CORPORATE LINE: Will Smith stars in this action thriller inspired by the classic short story collection by Isaac Asimov, and brought to the big screen by dynamic and visionary director Alex Proyas (Dark City, The Crow). In the year 2035, robots are an everyday household item, and everyone trusts them, except one, slightly paranoid detective (Smith) investigating what he alone believes is a crime perpetrated by a robot. The case leads him to discover a far more frightening threat to the human race. I, ROBOT uses a spectacular, state-of-the-art visual effects technique to bring a world of robots to life.
THE GOOD: The effects are wonderful. Robots usually appear as so fantastic that it is near impossible to realize somewhere in the future—however the robots in “I, Robot” actually look and feel like something you could imagine being a part of our lives. Thus there is a comfort with them and the feeling of “what if?” in contrast to most films where you think “yeah right.” Not only are the robots designed well, but Sonny the robot becomes a character that you can attach emotion to–something usually reserved for humans. Sonny literally steals every scene he (can you believe I’m calling a robot “he”?) is in.
Will Smith proves why he is a major star and can be a blockbuster go-to-guy. Smith is an action star not because he has the muscles or the smooth one-liners, but because he has emotion. Although I could have did without the gratuitous naked shot of him in the shower and the countless times of him with his shirt off.
THE BAD: The story is cookie cutter—you’ve seen it before only without all the robots. You only need to see the first fifteen minutes to know how everything will go down. Another problem was the underutilization of Sonny the robot. Sonny is honestly the best character in the entire film and we don’t spend enough time with him. Why do you continue to watch you ask? Read on.
FRANKLY: You’ll stick around; even with the script falls apart, for the adventure and the effects. “I, Robot” has an amazing car crash, a lot of exciting fights (ala the Matrix but with robots), and futuristic fantasy that leaves you wondering “what if?”
“I, Robot” is a wild sci-fi ride. Prepare for a fantastic adventure that is good to the last bot.
+ Charlie Craine
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