Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) hates robots. Sure, the ubiquitous mechanical creatures that populate 2035 Chicago perform the mundane chores previously handled by people, and that they’re governed by Isaac Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics”—which stipulate that robots cannot harm humans, must obey humans, and protect themselves without violating the first two laws—means that not a single robot has ever committed a crime. But their lack of human instincts and emotion make them, in Spooner’s estimation, untrustworthy servants and protectors. Thus, when robotics pioneer Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell), mere days before the rollout of new, state-of-the-art NS-5 robots, seemingly commits suicide, Spooner is quick to deduce that the only possible culprit behind the man’s death was his emotional, more-human-than-human robot companion Sonny.
Loosely adapted from Asimov’s short stories about humans and their mechanized creations, I, Robot yearns to be a thinking man’s cinematic spectacular, embellishing its central murder mystery with philosophical questions about the nature of consciousness for the sci-fi faithful and busy set pieces and a regularly shirtless Will Smith for those uninterested in ethical conversations about the creation of touch-feely automatons. Too often, though, Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman’s schematic script, which reveals its formulaic stripes as soon as Chi McBride’s blustery police chief starts screaming at Smith’s renegade cop, malfunctions.
Spooner’s anti-robot grudge stems from past trauma, and the film jackhammers home the point that in a world of ever-present automated technology, the detective wears Converse high tops and, much to the confusion of frigid, logic-driven “robot shrink” Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan), owns a 2004-era remote-controlled CD player. Smith refreshingly imbues his trademark sarcasm with bitter surliness rather than his ingratiating Big Willie Style affability. Yet it’s dispiriting to realize that Spooner’s investigation into Sonny will—naturally, given Hollywood’s eternal fear of shadowy big business—lead to robot manufacturing titan U.S. Robotics (run by Bruce Greenwood’s corporate snake Lawrence Robertson) and a lamely insidious plot aimed at undermining man’s standing atop the evolutionary food chain.
What’s principally missing from Alex Proyas’s film is the wonder or exhilarating originality that might elevate the film above its mega-budgeted counterparts. Proyas, despite an annoying preference for John Woo-inspired slow-mo shootouts, peppers his whodunit (or is it a whatdunit?) with some technically impressive set pieces involving a car ride in which Spooner is attacked by hordes of buggy robots and a climactic battle atop some futuristic catwalks.
Likewise, the uniquely emotive Sonny (portrayed, underneath the character’s special effects exterior, by actor Alan Tudyk) and the humanoid NS-5s—a combination of translucent plastic and skeletal hardwiring that can produce animated facial features—have a creepy, off-putting menace. Still, by substituting the dark plushness of his previous The Crow and Dark City for a cold, metallic sheen reminiscent of Minority Report—and by persistently recalling the metaphysical conundrums of A.I. and the apocalyptic doomsday scenario of Terminator 2—Proyas bestows upon his adventure the inescapable pall of redundancy. While its androids may dream of revolutionary electric sheep, the ghosts in I, Robot’s multi-million dollar machine are, unfortunately, merely remnants of summer films gone by.
Image/Sound
There are a number of overhead shots in I, Robot that may rank as some of the better filler images to ever appear in a sci-fi film; then again, there are a number of close-up shots in I, Robot that may rank as some of the worst images to ever appear in a sci-fi film period. The film looks great on DVD, especially its more monochromatic images, like the scene where Will Smith makes his way through a tunnel and is attacked by an army of robots. His ride is unintentionally reminiscent of Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” video, which is a good thing: slick and clean. Pity the same can’t be said about some of the more colorful sequences. Chroma noise isn’t a problem but colors feel a tad over-saturated, which means some of the film’s scenes (namely the one where Smith stops a robot for allegedly stealing some woman’s purse) are a little difficult on the eyes. In the sound department, you’ll want to opt for the DTS track if your system can handle it. This is a typical lots-of-bang-for-your-buck track though it bears mentioning that dialogue sounds muffled in spots. Though characters in the film are often talking to each other in between tall edifices, the resonance of their dialogue more accurately suggests people trapped inside some kind of echo chamber.
Extras
Because the public and critical community’s reaction to a film merits discussion, I’m becoming increasingly wary of commentary tracks that are recorded before a film’s theatrical release. In I, Robot’s case, director Alex Proyas and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman recorded their track six whole weeks before the film opened. Though anyone with a serious interest in cinema is likely to stop listening as soon as Goldsman casually informs us that he was the last screenwriter brought in to tinker with the material, both Goldsman and Proyas have interesting words to say about the script’s detective story elements. (Pity, though, that Shia LaBeouf’s “compound profanities” didn’t make it into the deleted scenes.) Rounding out the disc is a disposable making-of featurette (which boasts one nifty green screen shot), a still gallery, an Arrested Development promo, and an “Inside Look” at Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Robots, and Elektra.
Overall
Finally, I can say that Will Smith and I have something in common: We’re both allergic to bullshit.
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