The Island (2005) - Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
Disappointing but entertaining action-filled movie that to tries hard to get philosophical, but results in a disconnected and predictable experience. Not a great movie. Watch Gattaca (1997) instead.
Plot overview: "The Island" unfolds in a seemingly utopian society where Lincoln Six Echo and his peers believe they are survivors of a contaminated world, living in a haven until they can migrate to the last uncontaminated place, called "The Island." However, Lincoln's curiosity leads him to uncover a grim reality: they are human clones bred for organ harvesting for rich customers who pay for them as “a life insurance” in case they ever need new organs. The narrative escalates into an escape and survival adventure, questioning the ethics of biotechnology and the essence of human life with plenty of action as in your typical Michael Bay movie.
Recommended for:
Kids only movie night: No
Family movie night: No
Grownups movie night: Acceptable
Grownups only movie night: Acceptable
Sex/Nudity/Pornography 2/5:
Lincoln shares a passionate kiss with Jordan, telling her “that tongue thing is amazing.” She is briefly seen in her bra and is seen wearing only a towel to imply that they had sex.
A man is shocked and almost laughs at Lincoln upon learning that he is a virgin, especially since he’s spent all this time in Jordan, and he implies that it’ll be a treat to lose his virginity.
Women in the film are often seen in bikinis or revealing tops. A dancer performs in a skimpy outfit. A character’s office is decorated with pin-up photos. During a search for clothes, McCord holds up a lacy bra, and Jordan looks through various costumes meant for sexual role-play. At one point, a man mistakes a confrontation between Lincoln and McCord as a homosexual encounter. A guard takes a look down Jordan’s blouse. Pregnant women in the film are referred to as “breeders.”
After the pair miraculously survives a big fall, a bystander tells Ewan: “Jesus must love you! That was the craziest mess I’ve ever seen!” and after doing an up and down of Scarlett, says “And I know Jesus loves you.”
Violence/Gore 4/5: Near the end, Lincoln is shot in the back with a harpoon gun, that then pulls him in, and in another scene a man is shot through the neck with the same weapon and is left hanging by the cable. During a chase, a character is harpooned through the legs and dragged backward. A man's hand is "stapled" to a door with nails from a nail gun. A woman convulses and dies after a drug is injected into her intravenous tube. A robot surgeon starts cutting a man’s chest with a saw and you hear the sound of bone being cut and see blood.
Drinking/Drugs/Smoking 2/5: Casual drinking. There's also a bar scene where patrons drink beer, and Jordan is shown with multiple shot glasses before being pulled away, indicating her potential participation in drinking. None of these instances are central to the plot or glorified.
Cursing/Blasphemy 2/5: One f-word, several uses of the s-word, and instances where God's name is misused.
Virtuous Examples 2/5: Lincoln and Jordan display courage and selflessness when they risk everything to return and save their fellow clones instead of just running away and selfishly saving themselves. A mercenary hired to catch them changes his mind after realizing the evil of killing humans for organs and helping Lincoln and Jordan escape.
Morality 2/5: The clone's fight for freedom is portrayed as noble and right because each human life matters, and because they do feel pain and suffer. However, the ethical questions presented are left unanswered. Is cloning moral? Is genetic engineering moral? The answer is no. See the Conversation Starters below for the answer in case your older kids ask.
Conversation Starters:
-Why are genetic engineering and cloning wrong? Answer: Cloning is a violation of the rights and dignity of the human person. Each child has the right to be conceived within the love of marriage, carried in his biological mother’s womb, brought into the world because of his right to life, and brought up by his biological mother and father. It is through this secure relationship to his biological parents that the child can best discover his own identity and achieve his best human development. A human being is a great gift from God, and each person is made in the image and likeness of the Creator. Each is a unique and unrepeatable Son or Daughter of the King and an heir of the Kingdom of Heaven. Cloning, on the other hand, produces a dangerous attitude that a human child is something (rather than someone) that we create and own and can do with as we choose, as if we were God. Genetic engineering and cloning turns a human being from a person to be loved into a product to be sold.
Quotes: "I've never been more scared of anything in my life. But I've never been more sure." - Lincoln Six Echo
Conclusion: Disappointing but entertaining action-filled movie that to tries hard to get philosophical, but results in a disconnected and predictable experience. The plot seemed promising but the delivery seems disconnected and predictable. There’s plenty of better movies to watch if you want to touch/teach about the problems of cloning, genetic modification, and playing God. We recommend Gattaca (1997), for example.
Final Rating: 5/10 - Not a great movie, but entertaining if you just want to kill time.