The Island
A sheltered facility worker uncovers a brutal cloning racket and flees into a dangerous outside world with the woman he loves.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- propulsive
- paranoid
- heightened
- action movie night
- science fiction double feature
What critics said
Critics found the film visually forceful and intermittently compelling but overly bombastic, with explosions and chases overshadowing its characters, dialogue, and speculative ideas.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The facility confines cloned humans whose bodies are harvested for the wealthy clients who commissioned them.
Cloning technology, corporate medical control, artificial memories, and a sealed authoritarian habitat define the world.
Lincoln gradually learns that the facility, its history, and the promised Island are constructed deceptions.
Lincoln and Jordan's flight from the facility expands into explosive vehicle chases and confrontations with their creators.
Films like The Island, and why
Logan's Run
shares dystopian science fiction, controlled human populations, rebellion against an authoritarian system, and high-concept action
Moon
shares cloning ethics, manufactured identities, corporate exploitation, and science fiction thriller suspense
THX 1138
shares oppressive futuristic institutions, artificial social order, escape, and philosophical questions about human identity
Gattaca
shares runaway protagonists, corporate conspiracy, genetic exploitation, and kinetic futuristic chase sequences
Movie Details
- Director
- Michael Bay
- Release Date
- 2005-07-21
- Runtime
- 136 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (6088)
Cast
- Ewan McGregor
- Scarlett Johansson
- Djimon Hounsou
- Sean Bean
- Steve Buscemi
- Michael Clarke Duncan
- Ethan Phillips
- Brian Stepanek
- Noa Tishby
- Siobhan Flynn
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Island about?
- A sheltered facility worker uncovers a brutal cloning racket and flees into a dangerous outside world with the woman he loves.
- What is The Island like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Island as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Island violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Island as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Island?
- Critics found the film visually forceful and intermittently compelling but overly bombastic, with explosions and chases overshadowing its characters, dialogue, and speculative ideas.
- Which films are like The Island?
- Films with a similar feel include Logan's Run, Moon, THX 1138, and Gattaca.
- How long is The Island?
- The Island runs 136 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Island?
- In United States, The Island streams on Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.
