The Island has become a hit on Netflix. Though Michael Bay is best known for his big-budget action movies like Bad Boys (1995), The Rock (1996), Armageddon (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001), and the Transformers franchise (2007-2017), the director’s 2005 sci-fi film, The Island, starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson, has largely been forgotten.
Now, 20 years after its release, The Island ranks ninth on Netflix‘s Top 10 movies in the United States for the week of November 24–30. The sci-fi film isn’t Michael Bay’s only movie on the chart this week, as his action-thriller Ambulance (2022) also ranks sixth.
The Island is also streaming on Prime Video and Paramount+.
Also appearing on the chart are Jingle Bell Heist in first, KPop Demon Hunters, Champagne Problems, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, In Your Dreams, Dog, The Carman Family Deaths, and Frankenstein in 10th.
Directed by Michael Bay, with a script written by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (the Transformers franchise), The Island follows two clones (played by Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson) who escape from a research facility after learning their true fate and are pursued by a mercenary (played by Djimon Hounsou) as they attempt to expose the illegal cloning movement.
In addition to Emmy winner Ewan McGregor (Halston) and two-time Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story, Jojo Rabbit), The Island’s stacked cast also includes two-time Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond, In America), Sean Bean (Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings), Oscar nominee Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile), and Steve Buscemi.
Like many of Michael Bay’s movies, The Island received mixed reviews for being a clone of “escape-from-dystopia” sci-fi films from the 1960s and 1970s – such as THX 1183, Coma, and Logan’s Run – ending up as another typical Michael Bay spectacle, where flashy chases and explosions take precedence over meaningful characters, dialogue, or story.
The Island has a 39% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics, coupled with a 63% audience score.
However, unlike many of Michael Bay’s movies which have been blockbusters, The Island bombed at the box office by making only $162.9 million against its $126 million budget, and has largely been forgotten since.
However, earlier this year, ScreenRant called The Island Michael Bay’s “most underrated movie.” Though it was “his first big flop, the film is much better than its reputation.”
Release Date
July 21, 2005
Runtime
136 Minutes