which is always enjoyable.

There are some problems with this film. Especially with the way it unfolds. The main twist in the film was revealed in the advertisements and some of the trailers. I think that this was a mistake as it would have otherwise have came as a shock to the viewer. A couple of scenes would probably have been better being rearranged with one and other to help the plot unfold, as it is a bit slow to start out. As I say the action sequences are impressive, by at the same time they quite unrealistic and perhaps a bit too over the top, some might even say unnecessary. Some of the dialogue is shockley poor and it's also too predictable for my liking.

Finally one thing that really did annoy me, was the time required to get the film to play in the first place. I did manage it, after navigating through page after page of language to select United Kingdom (surprising last on the list even know this is a Region 2 release), and after sitting through several overly long copyright warnings.

I didn't overly enjoy The Island, as films go it's decent enough and I've seen far worse this year. I personally would call it adverage at best. If there's nothing else on TV, or if you see it at a really good price, say sub four pounds, then fine go for it, just don't expect too much in return.

(I'm a reviewer on Amazon, and some my reviews are copied from there to dooyoo. Please feel free to check out my Amazon profile under my real name of Mr Andrew M Kerr.)