THE ISLAND (2005 FILM)

'''The Island''' is a 2005 science fiction film directed by Michael Bay and starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. It is described as a pastiche of "escape-from-dystopia" science fiction films produced in the late 1960s and 1970s such as ''Fahrenheit 451'', ''THX 1138'', '', and ''Logan's Run''. The film, which cost $126 million to produce, earned only $36 million at the domestic box office, but went on to gross $127 million overseas, for a $163 million worldwide total.

Contents

Plot

The Discovery

The Escape

The Rescue

Cast

Production

Response

Controversy

Lawsuit

Symbolism and references to other films

Plot similarities with ''Parts: The Clonus Horror''

Trivia

See also

Notes

References

External links

Plot

In 2019, when most of the outside world has been contaminated, a community of people, rescued from the toxic environment, live by utopian standards in an isolated colony. The rules of living are selected for them; clothing, meals, leisure, and jobs are all structured and controlled. Everyone in the community anticipates a special event - the lottery - in which one person wins a chance to move to a tropical paradise, the only uncontaminated area left on Earth, known as "The Island".

The Discovery

Lincoln Six-Echo (Ewan McGregor) is one of the colonists living in the utopia, but he experiences erratic dreams of a different lifestyle. Lincoln visits the colony's physician, Dr. Merrick (Sean Bean), in the Tranquility Center to talk about the dreams he has been having here. Dr. Merrick also does a synaptic scan. After the visit, Lincoln goes to his job working with the colony's subsistent technology, but he fakes a computer failure to visit his friend James McCord (Steve Buscemi), who works in one of the backrooms of the facility. While visiting, Lincoln sees and captures a flying insect with McCord's matchbox, wondering where it came from if the outside world was contaminated. Lincoln shares his find with his friend Jordan Two-Delta (Scarlett Johansson), as well as his skepticism about the so-called contaminated outside world.
Jordan finds out that she has won the lottery to go to The Island. That night, Lincoln has another nightmare. He decides to get up and investigate where the flying insect came from. In the backroom, Lincoln climbs a ladder and finds a hidden medical floor. On the floor, he sees two so-called lottery winners; Lima One-Alpha (Siobhan Flynn), who gives birth to a baby and is murdered afterward, and then showing the baby being given to an identical looking woman. And another, Starkweather Two-Delta (Michael Clarke Duncan), who fights against those operating on him to harvest his organs. Lincoln, realizing that there is no Island and that Jordan would suffer the same fate, races back home to retrieve her and escape from the colony with her. During their escape, they stumble upon the breeding ground for clones, an area in which their rapidly developing brains are programmed until they mature enough to enter the general society.

The Escape

Merrick, who looked over the security tapes from Starkweather's struggle, recognizes Lincoln's presence on the medical floor and orders his capture. Lincoln and Jordan escape to the outside world, which turns out not to be contaminated, and they find themselves in the desert near Yuma, Arizona. Lincoln locates McCord, who turns out not to be one of the colonists, in a bar using McCord's matchbox. McCord, shocked at the two colonists' presence, gives in and explains that the colonists were clones, whose purpose was to provide medical need for their sponsors, should anything happen to them. McCord gives them clothes, some money, and a credit card to help them find their sponsors, with Lincoln's sponsor being in Los Angeles and Jordan's sponsor being in New York.
A mercenary strike team led by Albert Laurent (Djimon Hounsou) is deployed by Dr. Merrick to find the fugitives. Lincoln and Jordan evade the mercenaries, though McCord is killed by one. The two colonists escape to Los Angeles, where they run into the mercenaries again in the search for their "sponsors" (the people of whom they were cloned). Escaping once more, Lincoln and Jordan find Lincoln's sponsor, a Scottish playboy racer, Tom Lincoln – a moment of comedy ensues as the cloned Lincoln, who speaks with an American accent, is puzzled by Tom Lincoln's Scottish accent (Ewan McGregor's natural accent in real life). Tom, having been misled like all sponsors to believe that his clone was kept in a persistent vegetative state by Dr. Merrick, pretends to agree to help the two plead their case before the media. However, he instead calls the cloning institute, informing the people that his clone was at his home. Jordan knows that he's lying because he has the same tell that Lincoln does and warns cloned Lincoln. Lincoln goes with his sponsor to a television station to expose the cloning company, but his sponsor instead leads him to Laurent and his fellow mercenaries. Lincoln, taking advantage of his similarity to his sponsor, confuses the mercenaries (especially after he clasps his identification wristband onto the real Tom Lincoln) and is able to escape, getting his sponsor killed in the process.

