Reflections on The Island
You people need to go see The Island, especially if you're pro-life, or undecided on the issue. If you're pro-abortion (and yes, the so-called "pro-choice" people are pro-abortion, or as Super Dave likes to say, "pro-death"), then this film will be completely wasted on you.
This film was outstanding, and it lived up to all of my expectations. There was over-the-top action, a hallmark of Michael Bay's films, but most of it is exceptionally believable; when you see it, the scene with an over-sized red letter is the one that's completely over the top. The film portrays the anti-septic world of the organized colony that is the penultimate refuge on Earth from a near-global contamination. A lottery is run to determine who, one at a time, will be sent to "the island", the last remaining paradise on Earth. Strict containment is maintained, and the vast majority of individuals eligible for the lottery wear white, while the administrators, consigned to spend their entire lives in the installation, wear black. The entire intallation is overseen by Sean Bean.
This is, of course, a massive lie. The population of the installation, save for the folks in the black jumpsuits, are nothing more than clones, whose growth is accelerated, with images being fed to them in their "infancy" to educate them. The clones are force fed personalities and memories that cause them to be docile and trusting.
Ewan McGregor's character, Lincoln Six Echo (name, region, clone generation), in a not-so-surprising turn of events, finds out that there is more to the world than he has been led to believe. Two of the recent lottery winners, a large black man played expertly by Michael Clarke Duncan, and a pregnant woman, are harvested and killed. The pregnant woman gives birth to a baby for her "sponsor" (buyer), who is apparently unable to conceive, then euthenized. Michael Clarke Duncan's character is sedated and undergoes surgery, but the anesthetic doesn't take, he becomes agitated, and escapes the operating theater, where his liver is to be harvested for transplant into a pro basketball player. The image of him bleeding from a chest incision, being physically dragged away by guards as he screams and cries "I want to go to the island!" is one not soon forgotten.
The ending is absolutely outstanding; breathtaking, almost. I'll leave the rest for you to see, but the entire plot is great. There are impressive performances (two of them, actually) by Ewan McGregor, and outstanding performances by the gorgeous Scarlett Johansson, Sean Bean (who trumps his performance as Alec Trevelyan in GoldenEye, and Steve Buscemi.
Especially impressive is the performance of Benini (Beninian? Well, he's from Benin.) actor Djimon Hounsou, best known for his roles in Gladiator as Juba, and his recurring character on ER, Mobalage Ikabo. I don't know if I'd call it a breakout performance, but his part is integral to the film's plot, and he pulls it off extremely well. It's unfortunate that he has a French (maybe it's from Benin?) accent, because my guess is that it will kill his chances at leading roles.
Go see this film. If you have any doubt that human cloning would result in the wholesale harvest of innocent human beings, go see this movie. If you think that there's nothing wrong with embryonic stem cell research, that babies in the embryo stage "aren't people" then you need to see this movie. If you think that babies in the zygotal, embryonic, and fetal stages of life shouldn't be protected, or that they're not people, go see this film
Thus saith the Fly.
This film was outstanding, and it lived up to all of my expectations. There was over-the-top action, a hallmark of Michael Bay's films, but most of it is exceptionally believable; when you see it, the scene with an over-sized red letter is the one that's completely over the top. The film portrays the anti-septic world of the organized colony that is the penultimate refuge on Earth from a near-global contamination. A lottery is run to determine who, one at a time, will be sent to "the island", the last remaining paradise on Earth. Strict containment is maintained, and the vast majority of individuals eligible for the lottery wear white, while the administrators, consigned to spend their entire lives in the installation, wear black. The entire intallation is overseen by Sean Bean.
This is, of course, a massive lie. The population of the installation, save for the folks in the black jumpsuits, are nothing more than clones, whose growth is accelerated, with images being fed to them in their "infancy" to educate them. The clones are force fed personalities and memories that cause them to be docile and trusting.
Ewan McGregor's character, Lincoln Six Echo (name, region, clone generation), in a not-so-surprising turn of events, finds out that there is more to the world than he has been led to believe. Two of the recent lottery winners, a large black man played expertly by Michael Clarke Duncan, and a pregnant woman, are harvested and killed. The pregnant woman gives birth to a baby for her "sponsor" (buyer), who is apparently unable to conceive, then euthenized. Michael Clarke Duncan's character is sedated and undergoes surgery, but the anesthetic doesn't take, he becomes agitated, and escapes the operating theater, where his liver is to be harvested for transplant into a pro basketball player. The image of him bleeding from a chest incision, being physically dragged away by guards as he screams and cries "I want to go to the island!" is one not soon forgotten.
The ending is absolutely outstanding; breathtaking, almost. I'll leave the rest for you to see, but the entire plot is great. There are impressive performances (two of them, actually) by Ewan McGregor, and outstanding performances by the gorgeous Scarlett Johansson, Sean Bean (who trumps his performance as Alec Trevelyan in GoldenEye, and Steve Buscemi.
Especially impressive is the performance of Benini (Beninian? Well, he's from Benin.) actor Djimon Hounsou, best known for his roles in Gladiator as Juba, and his recurring character on ER, Mobalage Ikabo. I don't know if I'd call it a breakout performance, but his part is integral to the film's plot, and he pulls it off extremely well. It's unfortunate that he has a French (maybe it's from Benin?) accent, because my guess is that it will kill his chances at leading roles.
Go see this film. If you have any doubt that human cloning would result in the wholesale harvest of innocent human beings, go see this movie. If you think that there's nothing wrong with embryonic stem cell research, that babies in the embryo stage "aren't people" then you need to see this movie. If you think that babies in the zygotal, embryonic, and fetal stages of life shouldn't be protected, or that they're not people, go see this film
Thus saith the Fly.
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