I, Robot

 

 

Create your own review

XXXXX

"LAW I: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

LAW II: A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the first law.

LAW III: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the first or second law."

The above is found printed on-screen at the beginning of this sci-fi action film.

This movie is loosely based ("suggested by," according to the end credits) on Isaac Asimov's short-story collection also entitled "I, Robot."

Some people don't seem to like this movie, but I found it interesting.

This movie is set in Chicago in the year 2035. By this time, anthropomorphic ("human-looking") robots are doing menial tasks for humans. All robots have as their core programming the three laws indicated above. But something seems to go wrong and a human is found dead. (Not just any human, but a genius roboticist played by James Cromwell.)

Enter homicide detective Dell Spooner (Will Smith who also was one of this movie's executive producers) who has to try to solve exactly what happened. A robopsychologist (Bridget Moynahan) aids Spooner in his investigation. (Believe it or not, even robots need shrinks.)

Yes, this movie has plenty of action and special effects. The action, though, is not mindless and I found myself pausing to think. As well, the special effects were done well and did not take over the movie. I liked especially how the robots interacted with humans. (The technique used for the robots was "motion capture" and I found it to be quite effective.)

As I said, this is an action movie that gives you pause to think or consider artificial intelligence and even what it means to be human with respect to such things as consciousness, uniqueness, death, having a purpose in life, free will, creativity, and evolution.

This movie has good background music that aided each scene.

Finally, the DVD itself (the one released Dec. 2004) is excellent in picture and sound quality. It has several extras.

In conclusion, this is a good, futuristic sci-fi movie that causes you to think. And don't worry: no actual robots were hurt during the making of this movie!!

(2004; 1 hr, 55 min; wide screen; 39 scenes)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

XXXXX

Okay skipping my usual verboss review for this one.

Overall what I epxected, big budget effects movite. Smith's acting was worse then I expected with the lamest one liners ever in an action flic. Plot was alright and holywood predictable. Effects were awesome and the robots were worth seeing. Flow was good, and overall a good action movie.

Biggest problem though, the title. As everyone here I am sure already knows, I Robot has only 3 things to do with the great Asamov fiction work, the 3 laws. That's it, nothing else, not even sure how they could use that name.

Worth seeing if you want mindless holywood action and worth seeing for the effects and bots.

I enjoyed this movie. There are subtle clues put into the narrative that you catch on repeated viewings but are unlikely to be discovered the first time around. But, sadly, this also works against repeated viewings of the movie, since you know the secret after you've gone through once, and that does effect the rating negatively.

Yes, as other reviewers have pointed out, there's the usual Hollywood falling back on scenes with violence and explosions, but knowing that this is a Hollywood action movie, that's expected. Since I expect that, it doesn't affect the rating. In fact, it's done rather well in this film. There aren't any action scenes that I find don't build on the mystery and plot as a whole.

The bonus features are well done, though the Commentary is better than the Making Of by far. The thought process on the evolution of various scenes was both enjoyable and informative, in my honest opinion.

Overall, the film is well done and does explore a few issues of trusting technology with our lives and when "improvement" can actually be dangerous.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 10 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

5.0 out of 5 stars I Robot--a winning Will Smith mystery action flick
I Robot is a solidly acted science fiction movie with a decent plot, entertaining and a fun way to spend two hours. A movie with heart and yes, it does make you think. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Snowy Angel's Mom

2.0 out of 5 stars Ugh... I'm so tired of this cop-no-follow-rules crap!
This si the same exact thing as usual... theres a cop who believes to stop some big evil thing you have to bend the rules and ends up being right! Read more

Published on Oct 18 2005 by RICK

1.0 out of 5 stars White Robots vs. Will Smith!!!
Will Smith was recently in the news saying that AIDS had been created by White people to kill Blacks. I guess this movie must be his revenge for that. Read more

Published on Mar 16 2005 by Eric Buchan

5.0 out of 5 stars A movie that as it all!
Before I first watched "I, Robot" I was afraid it might have sold out as an action film. Thankfully I was wrong. Read more

Published on Feb 18 2005 by Julia

4.0 out of 5 stars Action packed fun formula predictable
Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) is not a fan of robots and on the surface looks like he does not believe they are as benign as advertised. Read more

Published on Jan 23 2005 by bernie

3.0 out of 5 stars So Close to Being Very Good
This was actually better than I thought it would be. There is a lot to like about the movie, with some heavy messages and very good special effects. Read more

Published on Jan 4 2005 by Kilgore

5.0 out of 5 stars 2004's Best Sci-Fi
Science-Fiction movies have to be entertaining and crowd-pleasing. "I, Robot" nails the crowd-pleaser with absolute precision. Read more

Published on Dec 24 2004 by P. Bonner

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 10 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!