I, Robot
reviewed by Brian "the Naked Gun" Felts
& Benn "Where's the humanity?" Farrell
The story is, in the future, a company has created robotic machines which serve mankind and are not
allowed to hurt any person. It's a part of the three rules, which you will learn about in the movie.
Scientist Dr. Alfred Lanning, played by James Cromwell (The Green Mile), who created the first set of robots
and most of the artificial intelligence in the movie, comments suicide at his office under suspicious
circumstances. So, Det. Spooner, played by Smith, is sent to investigate.
Spooner is very suspicious of all robots
and for very good reasons. While doing is initial investigation, he meets robotic psychologist
Susan Calvin, played by Bridget Moynahan (The Sum of All Fears), and the robot who may have actually committed murder,
Sonny, voiced by Alan Tudyk (Dodgeball). From here on, it's a quest to learn how Dr. Lanning died and
the greater conspiracy in the robotic company.
The best part of the movie was the character Sonny. It is very hard for me to be sympathetic to
a non-human character in movies not named Yoda or E.T., but the writing for this character added
the correct amount of human element. Tudyk played it correctly, and so I really enjoyed
watching that character.
Actually, I thought the writing for all of the characters were above
average, which is a major achievement for writer Jeff Vintar. He last wrote "Final Fantasy,"
and whew, what a winner that was. Director was Alex Proyas, who has done lots of movies
including one of my favorites, "The Crow"--the first one. His touch is in the movie,
because the atmosphere is a little dark--no where near "The Crow." However, it is still a little darker than
other Will Smith movies.
I cant think of any reason why to not watch this movie. If I thought there was anything wrong,
it must have been small, because I have forgotten it. This movie is quite entertaining and is
one of the better action movies of the summer. Brian - the Naked Gun
With the exception of "Star Wars" franchise and a handful of other pictures from the eighties,
my confidence in Hollywood films for the Science Fiction genre has been severely low. As I
was walking into the cinema for "I, Robot," I was not expecting much, but ended up pleasantly
surprised.
First off, the picture appeared to be riddled with reasons why I generally dislike Hollywood
action pictures to begin with. Will Smith playing Chicago Detective Del
Spooner in the year 2035, has plenty of opportunities to spout off cheesy one liners before
he shoots at something and takes on every one. Of course, that's more of a criticism of a
picture's writing and directing.
Bruce Greenwood (13 days) plays Lanning's partner Robertson, of whom all conspiracy fingers
point to throughout the picture. He plays the usual I'm in it for the money corporate big wig
with plenty of motivation. His character lends nothing to the picture and left me begging
the filmmakers "Please, don't make him behind all this. That would be just too predictable
and cliched."
While I was busy being annoyed at where I thought the conspiracy was leading, there is a story
twist, leaving me saying "Oh…well yeah, I should've seen that coming too." However, I didn't,
and the third act of the picture was rewarding enough for me to suggest seeing it.
So if any viewer is sharper than me--I'm certain that's almost anyone these days, they
may get what's going on early and deem "I, Robot" predictable as any Hollywood high budget
feature.
However, I luckily got sucked in and felt my money was well spent in the end.
Will Smith is given the role of the determined hero in this picture, rather than the superhero
where the protagonist defies all laws of physics to accomplish great feats. The determined hero,
perfectly captured in the Indiana Jones Trilogy, follows a protagonist whose achievements are
large and many, because they refuse to give up. However, they are consistently beaten along their
path. Smith's character was just that. In fact, I don't remember anyone bleeding from the head
after being attacked and getting smacked around as much as the protagonist in "I, Robot." This aspect fit the story
perfectly and made it more credible.
Spooner was also given great motivation, which remained subdued and sensible throughout the
material. Smith and director Proyas revealed this with a soft reverence, again creating
a solid moment for the character and film.
Bridget Moynahan also adds a fine female role in the picture, without the need to create a
romance between she and Smith. With Smith's character discriminating towards
robots, and her character's sympathy, scenes between the two actors run high with chemistry.
However, as much as I enjoyed and appreciated "I,Robot," some of Proyas selected camera
trickery was severely overdone. It almost gave me a headache in some sequences.
In closing, as Hollywood blockbuster summer action flicks go, the season may not release
one better than "I, Robot." Benn - Where's the Humanity?
When I went to go see "I, Robot," I was not expecting to see a very good movie. I have seen way too
many Will Smith saves the world pictures, i.e. "Independence Day," "Men in Black," etc. Will Smith does a great
job of saving everybody and acting very much like a machine, ala Arnold Schwarzenegger. Except, Arnold
can pull it off, and Smith can't ALL of the time. However, "I, Robot" was a delightful switch, where
we get to see Smith have faults, be human and save the world at the same time. Oh, the movie
is also quite good.