Attack of the Giant Killer Plot Holes

[freckles_and_doubt]

Yes, it's true: I saw The Island last night, with Jo(ty). For some reason it has caused me to wake up with a pounding headache this morning, but I'll try not to let that influence me too much.

• A loud, fun, tense movie with an abrupt and rather disconcerting transition between the totalitarian calm of the first half, and the lots of things going bang, crunch and pow in the second half. I liked the slightly surreal photography during action sequences.
• Ewan McGregor used to be hot. What happened? He's just weird and geeky in this, with bad skin. Although moderately endearing in his clone role. Scarlett Johannson, on the other hand, is definitely hot, even with the tragic bee-sting on her upper lip.
• The damned film kept giving me flashbacks to the discussions I'm currently having with my sf students, on how Hollywood has this ability to take a cerebral sf concept or story and turn it into loud mindless action from which all logic has been lost. Island actually isn't as bad as it could be, in that it has the kind of plot holes that creep up on you several hours afterwards, rather than socking you between the eyes while you're watching. Then again, this being Michael Bay directing, any further socking between the eyes would be somewhat redundant. In retrospect, the headache was inevitable.
• A lot of the reviews have been very, very rude about the leads' acting ability. Actually, given that they're supposed to be playing naive, sheltered children socialised into a kind of well-behaved non-violent niceness, I thought they were quite believable. What wasn't believable was the speed with which they adapted to the Real World, TM. Realistically speaking, their encounters with the outside world should have lead to them being (a) helpless and embarrassed a great deal more, in fact to a cringingly unwatchable extent, and (b) very quickly dead. Neither of which, admittedly, would have made for a great movie.
• For first-time sex when you've never even heard of the word, that was way, way too easy.
• I am enlightened and reassured to discover that it is apparently possible not only to clone bodies, but memories and skills, too. Either that, or the sexy jet-bikes come with serious auto-pilot functions. I definitely want one.
• Sean Bean comes across as too basically nice for a bad guy, even pushing flawed paternalism for all he's worth. He was more believable as Boromir.

The trailer for King Kong causes me to wriggle all over with geeky, nostalgic glee, to the point where the completely unknown guy sitting on my other side felt impelled to lean over and whisper, "Patience! It'll be here soon!" On the other hand, am I the only adult person I know who's planning to go and see the Sharkboy and Lava Girl movie? I adore Rodriguez, loved Spy Kids - it's okay to enjoy kiddieflicks with irony, yes?

In other dispatches from the cultural affairs desk, this Worthy South African Novel that I'm reading is surprising me intensely by being not only good (beautifully written, vivid, compelling) but enjoyable. Goldarnit, there goes another random prejudice. Admittedly, I have so far wimped out on tackling the Andre Brink one.

Comments

Culture vulture

[(Anonymous)]

1 - For explanation* of the quiet first half/violent second half, see Glitter for Brains (http://glitterforbrains.blogspot.com/) (scroll down to August 15).

2 - Ewan was never hot.

3 - So who wrote this Worthy Yet Readable novel? I had a similar experience in reviewing a South African novel by... Christopher someone. I forget. It were great, though.

scroobious (if the footnote didn't give it away)
_____
* Not really

Re: Culture vulture

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Ewan was kinda hot in Star Wars, actually. Maybe it's just the deep imprinting on Jedi as ultimately desirable that I suffered when a dreamy teenager.

Novel is in my "Current Cultural Consumption" box, silly! Russel Brownlee. Garden of the Plagues. One of those UCT Creative Writing Masters books, but very readable nonetheless.

The Glitter-For-Brains review made me giggle and snort. A lot.

The Island

[(Anonymous)]

Interesting. rumint gives the film rather a good review. At least, he doesn't pan it to the same extent to which you do.

wolverine_nun

Re: The Island

[rumint.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes. But I have a higher preference for Action movies than extemp, especially when planning an action campaign.

I have to agree on plot holes, but they were minor compared to other summer sci-fi blockbusters like Independence Day.

I quite liked Sean Bean's evil doctor. He underplayed it, snuffing clones with a smile and a soothing word, clearly a quiet psychopath, when they could have easily played to the stereotype and cast someone much more mad doktor like ben kingsley.

Re: The Island

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Eeep! I didn't actually mean to pan the movie, it was rather fun, in a loud, action, mindless sort of way; as you say, the plot holes were not nearly as bad as they could have been. I just get hung up on the overall betrayal of the science fiction genre. But I also enjoy mindless action movies, and in fact would generally rather watch that than serious, pretentious art-house stuff. *shows lack of true academic fibre*

I also liked the doctor, which annoyed me, because he was a total bastard. Damn Sean Bean.

[strawberryfrog.livejournal.com]

I the only adult person I know who's planning to go and see the Sharkboy and Lava Girl movie?

Quite likely the only one with no kids in tow.

I adore Rodriguez

Even Sin City?

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Actually, given the strong possibility that the cinema will be filled with screaming kids with elephantine feet, I'll probably get it out on video one guilty evening. And Sin City isn't out on circuit here until October! Darned SA. I'm beginning to get cold chills at the thought of how much they'll delay Serenity.

[ex-wytchfyn.livejournal.com]

Jeez, I really can't see you enjoying Sin City. I suspect it will come down to academic interest winning out over simple revulsion if this ends up being the case.

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

I'm kinda interested the stylisation and faithful comic book adaptation bit, although you're right, the idea of all the violence has been worrying me. Maybe on DVD, so I can get up and make a cup of tea when it gets icky...

That would be almost the whole movie, then

[(Anonymous)]

I too was interested in the stylisation etc, and it really is beautifully made, but it's all way, way too much - not just the violence, but the bleak worldview. Definitely DVD.

scroobious