In the year 2019, Lincoln (McGregor) lives in a controlled community pieced together after the cataclysmic contamination of the planet. But he has a feeling something isn't right in his monotonous existence, even with the promise of an idyllic island home after a few years of service to rebuilding humanity. When he discovers a way out, he takes his friend Jordan (Johansson) with him, but they're not prepared for the truth about who they really are. And their doctor (Bean) and his henchman (Hounsou) are hot on their trail.

The idea is extremely strong, examining issues of personal responsibility, trust and technological advancement, specifically in areas like cloning and stem-cell research. Although the story offers a rich environment to grapple with these issues, Bay opts for mindlessly overblown action with excessive visual effects and outrageous chase scenes punctuated by hundreds of metal-crunching, high-speed car crashes. Clearly, this silly, juvenile spectacle is the only thing Bay cares about; he continually undermines the fascinating storyline by bending the narrative to include as much mayhem as he possibly can. And when someone dies, for example, they don't merely fall to the floor--they cartwheel off a balcony and spectacularly crash through six layers of splintering glass and crystal.

The cast has obviously read the original script, and they play it extremely well, adding layers of meaning that are continually undermined by Bay's caterwauling direction. Just when McGregor and Johansson are discovering some intriguingly naive romantic chemistry, Bay zooms in for Armageddon-like romantic bombast. Just as Hounsou's character deepens from a mindless thug into something much more interesting, Bay adds an apocalyptic explosion. Just as Buscemi's cranky blue-collar worker decides to do something selfless ... well, you get the idea. The subtext makes the film worth seeing, and the slick production values add entertainment value. But it should have been much, much more than this.

themes, violence, language

25.Jul.05