- Actors: Qi Shu, Huang Bo, Wang Baoqiang
- Directors: Huang Bo
- Format: Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen
- Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
- Number of discs: 1
- Rated: Not RatedNR
- Studio: Well Go Usa
- DVD Release Date: July 30, 2019
- Run Time: 134 minutes
The Island has a premise that cleverly
blends the apocalypse-paranoia themes common recently with a narrative that
filters “Lord of the Flies” through an office hierarchy. It is an entertaining
modern parable about a group of flawed individuals who could easily stand in as
representatives for the variety of people existing in society together today.
Each have their roles in civilized society, but once the office workers think
that the world has been destroyed by an apocalyptic event, it alters their
inherent civility.
The Island works as an allegory, but it
is also simply an entertaining film, constantly balancing between the humor and
drama in a way that doesn’t lower the stakes or become too melodramatic. The
imperfect characters and their questionable actions can be frustrating on more
than one occasion, but this never makes the film less than engaging. At the
heart of the film, despite a storyline involving some exciting sequences along
the way, The Island is about the
relationships of a group of people whose status in life has been reset.
When the day
starts out, everybody knows their place in the company and in society. This
dynamic is even clearer as the office workers set out on a day of teambuilding
at sea, with Ma Jin (Bo Huang) and his best friend Xiao Xing (Yixing Zhang)
treated as lower class members of the group. On top of receiving no respect in
the business world, Ma Jin can’t get the recently divorced Shan Shan (Qi Shu)
to notice him. When he discovers that he won the lottery jackpot, Ma Jin is
prepared for his new status in life, only to be disappointed when a cataclysmic
event ironically sets him off course.
Aware of the
possibility that a meteor might hit the earth, the office chooses to go on
their teambuilding exercise anyway. When part of the meteor indeed does hit the
earth, it causes a tidal wave that sends the office workers to a remote island.
Certain that humanity has been destroyed by the event, many in the group see no
point in trying to escape their new home/prison. Instead, some see this as a
reason to start a new world order, and to flip the power structure that once
existed in the company. Suddenly those with physical ability are more of an
asset than those with financial holdings, and a new society is formed. This
does not last, however, and the power continues to struggle between the working
class and the upper class, accustomed to having others work for them.
The sociological
aspects of the narrative are intriguing, although it is never entirely clear if
director Huang Bo has a larger message, or simply uses this scenario to
showcase his own acting abilities while trying his hand as filmmaker. While
never short of entertaining, part of me kept waiting for the social commentary
to have a bit more bite, or at least feel a little less perfunctory. It almost
feels obligatory the way the plot moves, even though this is occasionally
countered with a pace that appears to lack purpose. In the end, The Island has a little of everything;
romance, drama, comedy, and even a bit of action. This is the film equivalent
of a ‘Jack-of-all-trades,’ while excelling at none.
The Blu-ray
release of The Island comes with
nothing more than the film, save a trailer. There is no DVD or digital copy,
and the only real supplements are the subtitle options. As Mandarin is the only
language choice available (no dubbing options), the English subtitles will be
necessary for those who do not speak Chinese (for which there are also
subtitles). Unfortunately, despite this being a large budget release in China
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6.5/10
Historical
Significance: 5/10
Special Features: 0/10
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