Film: The Island
2005; BMJ; Volume: 331; Issue: 7515 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
0959-8138
Autores Tópico(s)Reproductive Health and Technologies
ResumoOne of the most intriguing and emotive debates of our time is about human reproductive cloning. Ever since Ira Levin's 1976 thriller The Boys from Brazil, fascination with carbon copies of human beings has permeated both fiction and journalism. It has also preoccupied a minority of renegade scientists bent on offering human cloning as a reproductive option, despite widely acknowledged safety concerns.concerns. Figure 2 Double act: Scarlett Johansson and Ewan McGregor as clones This fascination continues with the release of Michael Bay's latest film, The Island. Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson star as clones in this high octane action adventure, which speculates on the commercial use of cloning for spare parts. The twist is that their rich and famous owners do not know that their “insurance policies” are in fact conscious beings. When two of the clones discover that they are no more than vessels for spare parts, they escape captivity to try to find their makers. As the plot unravels, it quickly becomes clear that Bay's primary objective was not serious reflection. The film begins as a stark portrait of a carefully controlled underclass, hinting at Huxley's Brave New World. However, the tension gradually gives way to action sequences that make James Bond films look remarkably credible. In spite of this, there are still moments to savour—for example, when Scarlett Johansson's clone character faces her counterpart. Bay clearly conveys his view of where the motivation for cloning comes from: whether in the scientist's quest for control or the individual's wish to cheat death, Bay sees the root cause as the desire to play God. Bay's portrayal of the human condition is remarkably bleak. For example, the sole positive attributes of being human, embodied for us in the ever funny Steve Buscemi, seem to be strip joints and bad jokes. Human replicas can be made to function normally only by fixing their eyes on an unreal future on a paradise Island. So while this parable warns against playing God, it also portrays the hope of an afterlife as a convenient human invention. The mercenary hired to capture the clones (Djimon Hounsou) provides the one ray of hope as he gradually resolves to uphold human dignity. Bay's film ultimately delivers what we have come to expect from his Hollywood blockbusters (his other films include Pearl Harbor, Armageddon, and Bad Boys)—big stunts, white knuckle chase scenes, and gratuitous product placement. But as blockbusters go, this is at least a step in the right direction. Unusually, it has a plot and, despite the frenetic pace, the cast keep it alive. If you are prepared to dig below the surface, it will certainly leave you thinking.
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