the island

R took me to a preview of "the island" last night. it was excellent, on all levels. i agree with R when he commented that the movie was an intelligent reinterpretation of THX 1138, Fritz Lang's Metropolis, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Ridley Scott's Bladerunner, and the 1976 classic Logan's Run combined. it's a good looking movie with amazingly choreographed action sequences that kept me on the edge of my seat without treating me like an idiot. solid characters and, something missing in a lot of hollywood movies today, character development through a seamless plot. plus, the strikingly handsome and magnificent djimon hounsou was in it... that's all i need in a movie personally. he is such a commanding presence, it's a shame they didn't use more of his talent. and who doesn't like ewan mcgregor? at first i thought, come on obi ewan kenobi, use your force/jedi powers... but he was really quite vulnerable in his innocence. terrific, strong performances from all the actors. the movie also addresses the effects of consumerism and the pursuit of the ideal. i thought the strategic product placements reiterated this pervasive homogeneity we see today ... everyone has the same shoes, drinks the same beverages, wears the same clothes. choices are taken away and made for people in a utopian society where they don't have to worry about anything. however, what drives this utopia is the money and desire for perfection by the wealthy and the madness and fanaticism of a few, and what seems to be an idyllic world, is actually a nightmare. it's a lot like the world we live in today. the ending is almost cookie cutter like, but it works for this movie. i don't want to give it away. you'll have to see it.