“I, Robot” (20th Century Fox)
“I, Robot” is a science fiction thriller that has a glossy look. It is full of mechanical things such as robots, air gliding cars, and monolithic structures. What it is lacking, even with Will Smith as the star, is a little warmth and humanity. The movie has some exciting moments but overall it is cold and sterile.
The film’s plot is suggested by stories by Isaac Asimov and takes place in Chicago in the year 2035. Robots are everywhere. They run errands; they collect trash; they walk the dogs. And if plans go right soon every family will have one.
The “miracle” of the robots formulation has been the result of work done by Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell). He is the mastermind behind it all and at the start of the film he commits suicide by jumping from his high rise office. Detective Del Spooner (Smith) is a personal friend of Lanning’s and he doesn’t believe it was suicide.
Spooner thinks Lanning was killed by a rogue robot. This is a radical thought as everyone knows a robot is programmed in such a way that it could never kill a human. Still Spooner persists in his investigation and even enlists the assistance of one of Dr. Lanning’s researchers, Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan).
Eventually a rogue robot named Sonny (Alan Tudyk) is discovered but everything is not as it appears on the surface. There are many mysteries to be unraveled before the final understanding of Lanning’s death is reached.
Smith is okay in the role of Spooner but he doesn’t have that spark he displayed in “Independence Day” and the “Men In Black” movies. Maybe it is because he doesn’t have anyone to play off of in this film. Most of his scenes are with the robot Sonny and/or the robotic Moynahan. Boy is she stiff!
The special effects are very good but the days when special effects can sell a movie are gone forever. Every podunk movie has great special effects these days.
The film is loosely rated PG-13 for violence, profanity and brief nudity.
When I first saw the trailer for this film I thought it looked bland, but later the scenes began to interest me. Now having seen the film I know my first instinct was the right one. For an action movie this is a very unstimulating film.
I scored “I, Robot” a metallic 4 out of 10.
