Interesting article, though I'm not sure The Island is the best example to give of originality not being rewarded. As the piece itself states, the movie was sold as an chases-and-things-exploding actioner (which probably wasn't far from the reality), 'from the people who brought you Pearl Harbor,' starring two highly familiar faces who are appealing to young moviegoers. So it was hardly seeking to carve an entirely new niche for itself.
I love the way the piece damns The Island with faint praise by calling the acting, story and direction 'acceptable for a summer movie.' Funny how my cinematic tastes don't seem to change with the seasons, nor with the cycles of the moon for that matter. Interestingly, the premise behind The Island is the same as that behind (spoiler warning for anyone planning to join March's book group) Kazuo Ishiguro's novel Never Let Me Go. However Ishiguro treated the subject as a subtle and affecting metaphor for the frustration of our limited lifespan, whereas Michael Bay in The Island treated it as a breathless escape epic. Is it because of this that Ishiguro's novel has outperformed all expectations, selling 100,000 copies in the UK in hardback, whereas The Island tanked? Probably not, but it's nice to see success for something that doesn't insult the consumer's intelligence.
