Netflix's 'The I-Land' trailer gives off plenty of 'Black Mirror' vibes as the survival drama's intensity rises by the minute
What if you woke up on an island with no memory at all? A new adventure series on Netflix, 'The I-Land' traces the story of ten people who find themselves on a treacherous island and not a single one of them remembers how they landed there. A 1.30-minute clip begins when Natalie Martinez—who plays Chase—wakes up to find herself in a mysterious spot. Kate Bosworth of 'Superman Returns' and Alex Pettyfer of 'I Am Number Four' are some other known faces in the series. "Where am I?" Chase asks as she finds herself surrounded by a group of people who wonder the same. The thrill begins when they set off on a trek to get back home. "If you do something wrong, the island, it pays you back," another dialogue from the series goes. Is this an experiment or a wicked game?
With inspiration from movies like 'Lost', 'The Cabin in the Woods' and 'The Hunger Games,' the series has spooky elements—right from crabs, poisonous snakes, wildfires and the deadly ocean—and sums up everything one would not want on a vacation. There is an element of suspense hanging through the trailer. If you thought that was all, the series has 'Black Mirror' vibes too, only with more of a thriller-drama storyline.
Shedding light on the show's similarities with 'Black Mirror', actor Kyle Schmid—who plays a character named Moses in the show told MEA World Wide (MEAWW) in an exclusive interview: "'The I-Land' has very dark aspects of a psychological thriller similar to 'Black Mirror'. Moreover, he also clued us in on how grueling episodes five and six would be. "There are a string of scenes in episodes five and six that still give me goosebumps. As our characters begin to remember who they are and why they are on the island, they are forced to accept things about themselves that weren’t a part of their lives before. The true idea of nurture vs. nature is quite profound."
"Whereas 'Black Mirror' produces "one-off" episodes, 'The I-Land' draws you in, takes you on an intense journey and spits you out at the end with that similar gut-wrenching feeling in your stomach," he added.
With deadly one-liners like "If you die in there, you're dead here too," the show sneaks a good look at the conundrum of the characters. Survival is a game. And it seems the people on the island have been "chosen" and "tested". As the series rolls out on September 12, it will be interesting to see what really transpires on the island with a life of its own.