TL;DR – Some films are greater than the sum of their parts, and then we have today’s entry that has all the right ingredients, yet, like me, every time I try to make bread, nothing rises from it.

Post-Credit Scene – There is an end-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

The Island Review –

So, to set the scene, it is Greece in 2001, and people are making their way around the many Greek islands. One of those is Álex (Aida Folch), who is making her way to a secluded restaurant to be their new hostess. It is the kind of restaurant full of fresh flavours that you could feel were pulled right from the sea that surrounds you. But because she is late, the restaurant owner, Max (Matt Dillon), demotes her to server. It is her dream job, dream location, and the boss is quite fine, which is why she does not see all the warning signs everywhere.

Of the many factors that make up the film, the one that truly works is the location. You feel like this is an isolated dot in the middle of an ocean, one that you can only get to by boat. It feels ancient, with layers of history everywhere, but also linked to this world, in that if you went exploring, you could find it tucked away. For a film like this, you need to build that romance of place to both be able to undermine that, but also find a reason why Álex would not leave at the first red flag. It also helps that you have created a place that I think many people would want to visit. Add to that some backstory nugget, a good setting in 2001, which they commit to, and a cast that is trying, and you have the foundation for an interesting film.

However, at nearly every corner, this is a film that is dull, mainly more than anything. It takes forever to get going, and by the time it makes its turn, you are at a point where you have stopped caring about the characters. Every part of the film feels dragged out to the point of frustration, in the way that there is possibly a good 90-minute film in there somewhere, but that is not what we got. Add to that a musical score that felt more discordant than anything else, plot points that don’t gel together, odd subplots that didn’t need to be there, and what you get is a genuine missed opportunity.

In the end, do we recommend The Island? Unfortunately not. For it to be a romantic thriller, I needed to feel the romance or the thrill. Still, honestly, I never once cared about any of the characters here, and that is an insurmountable barrier to overcome. Have you watched The Island? Let us know what you thought in the comments below.If you liked The Island, we would recommend to you The Menu.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of The Island
Directed by – Fernando Trueba
Written by – Fernando Trueba & Rylend Grant
Music by – Zbigniew Preisner
Cinematography by – Sergio Iván Castaño
Edited by – Marta Velasco
Production/Distribution Companies – Film Constellation, Fernando Trueba Productions, Caracol Televisón & Eagal Entertainment
Starring – Matt Dillon, Aida Folch & Juan Pablo Urrego with Kika Georgiou, Polydoros Voglatzis, Anthi Andreopoulou & Marina Argyropoulou
Rating  – Around an Australian M