Tracy and I saw The Island last night, with Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johanssen (whom I hope will maintain her real body - she seems to be getting more Hollywood), which I thought was going to be some overly obvious social satire like The Matrix. Fortunately, it became a rolicking good action flick, and mostly softened of the Brave New World feel.
One of the more interesting commentaries in the film was the notion of conciousness. You could almost feel the film makers getting into a little over their heads, and backing off the fundamental questions of what comprises individual being, which is so much more than what exists in our own little heads. The message that with compliance comes a loss of individuality and free will is compelling in itself - the next level, that in giving up freedoms for a false sense of security, protecting what we think of in our limited view of self, we limit our full potential, not just in our "performance" but in our survival as a species.
Lincoln goes back to save the realized conciousness, rather than simply saving his own skin. That represents a higher social evolution than the personality he cloned.
The other fascinating aspect of this film is that it offers so much room for interpretation and debate, whatever your politics or beliefs. This is one of those rare summer blockbusters that offers more than just thrills, but an opportunity to debate core issues in a fairly neutral way. I found myself going over my beliefs checklist and finding ways that the movie both supported and refuted those ideas.
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