The Rescue

Lincoln returns to Jordan, waiting at the sponsor's home. At first, not being sure which Lincoln he is, she aims a gun at him. Lincoln assures her that it's him, the clone, and she realizes that it is him. They both subsequently agree to rescue the rest of the cloned community from the facility. They devise a plan where Lincoln enters the facility as his sponsor, but Jordan uses McCord's credit card, which is tracked, and she is then captured by the mercenaries. When Jordan returns to the facility, she is taken to an operating room to have her organs harvested. (Her sponsor, Sarah Jordan, had been in a car accident and was in need of new organs to possibly, but with no certainty, save her life. This is why Jordan was to be sent to "The Island" originally.) She pulls out a hidden gun to take advantage of the situation and escapes to meet up with Lincoln. She gets Lincoln inside the facility and then goes off to do her part, while Lincoln heads to the holographic generator to shut it off and show the other colonists the truth.
Laurent runs into Jordan, and due to his history of experiencing murders, of being declared and marked, like the clones, as "not human," during his life in Africa, empathizes with her situation (Dr. Merrick had decided to wipe out all third-generation clones that had proven to be more curious than originally desired in design plans). Laurent aids Jordan in rescuing a group of clones who are about to be incinerated as part of Merrick's plan.
Meanwhile, Lincoln destroys the holographic projectors that gave the colonists the illusion of a contaminated outside world, then he and Dr. Merrick fight each other as a result. In the struggle, Merrick is killed. The facility begins to collapse, but not before Lincoln, Jordan, all the remaining clones, and Laurent escape. As Laurent leaves Lincoln and Jordan to get on with their lives, all the colonists, now seeing the world as it really is for the first time, are just as amazed as Lincoln and Jordan were. The movie ends with both of them sailing on Tom Lincoln's specially-designed boat, that Lincoln had envisaged in his dreams, to a tropical island – a real one.

Cast

Actor/Actress	Role	Notes
Ewan McGregor	Lincoln Six Echo	Protagonist; clone of Tom Lincoln
	Tom Lincoln	Car/motorcycle/boat experimental designer from Scotland, currently living in L.A.; suffer of cirrhotic hepatitis
Scarlett Johansson	Jordan Two Delta	Protagonist; clone of Sarah Jordan
	Sarah Jordan	Model from New York; dying as a result of a car accident
Djimon Hounsou	Albert Laurent	Bounty hunter hired by Merrick to bring back Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta
Sean Bean	Dr. Merrick	Antagonist, owner of Merrick Biotech
Steve Buscemi	McCord	Employee of Merrick Biotech; helps Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta after they escape
Michael Clarke Duncan	Starkweather Two Delta	Cloned after a football player for at least his liver
	Jamil Starkweather	New York Giants football player; aka "The Juggernaut" [1]
Ethan Phillips	Jones Three Echo	Clone; works with Lincoln Six Echo
Brian Stepanek	Gandu Three Echo	Clone; works with Lincoln Six Echo
Noa Tishby	Community Announcer	Makes community announcements including the lottery
Siobhan Flynn	Lima One Alpha	Cloned to carry a baby to term
Kim Coates	Charles Whitman	Director of Public Relations for Merrick Biotech
Tom Everett	President of the United States; clone
J.P. Manoux	Foxtrot; new guy picked on by Gandu 3 Echo

Production

Response

Controversy

Due to some points of similarity, some have accused the filmmakers of remaking the 1979 film, '', without crediting that concept.^[2]
Michael Marshall Smith's 1996 novel, ''Spares'', in which the hero liberates intelligent clones from a "spare farm," whose clients are told they are not conscious, was optioned by DreamWorks in the late 1990s but was never made. It remains unclear if the story inspired ''The Island'', and so Marshall Smith did not consider it worthwhile to pursue legal action over the similarities. Paramount (now sister studio to DreamWorks after its parent Viacom purchased DreamWorks in late 2005) was in talks to option the novel after DreamWorks' rights expired, but declined after ''The Island'' was released. Marshall Smith considers it unlikely a ''Spares'' film will ever be made.^[3]
A second film version of ''Logan's Run'' was also in the works when ''The Island'' was released. It is possible due to the similarity of both plot and story, that the release and domestic box-office reception of ''The Island'' caused the production of ''Logan's Run'' to be abandoned in favor of the upcoming ''Speed Racer'' film. Though the similarities between the two films are striking, the author of ''Logan's Run'' has not so far commented on ''The Island's concept.
Reviewers have also objected to the prominent product placement within the film. Cisco Systems, MSN Search, Xbox, Puma, Reebok, NBC, NFL, Budweiser, Apple, Aquafina, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, Mack, Coca-Cola, Speedo, TAG Heuer, Amtrak, Ben & Jerry's, and Nokia are some of the sponsors of the film.^[4] In an ''Entertainment Weekly'' cover story, Bay stated that the extensive product placement was the result of trying to offset production costs - "Bay called on friends at major corporations—outfits like Budweiser, General Motors, and Microsoft—and offered overt product placement in exchange for cash. 'We made about $850,000 on that,' he says. 'And we needed that money to get this movie made.'"^[5]
One of the links on ''The Island'' movie website briefly linked to an adult-oriented website for some time. After being advised of the issue, Dreamworks Pictures removed the link from the movie's official website.

