Movie Review: 'The Island'

Cloning is a hot topic today - particularly human cloning. Fraught with an enormous range of ethical issues, people argue over whether, even if we were to become capable of cloning individuals, we should do it or not. Michael Bay has courageously tackled some of these issues in his movie The Island. Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor) lives in a utopian facility following a critical event that has left the earth contaminated. There is only one remaining pristine location on earth called 'The Island' which is slowly being repopulated. But who should have the privilege of going there? The answer is to run a lottery each week. If your name comes up, then you have the privilege of going to the Island. All of the people in this community live their entire lives hoping to win the lottery. But Lincoln Six Echo begins to suspect that there is something more sinister going on. When his friend, Jordan Two Delta (Scarlett Johansen), wins the lottery to go to the Island, Licoln Six Echo discovers what is really happening and decides to break out of the facility. The Island has been criticised by some as not knowing whether it is a serious science fiction movie or action thriller. The answer is: it is both! The Island is an entertaining science fiction/action/thriller that raises some profound questions about the ethics of cloning in the context of a non-stop suspense ride. Sure, parts of it are unbelievable. But I don't care - I loved it! I was entertained while being made to think. It is a movie with the lot: a good story, plenty of action, suspense, and thought-provoking. The movie paints a possible future world where cloning is justified for the common good but with sinister implications. Ignore the critics and go see it! My Rating: ***** (out of 5) Best Review 'Bay's movie couldn't be more timely; whatever you think about this subject, you might admire his attempt to come to grips with it in a summer blockbuster.' - Lawrence Toppman/Charlotte Observer (free registration required) Worst Review 'If you find yourself at "The Island" I have only three words of advice: Vote yourself off.' - Ann Hornaday/Washington Post Content Warnings intense sequences of violence and action, some sexuality and language Related Links

• Primer on ethics and human cloning
• Genetic Encores: The Ethics of Human Cloning
• Cloning: A Webliography
• Cloning Fact Sheet
• Reasons Against Cloning
• Human Cloning: the Religious and Ethical Debate

Movie Review: 'Flight of the Phoenix'

In the middle of the movie Flight of the Phoenix one of the characters says, 'Religion divides; believing in a common cause unites' (paraphrase). Taking the movie as a metaphor for this assertion raises this entertainment to an interesting level. A cargo plane on a routine return flight after shutting down an oil rig in the Mongolian desert crashes. The only solution to survival seems to be to follow the directions of an eccentric passenger who has the skills to build a new plane out of the wreckage of the old one. In the process, they have to deal with their relationships which threaten to undermine everything they do. Watched thoughtfully, the film raises issues of religion, hope, and despair. A joke told by one of the characters is particularly thought-provoking from a Christian perspective:

Let me tell you a story. A rabbi and a priest attend a boxing match. They watch as the boxers come into the ring. The rabbi sees one of the boxers cross himself. So the rabbi turns to the priest and asks, 'What does that mean?' The priest says, 'Not a damn thing if the man can't fight.'

Flight of the Phoenix is an entertaining adventure film that is sure to please the crowds. My Rating: ***1/2 (out of 5) Best Review This is high-carb filmmaking at its finest. When it's all over, you'll have a knot in your stomach. - Michael O'Sullivan/Washington Post Worst Review A moth-eaten stranded-in-the-desert yarn that throws in every cheap trick in the manual to pump up your heartbeat, is so manipulative that the involuntary jolts of adrenaline it produces make you feel like a fool. - Stephen Holden/New York Times Content Warning some language, action and violence Related Links

• The phoenix was a bird that, in mythology, rose from the ashes of a fire. You can read about the mythology of this bird here.
• Wikipedia article on the phoenix. It is interesting to note that early Christianity used the phoenix as a symbol for resurrection, immortality, and life after death.