The big problem with remaking a legendary film (especially one with such an iconic and oft referenced/mocked ending) is that everyone already knows what’s going to happen. The middle of the film may be wildly different (as some remakes try to be), but the beginning and end points are already known to us.
Tim Burton brings his creep-tastic directing skills to create some very nice imagery but a mediocre script. Burton’s films typically have a dark feel to them and this is no exception. The landscapes work really well, but "Marky" Mark Wahlberg is out of his element and out of his league here. It doesn’t help that the script is bad, laden with intimations at current politics and how our society is really no better off. Pile on top of this some ridiculous special effects, a shameful overuse of wire work, a weak supporting cast, hideously cheesy references to the original, and an ending that made me say out loud “Well, that was stupid,” and you get this underwhelming example of why Hollywood doesn’t need to remake really good movies.
I enjoy pleasant surprises. One of the all-time US box office bombs, I picked up The Island expecting to watch a delightful disaster that would fit nicely in my lower ranks. As it turns out, there are only a few things wrong with The Island.
First, it should have been made for $80 million less than it was. Going low-tech on some of the special effects would have made the film grittier. There was just too much splash and polish. Second, Sean Bean is cast as a mastermind villain. This just doesn’t work people! He’s good at being a thug but Bean is simply incapable of portraying a highly intelligent person.
Third and lastly, Hollywood should know better than to release an intelligent film during the summer. Summer movie-goers just want flashy effects and pretty faces. Granted, The Island delivers this with Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson, but the movie has an intelligent concept at its core. This will make the summer crowd try to think, which almost always fails. Instead, the film puts up a brick wall and the crowds couldn't “get it.”
McGregor and Johansson are believed to be living in a colony of survivors from some devastating epidemic. In reality, they’re all clones of rich and famous people that will be used as a costly “insurance policy” when the rich folk need a healthy transplant. The colony has strict health guidelines and relationships are taboo. They discover what they are and escape into the real world but are pursued by the company that grew them.
Kind of a unique “fight for truth” and morally challenging film. I’m surprised there wasn’t more buzz over it, what with all the fuss over stem cell research and where it could go. This film takes it to one extreme and does so admirably. Shame on all of us for not making The Island a success.
The big problem with remaking a legendary film (especially one with such an iconic and oft referenced/mocked ending) is that everyone already knows what’s going to happen. The middle of the film may be wildly different (as some remakes try to be), but the beginning and end points are already known to us.
