The Island

THE ISLAND — ** 1/2 — Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Sean Bean; rated PG13 (violence, profanity, drugs, brief gore, vulgarity, brief sex, nude artwork); see Page W2 for theaters.

"The Island" is the perfect movie for Michael Bay's attention-deficit directing style. With his characteristic quick cuts and can't-catch-your-breath pacing, he keeps this science-fiction thriller moving along so quickly that its plotting deficiencies aren't bothersome.

It's best not to think too much about the plot. Otherwise, the entire thing falls apart.

But if you can turn off your brain, "The Island" is one of the more enjoyable movies this summer. Just keep in mind that, as with all of Bay's movies, it's violent (sometimes brutally so), and not as smart or thought-provoking as it pretends to be.

"The Island" is set in the very near future and follows an unlikely hero named Lincoln Six-Echo (Ewan McGregor), one of hundreds of residents in a facility that is protected from the outside world's "contamination."

Like the others, he dreams of winning the facility's "lottery" (the winners are sent to the Island, the last piece of livable land on the planet).

In the meantime, he strikes up a friendship with Jordan Two-Delta (Scarlett Johansson), though their "proximity" is troubling to the facility's administrator (Sean Bean).

Worse, Lincoln has begun to ask questions, and he soon stumbles onto the facility's biggest secret. This takes him to the outside world, and he and Jordan soon find themselves on the run, trying to evade a government agent (Djimon Hounsou) who's been told to silence them.

The film's supposed surprises aren't unexpected, especially since trailers and ads give away the story's cloning aspect. The film's three screenwriters borrow heavily from such post-apocalyptic adventures as "Logan's Run," and, of course, Orwell's "1984."

However, for all his storytelling deficiencies, Bay can direct an action scene. The film features a pair of terrific car-chase — or , more correctly, vehicular-action — sequences.

Bay tones down his usual headache-inducing, video-game style, and he uses the computer effects well. (Some of them are indistinguishable from the live action.)

As for McGregor and Johansson, they're good, as always, and Steve Buscemi steals a couple of scenes in a too-brief supporting turn.

"The Island" is rated PG13 for strong sci-fi/action violence (including shootings, vehicular violence and explosive mayhem), profanity (including one use of the so-called "R-rated" curse word), drug content (including hypodermic needle use), gore, crude and suggestive talk, a brief sex scene, and glimpses of nude artwork. Running time: 134 minutes.

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E-mail: jeff@desnews.com