Victim Of Product Placement

I just finished watching the movie The Island and was very disappointed. First off I feel that the movie's cover depicts it as a different kind of film than it really is. I thought that it would be a movie about people lost on an Island like the movie Castaway or the t.v. show Lost. Instead it was a futuristic movie about cloning. I thought "Okay , that's fine, it still seems interesting," so I continued to watch. The movie used all the clichés you see in futuristic movies: Cold blue-grey imagery, Big Brother watching over you, cloning, futuristic cars with a million gadgets and lots and lots of advertising.

I understand that a little advertising helps pay the bills but if it's a blockbuster film they should be making a bundle off of it and shouldn't need to pimp out advertising in the movie. I counted over a dozen blatant ads that stuck out in my mind after the movie was over. Cadillac, Chrysler, American Express, Calvin Klein, MSN, Puma, Ben & Jerry's, Speedo, XBOX, Aquafina and the list goes on. So I guess the shameless parade of advertising worked; although I haven't felt the urge to go out and buy any of these products or brands. When the shot pans in on the actor for a close-up do they really need to focus in on that can of coke for 5 seconds then proceed on to the Coke billboard in the backround then to the actor's face? It's absurd.

Some name brands featured in a film are okay and they can even make a film more realistic, for example if an actor chugs down a can of Budweiser in a movie it is more credible than if he chugs down a can simply labeled "Beer." One movie that is known for such genericized advertising is 1984's cult classic Repo Man where every product is labeled "Beer" or "Chips" or "Dog Food" or whatever that product may be.

They need to draw a line. They overkilled the advertising and product placement in The Island. I was so frustrated with the ads coming one after another that it took away from the intensity of the actual movie and ruined the story for me. I have noticed parades of advertising in all kinds of films and t.v. shows (especially in futuristic movies) such as I Robot and Minority Report and shows like 24 or Alias. Sometimes I feel like movies and t.v. shows are just one long commercial. I watch movies to escape commercials and change the channel during commercial breaks to avoid being "pitched" yet I am still bombarded with ad after ad throughout the show. Product placement seems to be a growing trend and I think that most of the time it is a terrible idea. It usually takes away from the overall plot of the story and it makes me feel violated. When can I just enjoy a story without people trying to sell me stuff I don't need. When is enough, enough?