"High-octane action/thriller with the ominous premise of genetic cloning" Susan Granger MODAMAG.COM "A loud, steroidal adrenaline-pumper in which Bay proves yet again that when it comes to smashing, crashing and blowing things up real good, he has few equals." Scott Foundas L.A. WEEKLY "Michael Bay delivers what may be a perfect summer movie, with brains and guts beneath sleek, muscular knockout action." James Rocchi, NETFLIX "Frequently thrilling." Wesley Morris BOSTON GLOBE "...brilliant...a good, highly entertaining movie with a laudable moral on a controversial issue. Kudos to Michael Bay, Warner Bros. and DreamWorks for making this film." Tony Medley TOLUCAN TIMES

"The Island is an action packed Sci-Fi adventure that carries all the hallmarks (both good and bad) of your typical Michael Bay movie." Scott Nash THREE MOVIE BUFFS "... A smart sci-fi thriller headlined by an outstanding cast." Greg Maki STAR-DEMOCRAT "Michael Bay has directed a movie worth seeing." Lawrence Toppman CHARLOTTE OBSERVER "I loved it...you get your money's worth, and there's actually a story in there with all the pants-pooping excitement." Karina Montgomery CINERINA "The first half is high-quality science fiction, the rest is a high-tech chase adventure with a gleeful yen for destructive thrills." David Sterritt CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

The Inside Story

Few make thrill-ride popcorn movies with the same kind of abandon Bay can manage, and to his credit, he's tried to inject thought-provoking material into this one." ... Paul Nassari SUNDAY MAIL ADELAIDE

