Movie Review #2: The Island
From Michael Bay, the director of such action flicks as Bad Boys 2 and Armageddon, comes his latest thrill ride titled The Island. Set in the not too distant future, The Island takes us to a time when humanity is on the edge of extinction after a devastating event called The Contamination killed off most, if not all life on the planet. The film focuses on two survivors of The Contamination codenamed Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor) and Jordan Two Delta (Scarlett Johansson) who live in a facility that harbours survivors of The Contamination until they can be safely escorted to the last bastion of uncontaminated land on Earth – The Island.
Right from the getgo, I thought this would be another token Bay film. You know, the formulaic, mindless action with-flashy-effects-and-no-substance film. This is, in some respects, not the case. It definitely has all the typical Michael Bay stuff – lots of explosions, lots of running around and, of course, a wicked car chase. Most of the camera shots in this reminded me of Bad Boys 2 and, come to think of it, the one car chase in this film felt like a complete clone of the one in Bad Boys 2, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
What differentiates this film from all the other crap Bay’s done is the subtext that surrounds the plot. This movie makes many allusions to totalitarian society – more specifically, the result of prejudices, the idea of purity or longevity at any cost and, to an extent, xenophobia. There is one rather emotional scene that reflects strongly on the holocaust, which just shows how effective this film could have been if Bay had put some more effort into the underlying theme. Sadly, most of what he was trying to get across has been done a thousand times before, and to be honest, it’s not all that interesting anymore. Yeah, yeah, oppression’s bad, freedom’s good. We get it, Mike. But, at least he tried to put some effort into giving this film a bit more substance, so I’ll give him credit for that.
The acting in this was fairly average. Paired with decent dialogue, Ewan McGregor gave a rather refreshing performance considering how dull and not at all enthused he was in Revenge of the Sith. There was some chemistry between Johansson and McGregor, but not enough – that could have definitely been improved. Aside from the lead roles, Steve Buscemi as the wise cracking techie was a great choice for comic relief. And Sean Bean, reprising his role as the big tough villain he’s played in his past films, gives an above par performance. I would have liked to have seen him play the bad guy a little different here, but he doesn’t, and that’s okay because this character works well with that persona.
After all is said and done, The Island is not your average summer blockbuster. However, to that end, it doesn’t deviate much from the qualities we’ve come to expect from a Michael Bay flick. Yes, it was as fun as any action film should be, and yes, it had some subtext, and that alone separates it from most other action flicks, but there’s nothing really new or profound here. So, if you want a lot of action, a pretty decent plot surrounding cloning and a fair bit of suspense, check this one out. Otherwise, you’re wasting your time. (7 out of 10)
Movie Review #2: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tells the tale of an impoverished young boy who wins a golden ticket that grants him access to the mystical Wonka Candy Factory. This candy factory is owned by the strange, and often misunderstood, “chocolatier” Willy Wonka, who hasn’t been seen by the outside world in years. Throughout the course of the film, Wonka leads Charlie and the four other ticket holders through his exciting and often mesmerizing world of candy.
In all these years, I’ve never read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and to be honest, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I walked into the theatre. Sure, I saw the original Willy Wonka film back when I was a young’un, but this is Tim Burton. He’s a real wild card if you ask me, and from the experiences I’ve had, you either win or you lose with a Burton film, there’s no in between. This one is definitely a winner.
From start to finish, this was just a breathtaking film. Visually, it really didn’t deviate much from the original film. In this version we see, more or less, the same chocolate waterfall, the same 3 course bubble gum machine and, the very memorable TV room. They were all there, and they all came with that signature Burton twist that we’ve all come to know and love. The fact that Burton throws a bunch of interesting camera shots into the mix only adds to the kooky atmosphere of the film, which really gives it a more unique style.
Performance wise, this film scores again. Everyone does a great job in their respective roles. Johnny Depp however is, in a word, fantastic. He takes the Willy Wonka we all know from the original and adds a little Depp zest to him. The result? A Willy Wonka that has more wit, more humour and more childish innocence than what we’ve seen before. Wonka’s little quips were quite amusing. The humour, in that respect, carried over very well from the original and only gave more depth to Wonka’s personality. I was also very impressed with the new Oompa Loompa musical numbers. The new songs reflected the ones we’ve heard in the original and have a bit of a cute modern twist to them, which is quite refreshing from all the corniness surrounding the older songs.
In the end, I came out of the theatre more than satisfied with this film. This is, hands down, one of the best films of the year. It has everything the original had and more. If you’re a Burton fan, you’ll love it. If you’re a Depp fan, you’ll love it. If you’re a three year old kid, you’ll love it. There’s something in this for everyone. (9 out of 10)
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