Lawsuit

''The Island'' mirrors '' in a number of ways. The makers of ''Horror'' filed suit, claiming copyright infringement.^[6] On August 25, 2006, the court presiding over this case ruled that it could proceed to trial.
According to a 2007 interview with ''Clonus'' screenwriter Bob Sullivan, DreamWorks and ''Clonus' associates reached a seven-figure settlement on November 20, 2006. The specific terms of which are sealed.^[7]

Symbolism and references to other films

The general idea of growing human clones for spare parts in an isolated area and controlling their education is apparently taken from '', but there are minor differences from ''Clonus''.
Another symbolic characteristic of the film is the connection drawn between segregation and slavery, and abortion and embryotic stem-cell research. While talking of his past, Albert Laurent reveals that he was a former slave and understands what it is like to be "less than human." The statement was mentioned as Merrick mentions his ideas on how the clones, such as Jordan-Two Delta are nothing more than a commodity. This presents an analogy to the enslavement of Laurent and the killings of the clones for the personal benefits of their "owners". The film includes topics such as the ignorance of the values of human life, and how both freedom and life are often taken for granted by those who are already free and fully alive.

Plot similarities with ''Parts: The Clonus Horror''

The following are plot points which accurately describe both movies.

★ There is a secret community of clones who are being created so that their organs can eventually be harvested in order to extend the lives of people, living outside of the community, wealthy enough to afford the process.

★ When it is time for a clone (or more precisely, his or her organs), the clone is led to believe that he or she has been "randomly" chosen to go to what has been advertised as a utopia. The utopia, which of course does not really exist, is "America" in ''Clonus'', and "The Island" in ''The Island''.

★ The community of clones is closely monitored by video surveillance and uniformed guards, who closely observe the actions of the clones.

★ The main character is an inquisitive clone living in the community who finds clues about the outside world.

★ The main character eventually escapes the community.

★ A woman which the community staff try to keep the main character from getting too close to and who becomes the love interest for the protagonist, urging the protagonist to return to the facility after escaping.

★ The project director sends assassins after the character.

★ The main character gets betrayed by a genetic parent/sponsor he seeks and contacts in the outside world.

★ The President (candidate for President in ''Clonus'') is known to have a clone.

★ The cloning program is exposed at the end of the film.

Trivia

★ Scarlett Johansson offered to go nude during the sex scene between her character and Ewan McGregor's. Director Michael Bay decided against it, thus Scarlett is shown wearing a bra during the scene.^[8]

★ There is a scene where Jordan Two-Delta discovers a large print advertisement and television commercial that features her real-life double, Sarah Jordan. The advertisement shown is an actual ad for "Eternity Moment" that Scarlett Johansson did for Calvin Klein in 2004.

★ In the film, Suzie (played by Shawnee Smith) is the wife of McCord (played by Steve Buscemi). This is the same woman that "Rockhound", from ''Armageddon'' (also Buscemi), was hitting on in a bar. Rockhound was looking at the woman's engagement ring, before announcing it was fake. Both films are directed by Michael Bay.

★ Tom Lincoln's Cadillac in the film is the real-life Cadillac Cien concept car.

★ Tom Lincoln's boat named the ''Renovatio'' in the film is the real-life 118 WallyPower luxury super-yacht.


★ The futuristic red Lexus driven by Tom Cruise's character in the 2002 science fiction thriller Minority Report makes an appearance. Several cars from that film are visible in the scenes set in Los Angeles.

★ The computer used by character "Merrick" at the beginning of the movie, was rumored to be a conceptual Microsoft Surface. The design was actually proposed by a technology adviser at MIT who aimed for producing a believable vision of futuristic technology.^[9]

★ The cubism style painting by Picasso at Merrick's office is the "Femme assise (Jacqueline)" from 1962.

★ Parts of the movie were filmed in Detroit, Michigan.

★ The character of Gandu Three-Echo was killed in the movie but can be seen at the end when the clones escaped.

★ Amtrak Released their new "wave" logo in the movie during the scene where they sit down in the passenger car

See also

★ Simulated reality

Notes

1. Giant NFL poster shown at 1:12:45
2. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/movies/2002394690_islandripoff.html
3. http://www.michaelmarshallsmith.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=123
4. http://numsum.com/spreadsheet/show/7807
5. http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1082270_1|105587||0_0_,00.html
6. “Copyright Lawsuit Claims ''The Island'' Cloned ''Parts: The Clonus Horror'',” UPI News Service, August 10, 2005 (available online); “Clonus” Producers File Suit.
7. 2007 interview with ''Clonus'' screenwriter Bob Sullivan.
8. http://www.usmagazine.com/node/2667
9. The Surface Conceptual Prototype on The Island

References

★ Breznican, Anthony (March 18 2005). "Car-wreck 'Island' keeps director smash-happy". ''USA Today'', p. E1.

★ Fierman, Daniel (July 22 2005). "Attack of the Clones". ''Entertainment Weekly'', issue #830. Retrieved from http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1082270_1|105587||0_0_,00.html on June 19 2006.

External links

★ Interview with the creators of Parts: the Clonus Horror about their lawsuit alleging copyright infringement

★ ''The Island'' Official website

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