You're going to 'The Island'. The worlds last great paradise. A place free from contamination. When your name comes up, everyone rejoices at your luck because 'The Island' is everyones dream destination. Sounds almost too good to be true. Guess what? It is! The publicity machine for this film promotes "The Island" as a film from the Director of "Pearl Harbor" and "Armageddon" and the critics are again crying foul. But does anyone really care? I hope not because like "Bad Boys" and "The Rock" this is an action packed film heavily dusted with a big dose of intrigue and a damn good cast. The feedback I've been getting is that Ewan McGregor ["Big Fish"] and Scarlett Johansson ["In Good Company"] make a great team and once again that's an assessment I must agree with. One thing I don't agree with is the critics assessment of Michael Bay and the films he has been associated with as a director. Michael Bay must have hit on something that touched audiences. "Armageddon" grossed $US553.7 million, "Bad Boys 2" $US273.3 million, "The Rock" $US335.9 million, "Bad Boys" $US140.6 million while the film most critics gave a real hiding and thoroughly canned, "Pearl Harbor", took a massive $US449.2 million. Michael Bay also had his producers cap on for "The Amityville Horror" [2005], "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" [2003], and two hugely popular films that between them grossed over $US1 billion dollars, "Pearl Harbor" [2001] and "Armageddon" [1998]. In the case of "The Island" the critics have finally had their day and that's a real pity, because Michael Bay's latest film is quite entertaining. Sure most of the themes have been seen before, but isn't that the case with many films we see today. It doesn't take too many brain cells to work it out that over the decades of attending cinemas, regular moviegoers admit to seeing many themes repeated over and over again. The question I like to ask is, "does anyone really care?" The answer I get is a resounding, no! People who go to the cinema first and foremost want to be entertained and they want good value for their hard earned cinema dollars. On both those counts "The Island" delivers. With a blend of themes running across films such as "Logan's Run", "I Robot", "The Matrix", and "Minority Report" you'd expect the storyline to be intriguing. It is! Cloning has been making big headlines over the last decade. The cloning of plants has become an everyday process, there have been a number of highly publicized examples of cloning animals and many are now wondering how long it will be before someone does clone a human being. True there have been claims of baby making, but none have so far been substantiated. For many it's the speed at which science is developing that is the biggest worry and the secrecy that surrounds the work on cloning. "Human cloning is going to happen, it’s inevitable. Someone is going to do it legally or illegally," says writer Caspian Tredwell-Owen, "it is just a question of who does it first. Science is fueled by curiosity, but to a certain extent, it is also fueled by demand, and the demand is there. We can already grow human organs in bits and pieces outside of the body, but what if you could have a duplicate, an exact match, who could give you any organ or part of his body without any apparent ramifications?" Tredwell-Owen's original script was set futher into the future but it seems everyone agreed that because of the speed of scientific advancement in the field of cloning it should be brought back closer to present time, hence the setting of 2019. But was it really necessary? "We needed to bring it way back to, say, 20 years in the future. It’s a much scarier premise if it’s right around the corner, and it makes it much more accessible," director Michael Bay said. Producer Walter F Parkes agrees with that assessment noting "We’re living in a time when scientific advancements are happening at hyper-speed; it’s a geometric progression, so the story became less astounding the further we pushed it into the future. Given the developments we’ve been hearing and reading about in the news, it’s entirely conceivable that this could happen in 15 or 20 years or so. We’re not saying it’s going to happen to this degree, but it’s technically possible." Unlike the critics, it seems there are a number of people in the industry who have a lot of faith in Michael Bays ability to deliver on a project. One of those is Steven Spielberg who sent Caspian Tredwell-Owen's original script. "Steven called me up one night and said, 'I am sending you a script; you have to read it tonight.' I didn’t get it until about 11:00, and it was 140 pages long, but I read it in one sitting and finished it about 3:00 in the morning. I really liked it, and called later that morning and said, I’ll do it." Accomplished Hollywood producer Walter F Parkes ["Awakenings", "Twister" and "Gladiator"] says "there were several reasons Michael Bay was the only director considered to helm "The Island". He has the focus, the drive, the creativity, the confidence, and the technical expertise to handle a production this size, so it was a perfect match." He also notes [with a laugh] "In a lot of ways, he’s like a big kid with a wonderful sense of playfulness." And how did that work on the production? "It set a tone and brought great energy and excitement to the set, which I think translates to the film. It’s a very infectious thing." Producer Ian Bryce is also impressed by Bay's directing talents. "I think Michael is a great director. He’s a gifted artist with an amazing eye; he really knows how to shoot, and he shoots fast. In many respects, he’s a producer’s dream, because he comes in prepared and ready to go, and he can get through an enormous amount of work in a day. For me, it was a terrific experience working with him." Parkes and executive producer Laurie MacDonald were both impressed and intrigued by Tredwell-Owen's original script. "What immediately intrigued us about this script was that, instead of taking the perspective of a researcher or outside observer, ‘The Island’ took the point of view of the clones themselves. That struck us as a great way to tell the story in a much more emotional and personal way, because on one level, this is about science gone awry, but it is also about seeing the world through these innocents’ eyes." The reworked screenplay is the combined work of Caspian Tredwell-Owen, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. Unlike previous films where cloning has been exposed through human intervention, in the "The Island" discovery is through the eyes of a clone named Lincoln Six Echo. "We felt strongly that the reveal had to happen through the eyes of a clone. We felt strongly that the reveal had to happen through the eyes of our main character, Lincoln, because the audience would be so closely tied to him," says screenwriter Alex Kurtzman. "Through Lincoln, they will know early in the first act that something feels wrong. Today’s audiences are very savvy, so they will probably jump to the worst possible conclusion. But, that said, the revelation happening from Lincoln’s point of view is stunning." Fellow screenwriter Roberto Orci agrees; "Seeing it through his eyes is the reason it comes as a shock, even if you think you know. The first half hour or so of the movie commits itself to this other reality, and you might expect it to continue in a linear way and assume you know where it’s going, but you don’t. That was all Caspian, and it’s brilliant because the audience shares in the discovery." As for director Michael Bay, he says "I wanted to make a fun, enjoyable movie, but there is also a very human core to the story that deals with the whole question of, if we could have a clone, would we? We definitely did not intend to beat people over the head with it, but I wanted to give audiences a taste of the moral question, and then take them on a ride." Despite the critics, many cinemagoers are discovering "The Island" is a thrilling ride. It's big on action, intrigue and excitement and includes one hell of a chase which will have you on the edge of your seat. And you'd be right on the mark to expect that with Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson in the leads, there'd be a hint of romance too. Crew Bytes "THE ISLAND" was .......
directed by Michael Bay ["Bad Boys", "The Rock", "Armageddon" and "Bad Boys II"]; screenplay by Caspian Tredwell-Owen, Alex Kurtzman [Produced TV's: "Xena: Warrior Princess", "Jack of All Trades" and "Alias"] and Roberto Orci [Wrote for TV's: "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys", "Jack of All Trades" and "Alias"]; story by Caspian Tredwell-Owen ["Beyond Borders"]; costume design by Deborah L Scott ["Legends of the Fall", "Titanic", "Minority Report" and "The Upside of Anger"]; set decoration by Rosemary Brandenburg ["The Rock", "Amistad", "What Women Want" and "The Ring"]; production design by Nigel Phelps ["Judge Dredd", "The Bone Collector", "Pearl Harbor" and "Troy"]; edited by Paul Rubell ["Blade", "S1m0ne", "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", "Peter Pan" and "Collateral"] and Christian Wagner ["Mission: Impossible II", "Die Another Day", "Man on Fire" and "The Amityville Horror "]; director of photography Mauro Fiore ["Get Carter", "Driven", "Training Day" and "Tears of the Sun"]; original music by Steve Jablonsky ["Hannibal", "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl", "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Amityville Horror"] produced by Michael Bay ["Armageddon", "Pearl Harbor", "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Amityville Horror"], Ian Bryce ["Saving Private Ryan", "Almost Famous", "Spider-Man" and "Tears of the Sun"], Laurie MacDonald ["The Ring", "Catch Me If You Can", "The Terminal" and "The Ring Two"] and Walter F Parkes ["Men in Black II", "Catch Me If You Can", "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" and "The Ring Two"]. Casting About "THE ISLAND" stars .......
Ewan McGregor ["Brassed Off", "Black Hawk Down", "Down with Love", "Big Fish" and "Star Wars: Episode III "]; Scarlett Johansson ["Eight Legged Freaks", "Girl with a Pearl Earring", "The Perfect Score", "A Good Woman" and "In Good Company"]; Djimon Hounsou ["Gladiator", "In America", "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" and "Constantine"]; Sean Bean ["Ronin", "Don't Say a Word", "Troy" and "National Treasure"]; Michael Clarke Duncan ["Planet of the Apes", "The Scorpion King", "Daredevil" and "Sin City"]; Ethan Phillips ["Critters", "Glory", "For Richer or Poorer", "The Wild Thornberrys Movie" and "Bad Santa"]; Brian Stepanek ["The Seventh Sense", "Kissing Jessica Stein", "Murder by Numbers" and "Friday After Next"]; Noa Tishby ["Skeleton Man" and "Connecting Dots"]; Siobhan Flynn ["FearDotCom"] and Steve Buscemi ["Ghost World", "Mr Deeds", "Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams", "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" and "Big Fish"] as McCord. What It's All About

