Michael Bay would rather continue edit his latest action blockbuster The Island, than suit down with a select group of journalists, after screening a mere 45 minutes of the film, scheduled for release early next month. On stage at Beverly Hills' famed Motion Picture Academy screening room, a casually attired Bay, directing one of his first non-Bruckheimer movies, says he was attracted "primarily to the story" of human clones struggling to find their human counterparts.
In Bay's futuristic thriller, Ewan McGregor stars as Lincoln Six-Echo, a resident of a seemingly utopian but contained facility in the mid-21st century. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to the "The Island," reportedly the last uncontaminated spot on the planet. But Lincoln soon discovers that everything about his existence is a lie. He and all of the other inhabitants of the facility are actually human clones whose only purpose is to provide "spare parts" for their original human counterparts. Realizing it is only a matter of time before he is "harvested," Lincoln makes a daring escape with a fellow resident named Jordan Two-Delta (Scarlett Johansson). Pursued by the forces of the institute that once housed them, Lincoln and Jordan engage in a race for their lives to literally meet their makers.
Despite recent media attention focusing on cloning and stem cell research, Bay denies the film has any implicit or explicit political agenda. "I don't think the film has anything to do with stem cell research, it's more fanciful than that," says Bay. The Island begins in an atypical manner for the director, best known for over the top action dramas such as The Rock and the Bad Boys films, in that the first half, screened to the press as part of this media event, is more character-driven and philosophical than we have come to expect from Michael Bay.
"I really had to bite my lip hard so as to prevent myself from shooting any big action sequences in the beginning." But Bay is fighting the clock to complete the film by its July 22 release. "It's a tough and intense post," Bays says, "and the print will be delivered to theatres dripping wet." Asked if The Island is likely to be compared to the likes of Logan's Run, Bay shrugs off such comparisons. "I haven't seen that film since I was a kid, so I wasn't consciously aware of it." Bay says he merely focuses on the one film he is making, rather "concern myself with the genre as a whole." Asked if there was a danger of being derivative and seeking an original voice, the director merely says "yes, I guess that's a danger."
As to The Island, hold tight to your cinematic seat belts, because Bay, at last, delivers a film high on action and fascinating, compelling ideas. Visually, the film looks extraordinary, with its massive, deep sets, use of almost monochrome colour and a unique action hero in McGregor. Based on press reaction tonight, and the first 45 minutes screened, The Island could be one of the summer's major hits. Presumably the best is yet to come, adds Bay. "It's tough for you to judge the film after seeing 45 minutes; hopefully you'll enjoy the rest."
Thanks to 'PF'.
