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I, Robot You might be surprised how cool this movie turns out to be. I, Robot is a great mystery with very good special effects. Will Smith stars as Detective Spooner - a Chicago homicide detective in 2035, where robots do all of the jobs corporations can get them to do since you don't have to pay the robots, allow them to take vacation or give them health care insurance. Spooner has been called to the US Robotics headquarters to investigate the suicide of Dr. Lanning (James Cromwell) - a scientist who programmed robots into the useful, household items they have become. As you can imagine, because we wouldn't have a movie otherwise, Spooner isn't so sure Dr. Lanning committed suicide. His leading suspect is a shady acting robot from what appears to be the company's next generation product, however, all robots have been programmed to protect, obey and never harm humans, and this robot is very different from the others. Did the robot kill Dr. Lanning? I, Robot is not as nerdy as it sounds, since I have just presented you the tip of the movie's iceberg. It's one of the most interesting films of the summer, and takes you down a roller coaster path full of ethical debates, fears of where science can lead us, and, lest I forget, lots of stuff blowing up! Director Alex Proyas and writers Jeff Vinter and Akiva Goldsmith (based on/suggested by Isaac Asimov short stories) give the audience a serious mystery/sci-fi movie that keeps you guessing what is going on, and provides a nice showcase for Smith, when he takes advantage of it. Smith is very good in I, Robot, but he tends to go too Will Smith on us during scenes that don't need it. When he drops the wisecracking persona, Smith excels in the dramatic moments, exploring Spooner's inner demons, dealing with his prejudice against robots and trying to solve the case. Some of his funny antics work well, but pale in comparison when you see him explain Spooner's background or show the detective's softer side with his grandmother. You'll also love Sonny - the robot accused of murder. Much like Gollum from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Sonny is a computer generated image that was enhanced by actor AlanTudyk's wonderful vocal performance (you won't believe this is the same guy who played Steve The Pirate in Dodgeball), and a technique that captures his physical actions then, uses them to make the computer image developed for the screen. Proyas wonderfully shows us how different Sonny is from the other robots by utilizing amazing facial expressions and Tudyk's almost deadpan, almost human delivery. Too bad Smith's other co-star couldn't raise her game to the same level. Bridget Moynahan, as fellow scientist Dr. Calvin, proves she isn't more than a pretty face as she stiffly recites her lines without 1/10th of the spark and life provided by Smith. Even the robot is more lifelike! Also, for those who are interested in such things, when she takes a shower, a bunch of steam covers up the good parts, while we are subjected to seeing Smith's naked booty in a different shower scene. If she can't act, and won't get naked, why is she in the movie? Some of the special effects are cheap, like constant shots of Smith against a computer generated background, but you get the feeling it's because so much was put into making the action scenes and robot characters so good. You'll love the fight scenes, even though they attempt to be too much like the Matrix at times.
3 Waffles (Out Of
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