"After the Bad Boys films, Armageddon and The Rock, Bay's name has become the byword for over-the-top pyrotechnics. And he exercises an admirable lack of restraint in The Island, a piece of eye-popping whizbangery that exceeded my expectations." Chris Bartlett BRISBANE SUNDAY MAIL

For those who were lucky enough to survive the contamination of the Earth, life in the carefully controlled environment of the colony is one that appears to be idyllic. With the exception of those who are lucky enough to win the daily lottery with its much sought after prize of relocation to a paradise known as 'The Island', the daily routine never changes. Lately though, Lincoln Six Echo has been experiencing disturbing dreams. It's highly unusual. What's more worrying is Lincoln Six Echo is starting to question why all daily decisions are made for him. Why must everyone wear the same stlye and color of clothing? Why is his diet being controlled? Why aren't the inhabitants allowed to get 'close' to each other? Lincoln Six Echo's curiosity will lead him to discover the disturbing truth about the colony and why he, the beautiful Jordan Two Delta and every inhabitant is being so well looked after. His thirst for answers will lead him to discover the awful truth about 'The Island'. The Verdict "Fans of Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Sci-Fi, SPX and action thrillers will get plenty of kicks out of Michael Bay's latest effort "The Island". Highly entertaining and fascinating look at the subject of cloning. "The Island" focusses on the down side of cloning by taking viewers into a world where replicas of wealthy humans are used as a by-product to harvest organs or produce disease free babies. Recommended." The Cast

Ewan McGregor Scarlett Johansson Djimon Hounsou Sean Bean Steve Buscemi Michael Clarke Duncan Ethan Phillips Brian Stepanek Noa Tishby Siobhan Flynn

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Lincoln Six Echo/Tom Lincoln Jordan Two Delta/Sarah Jordan Albert Laurent Merrick McCord Starkweather Jones Three Echo Gandu Three Alpha Community Announcer Lima One Alpha

The Crew Directed by Michael Bay Story by Caspian Tredwell-Owen Screenplay by Caspian Tredwell-Owen/Alex Kurtzman/Roberto Orci Produced by Michael Bay/Ian Bryce/Laurie MacDonald/Walter F Parkes Original Music by Steve Jablonsky Cinematography by Mauro Fiore Film Editing by Paul Rubell & Christian Wagner Casting by Denise Chamian Production Design by Nigel Phelps Art Direction by Jon Billington/Sean Haworth/Martin Whist Set Decoration by Rosemary Brandenburg Costume Design by Deborah L Scott Run Time 136 minutes Rated M15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2005 - A Michael Bay Film - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2005 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved