Notable Cast: Huang
Bo, Shu Qi, Wang Baoqiang, Zhang Yixing, Yu Hewei, Wang Xun, Li Qinqin, Lee
You-Lin, Teddy Chan
One of the stranger aspects of reviewing foreign cinema is
that, as a regular consumer, a lot of the marketing and hype build for certain
films may never reach over here. Outside of following some of the actors
involved in this film, The Island, it
was a film that generally never crossed into the areas of information that I
frequent. Once Well Go USA announced the intention of releasing the film in
limited theaters in the US, some marketing hit over here, but even then, it was
rather minimal compared to some of the Asian titles that pop up in theaters. Expectations
for the film were rather open for me as I sat down to finally see the film that
was dominating the box office in China. To my surprise, not only did The Island work for me on both a
dramatic and comedic level, but it took a surprisingly hard angle with the
thematic and emotional lens of how people live their lives. Featuring some impressively
ranged performances and a knack for sly comedic timing in a wholly heavy and
dramatic film, The Island feels far
more connected with its audience and intentions than the titular setting would
indicate. It’s a film that works as well on an entertaining cinematic level as
it does with its character and emotional throughways to create an impressive hodge
podge of laughs and tears. The Island
is certainly a cinematic delight that ought not to be overlooked this year.