I, Robot Review
by Susan Granger (ssg722 AT aol DOT com)July 17th, 2004
Susan Granger's review of "I, Robot" (20th Century-Fox)
Fans of the visionary science-fiction guru Isaac Asimov should keep in mind that this high-tech thriller is "suggested by" his short stories and adapted by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsmith.
Set in Chicago in 2035, the futuristic story begins as robotophobic homicide detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) suspects that a rogue robot, Sonny, (voiced by British actor Alan Tudyk) may have killed its 'father,' inventor Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell). This archaic concept is ridiculed by U.S. Robotics' CEO (Bruce Greenwood) and his icy, humorless robo-psychiatrist (Bridget Moynahan), particularly since the company is set to roll out its new, more sophisticated prototype. Even Spooner's supervisor (Chi McBride) and his grandmother (Adrian Ricard) dismiss his Luddite fears as irrational. Everyone knows robots are benign machines, hard-wired never to harm a human and programmed to cheerfully do menial work. But Spooner's paranoia pays off when, inexplicably, a computer wildly malfunctions, inciting a robotics rebellion. While the actors are certainly credible, Australian director Alex Proyas ("The Crow," "Dark City") concentrates on the combative visuals in this familiar, derivative, yet ironic, "ghosts in the machine" fantasy-action-adventure, relying on CGI legions of androgynous, human-faced, blue-eyed, "evolved" robots to repeatedly smash up the screen. The contrived dialogue is predictable and, curiously, the crux of a sub-plot involving a teenager (Shia La-Beouf) must have landed on the cutting-room floor - and what's with the Converse sneakers product-placement? While not as good as "Blade Runner" or "A.I.," on the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "I, Robot" is a sleek, stylish, sinister 8, a fun flick with a speculative metaphysical ending that makes you think.
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