The Island

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Year:	2005
Country of origin:	USA
Director:	Michael Bay
Genre:	Clone Zone
Starring:	Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Sean Bean, Steve Buscemi, Djimon Hounsou
Rating:	3/5
IMDB link:	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0399201/
Tagline:	You have Been Chosen
Favourite line:	"I brought you into this world... and I can take you out of it."

Regular readers of these pages - yes, both of you - will be aware of the contempt in which I hold Michael 'The Enemy of Cinema' Bay, so it was with some trepidation that I opted to check out this sci-fi-lite marathon.

The plot:
Ewan McCracker plays Lincoln Six Echo, a simple man who lives in an underground world, protection against the contamination that has ravaged the planet above.
Though simple, Lincoln seems to be questioning everything that he is told:
Is the contamination real?
Is his health as it should be?
And surely there must be more to life than simply dreaming of going to The Island, a daily lottery prize broadcast on large screens?
In addition, Lincoln seems to be attracted to a fellow inhabitant, Jordan Two Delta, played by the perma-pouting Scarlett Johansson - that's Jo-hansson, motherfucker, not Yo-hansson.
Sheesh.
After capturing a moth(!), further evidence that the contamination tale is phony, Lincoln follows the bug up a ventilation spout and witnesses the grim reality of what happens to those who go to The Island: organ removal.
His world view in tatters, Lincoln is forced to take drastic action when Jordan is selected as the next lucky lottery winner and, together, they flee the facility, determined to uncover the truth behind their fake lives.

A decent enough plot, though not altogether new. Logan's Run has similar themes, as does Fahrenheit 451 and, most notably, The Clonus Horror, whose makers sued Paramount Pictures and won an out of court settlement.
McCracker is competent here, but no more, Bay mystifyingly insisting he sport an American accent which, frankly, he simply cannot master, his thick Scottish drawl cutting through almost every vowel.
Johansson is nought but eye candy, not really adding much in terms of dynamics and, though there is some decent action, it all seems to drift away as the movie lumbers on and on and on. Bear in mind that the aforementioned Clonus Horror has a near identical plot and clocks in at 90 minutes whilst this drags it out for nigh on two and a half hours, and you'll see the problem. But then, it is a Michael Bay movie, so it would be foolish to expect tight editing and genuine momentum when you can just chuck a bunch of money at it and make a few more buildings explode.
All that being said, this is clearly Bay's best movie though, strangely, it was something of a flop upon initial release.
Verdict?
Excellent for Bay.
Average for everyone else.