The Island (2009) User Reviews

A super funny Greek movie... finally

[marakipsarraki · 7/10 · 7 July 2013]

If you are anything like me that gets annoyed by the modern Greek comedies because of their hysterical and sex obsession character, this movie is for you. Not that there are not hysterical or sex related jokes but I think they're well balanced.

The movie is funny, the plot is complex and interesting and says something about how dysfunctional Greek family/society can be. The characters are nicely drawn, the actors are fantastic. The location the movie is shot is beautiful and the production is really good. All in all a really nice Greek comedy which will make you laugh big times. Recommended.

Spend some time but don't expect much...

[james_michaletos · 5/10 · 30 December 2009]

The movie's plot was no doubt very special. Filmed in the beautiful Greek island, Sifnos there are many famous Greek actors in the movie! The performances aren't bad at all... Of course the famous problem in the Greek movies remains: Really bad language and shocking scenes! I was truly disappointed as there were many children in the room. Imagine now these children to watch sex scenes. A great educational movie! This movie should be rated 13+. In my opinion, the people enjoyed the movie as I heard them laugh many times. Also, the crew made an excellent job as many scenes were fascinating so we could wonder the Greek island Sifnos.

Greek islands v mainland Greece

[georgioskarpouzas · 8/10 · 21 January 2010]

This movie has been a huge commercial success in Greece having cut more tickets even than Avatar in a similar time-span.Critical response has been more mixed. My personal opinion is that the movie is fine although it has some scenes and language that can be offensive to minors. It strove to reproduce the Greek every-day vernacular which can be obscene relatively often. The actors and actresses are effective in their roles especially the two male leads playing the arch-villains, the mayor and the chief-constable. Zeta Douka has a very sexual persona in the character she portrays and Lambrogianni plays with subdued pathos a woman with a past. Best of all is Kastani in the role of the adopted protégé of the late notable. Although the movie is light, humorous and sexy it can live a sad taste because of the rotten character of the local notabilities it portrays and along with them of Greek provincial society.The locale of the Greek island is inspiring and this gives to the movie an edge over "I love Karditsa" another Greek comedy in many ways similar and in many ways different, which does not have the advantage of a Cyclades locale but the more drab and mundane locale of rural mainland Greece.

Excellent movie,

[Slitherin_Wardrobe · 6 January 2010]

It's an excellent movie with good performances from the actors and a lot of unforced funny moments. The fact that the movie should probably be characterized as a 13+ movie doesn't make it a bad movie, neither justifies a bad review. Perhaps it's the parents who should be more careful when bringing their children to the cinema and it's not the movie to blame. Not only is "Nisos" a pleasant movie to watch but also it is a meaningful one since it's main theme is the resemblance of the hypocrisy of the Greek society in the 21rst century while all of of the action takes place in one of the most beautiful Greek Islands, Sifnos. I undoubtedly recommend it!

Well-conceived, sloppily done.

[PalVa · 3/10 · 9 July 2020]

This movie's ambition is to cauterize the life of a small island community, full of petty backbiting and rampant hypocrisy, in a comical way. It starts rather dynamically, but it runs out of steam very soon. In fact, once the basic setting is revealed, the movie dispenses endlessly one cliche after another.

If not imaginary, the humour is dull and corny. There is not a single line of witty dialogue throughout the entire movie. All we see is hysterical chases, unnecessarily loud conversations, out-of-place swearing and gags that have already been performed a zillion times better in other (and, needless to say, far greater) comedies in the past. Even the naughty scenes are lazily written.

I admit that the story is based on a very clever idea, but that's as far as it goes. After the first twenty minutes it becomes pretty obvious that the creators haven't really figured out what to do with the plot. The movie's finale is a ridiculous circus, which hardly comes as a surprise, as almost every Greek comedy in the last decades can't be considered a real comedy, unless it ends in a more or less absurd fashion. And, by the way, the constant breaking of the fourth wall shows lazy writing, not sophistication.

It's a shame, because the actors that appear in this movie are all very able and talented, but in this case they are given absolutely nothing to work with. I, for one, wouldn't judge them (or their performances in this project) too harshly.

In any case, this movie sold so well that it was (un)lucky enough to get a sequel, the utterly boring and not even remotely funny "Nisos 2".

Personally, I am greatly disheartened to see how contemporary Greek comedies continue to rely, rather obsessively, on raw humour and vulgar jokes, especially at a time when there are so many other interesting paths to be explored.

Let's hope that things will improve someday!

Very good!

[nikolaos-koropoulis · 9/10 · 6 April 2010]

I think that Christos Dimas is improving his direction film by film. This time it was a great victory against Avatar, marketing and 3D accessories as NHSOS gained more tickets! The film is very nice and of course we have a very good team of Greek actors. The most important is that a serious production company - Village - trusted a young and talented Greek director.

From technical point of view the post production is very good. We have to mention that it is very difficult to find good post production in Greece as most of the people they don't have enough knowledge and experience.

I think that everyone who has watched this movie was very pleased.

Most enjoyable !

[leviathantv · 8/10 · 31 January 2013]

Just watched "νηsos" or "The Island" as how IMDb translates this.

Got to say this comedy movie is one of the best created in Greece and there is no wonder why! The story is about a will of a business man and the havoc it creates.The plot becomes a bit darkened but clever.

Shooted in Sifnos,an island located at western Cyclades in the Aegean sea, contains beautiful view for the whole time of the movie, natural landscapes ,but also traditional Greek island neighborhoods and buildings.

The humour is brilliant and I found myself laughing all the time.A well picked cast,supports the humour and plot as they deserve.

If a slightly better end existed I would rate this better,but it is one of the funniest and enjoyably movies that I have seen.

Brilliant film that combines comedy with the social problems that Greek community deals with

[margaritakor-63497 · 8/10 · 17 June 2023]

This film is brilliant. Is one of my favourite Greek movies. The story is about a small Greek Island where a wealthy man dies and is willing to give his money to the teacher, the priest, the mayor and the police officer ("the authorities") of the island. However this will happen only if they accept to be read out loud in front of all the people one letter that the deceased man has written for each on of them. That's how all the fun starts with as all of them have been involved with illegal activities and have many things that don't want to come to light. This event sparks off hilarious reactions and conditions presenting though the ugly side of a small community. It shows what happens behind closed doors and that nobody is who they seem to be with a cosmically way. It's a great comedy film with suspense , action and plot twists that keep the viewer's attention till the end. I highly recommended it.