So in 2005, a movie called "The Island" came out, and I saw it, and I was like "um...is this movie a remake? I swear I've seen this movie before." It turns out the movie isn't SUPPOSED to be a remake, but it does bear more than a passing resemblance to this movie, which I saw back in the 80s. This movie had a great idea but didn't really have the budget to pull it off. It's still a cool little movie, but the aforementioned lack of budget means the movie has a lot of flaws, so I was excited to learn that there's a Mystery Science Theater 3000 riff on this movie, and I resolved to track it down and watch it this year.
This movie is about a man who escapes from an isolated colony in a remote area with a horrifying story about the colony where he lived and how the rich and powerful people use the members of the community for a horrifying purpose. That's all I'm going to say, because every other post I've seen on the internet (and even the movie's poster!) give away practically everything that happens in the movie. Dude, this is supposed to be a series of twists that you discover while watching the movie, not a bunch of crap you already know before you even see the movie. The people who made this movie didn't even know how to make a movie poster without spoiling the whole plot.
One thing the rip-off/remake did better was keep the plot of the movie a secret. I feel like it's slick and loses a lot of the grainy charm of the original, but it did have a big enough budget to pull off the plot and the special effects. The movie has a lot of creepy sequences, like the scenes of the people living in the isolated colony, how they are indoctrinated about their purpose in life and what will happen when they "graduate" and leave the colony, which is touted as this big, happy event, but is actually a horrifying end to their lives as they know it.
Since we're in an election year, it's fitting that this movie opens with a scene of a politician giving a speech making campaign promises to make the country great. His speeches obviously parallel the lessons given to the residents of the colony to indoctrinate them and plant ideas in their head. That rings a little too close to home these days. Brrr. I kinda wish this movie had a bigger budget (or that it would get an official remake with a bigger budget) so it could live up to its potential. It's got some creepy scenes that qork even in spite os the tiny budget. My favorite MST3K sarcastic comment from the riff was:
"This doesn't look like it's headed for a happy ending."
"You know, ANY ending would make me happier than I've ever been."
HA. Good one, guys. This is a fun way to watch the movie as it is, while I hope for the remake that could eventually be.
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