The Island is a 2005 science fiction dystopian film, directed by Michael Bay that contains many different strong ideas. These ideas have mainly been displayed through the character development of several characters, dialogue, symbolism, lighting and camera techniques. One of the strongest themes that is portrayed in the film is oppression or discrimination towards the clones. Another important theme was the self -sacrifice of mainly Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta, along with other several characters. Lastly, love and romance was another key theme that was explored throughout The Island and this is mostly seen again between the two main characters Six Echo and Two Delta. This successful fiction film uses different techniques to express all of these central themes.

The idea of self-sacrifice is conveyed most effectively by Michael Bay in The Island through the techniques of character development of Lincoln Six Eco along with several other main characters, dialogue, camera shots and the symbolism of the branding. There is plenty of evidence of dialogue throughout the film to support the idea of self-sacrifice. An example of this is when Dr Merrick says to Lincoln Six Echo, "You could have taken over his life, but you chose to come back. You truly are unique Six Echo.” This action by Lincoln Six Echo really shows his compassion towards the clones, and that he is risking his own life, when he could have escaped and be living in paradise, but instead he chose to come back and save the rest of the other clones who were still trapped. Another great example of self-sacrifice is when Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta, decide to go out and find their own sponsors to stop the mistreatment of the rest of the clones, when they could have just easily run away, hid and survived on their own. This really shows the viewers that Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta are really curious to figure out the whole situation and prove themselves and Dr Merrick that they are normal human beings that have the right to live normally. Lastly, Six Echo and Two Delta, rather than escaping on the boat, they both decide to go back to Merrick Bio Tech to stop the murder of their friends or "other clones" when they realize that the "detective products" are going to be destroyed by the company. Lincoln Six Echo than says, "We'll disappear...but after." This again, shows that Six Echo is willing to put his life on the line, to help the ones that were in the same situation as himself and Two Delta. Thus, Michael Bay has effectively explored the idea of self-sacrifice through a range of techniques and has positioned the audience to admire the actions of Lincoln Six Echo and his battle to free the rest of the clones.

Oppression is an idea that is successfully conveyed in The Island by Michael Bay through the use of the camera techniques, dialogue, Dr Merrick's character and the symbolism of the branding and incineration of the clones. Many scenes were shown throughout the film where oppression was clearly seen. An example of dialogue that showed discrimination towards the clones was when Dr Merrick mentions, "We have a product on the loose", which displays how Dr Merrick and the rest of his company see the clones as less than humans. There are many different examples throughout the film, where the clones can easily be linked to the way the Nazis treated the Jews. An example of this is the way that the clones are branded on their wrist which links to the way the Nazis branded the Jews in their concentration camps. Incinerating the clones at the end also echoes the incineration and gassing of the Jews by the Nazis. Many camera techniques demonstrate oppression throughout The Island. A clear example of this that is shown multiple times during the movie, are the high angle shots of the clones which displays their powerlessness and vulnerability. Symbolism is another key factor that helps display oppression. The clothing is a major symbol that can definitely relate to oppression. The clones are always wearing white suits, as they don’t have a choice, compared to the guards who wear black. The lack of individualism of the clones is shown through their similar costumes and the colour white symbolizes their innocence. The black clothing of the security forces or guards and Merrick Bio Tech represent their power over the clones and also their corruption. Thus, Michael Bay has effectively been able to convey oppression through a variety of techniques that puts the audience in a position that makes them think the clones are less than humans and that they should be treated with respect.
Lastly, love and romance is another key theme that is very well portrayed in The Island through the use of lighting and sound effects, dialogue and also a number of camera shots. This theme is mainly focused on the two main characters, Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta. A great example of love and romance is seen when there is a mix of a great close up camera shot combined with a golden light effect in the background when Six Echo and Two Delta are first seen kissing. This is definitely suggesting that they have fallen in love with each other and have found and learnt a new way of life. There are numerous camera techniques showing that the relationship between Six Echo and Two Delta is getting stronger. One of them is when there is an extreme close up shot of Six Echo and Two Delta holding each other's hand, but they are immediately told to separate due to the proximity laws operating in Dr Merrick’s Bio Tech. Although they were separated, the extreme close up of them holding hands indicates that they like each other, and if they were allowed, they would get to know each other even more. An important piece of dialogue that relates to the love relationship between Six Echo and Two Delta is when they first kiss, Lincoln Six Echo mentions, "Why didn’t we do this before?” This again shows the viewers that Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta already had a strong relationship with each other before they went out to the real world, and as the film progressed, their relationship became even stronger. Hence Michael Bay was once again successful in exploring the idea of love and romance where he used a variety of different techniques that helped the audience understand from the start, that Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta have a strong relationship at the beginning of the film but it will definitely become stronger as the film goes on.

The science fiction dystopian film, The Island displayed many different ideas which are definitely significant in today's society. The themes of self-sacrifice, oppression and love and romance were all very well displayed through the efficient use of specific techniques such as dialogue, symbolism, lighting, camera techniques and character development. The use of these great themes and techniques created an appealing and entertaining story which attracts an audience of all ages. Michael Bay did an excellent job of putting it all together by using such great creativity hence the final result of a great film, The Island.