The movie “The Island” takes place in the year 2019, where rich people can buy a “life-insurance” in form of a clone. The clones live separately under the earth in an old military site, where they have no acces to the real world. They have been told that they are the only survivors of a catastrophy that contaminated the whole world.
They live separately under the observation of Dr. Merrick, the unscrupulous chief of the organisation. The clones are used for their original human being, who is called their “sponsor”, when he or she gets sick and needs a new organ or the feminine clones can be used involuntarily as a surrogate mother.
The clones believe in the lottery which is their sense of life. In the lottery you can win a trip to “the Island” and live there for a couple of months before you have to go back in the reservation. The island is very beautiful and is presented for the clones on TV and stands for a better life. But the island is just a big lie.
The lottery wins the one who is needed by his sponsor, the clones gets eliminated in the hospital over the reservation and they take their organs and transplant them.
These are the most important facts to know of the situation of the clones to understand the comparison between the novel and the movie. There is a story about two clones, who can flee… I am not telling you any more than that, in case you got interested and want to watch the movie.
Similarities:
- the clones are divided in castes (f.ex. Echo, Foxtrott, Gamma, Kilo, Delta)
- they are under complete control
- they have no free will
- they live in a totalitarian state (the old military site as reservation)
- they have no sexual instinct
- they are not supposed to have feelings, jealousy
- they both have a substitute for God (in BNW: the Ford Model T (our Ford) and in the movie they believe in the lottery)
- in the movie two clones break out and turn against the system of Dr. Merrick likewise John the Savage