Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto

Rating: Null/10 (28 November 2004)

After thinking about this movie I have started to realize how they have taken a series of short stories written by one of the greatest all time science fiction writers and butchered some aspects of it. While there are many fascinating aspects of man's relationship with technology I can't help but think that this movie was only part inspiration and science fiction and more another in a long line of big budget Hollywood pictures that are filled with so many clichés and needless other film aspects that are not necessary to make this a good film, in fact these clichés and theatrical add-ons do nothing but hinder the film, and make what could have been an excellent film into a very silly film. Asimov would be very disappointed in what his series of short stories have become.
The first problem with this film: Will Smith. Will Smith can be a very funny and entertaining comedic actor. But he has yet to seriously make the transition from comedic actor to actor that can be in a serious role such as this. Despite that I will admit there could have been a number of actors that could have been a lot worse in this part. The problem is I think that every lead part here requires a lot of depth and great acting, for this to be a truly excellent science fiction film, but Smith really was not able to provide the level of depth needed. Another problem with this movie is Bridget Moynahan. I admit she is cute but to ask her to be a real actress is like asking Mickey Mouse not to be a cartoon. She is not an actress, she is a nice firm body, with a lot of attributes, and in a movie that claims to be so serious and filled with philosophical questions about the fate of humanity she does not need to be in this film, she should be modeling, or in a movie that is not supposedly as thought provoking. The perfect movie for Bridget Moynahan's bad acting and obvious physical attribute would be anything with Freddie Prinze Jr. or Sarah Michelle Gellar, movie that are about as entertaining as watching grass grow, and yes Bridget Moynahan's acting is not quite as bad as watching grass grow, it is more like watching grass dying.
But there are some positive aspects to this film, the first is you get a very eerie feeling watching in the middle of this movie, when you are not watching the bad acting, about the fate of humanity. This is a society that is hell bent on robots. Robots are everywhere in the future. They encompass every aspect of our lives, from our personal lives to our business lives. They are an integral part of everyday society in a way that in present day few can comprehend. When the movie talks about how robots are so integrated in society it really made me think, as well as a few people I was seeing this movie with. I told my friend in the theater 'this is freaky!' In this film they talked about computers shutting down libraries, about environmental degredation affecting society, and other global issues that affect us. The movie has a distinct tone of Asimov's time, as there is an implied trust in society that obviously does not exist in modern day America, as everyone does not think these robots pose any danger to anyone, and Will Smith's character is one of the outcasts, as he does not trust robots at all.. And it was, when this movie was a true science fiction film talking about technology and how it affects society this to me was Asimov's true vision of his work, not some silly Hollywood crap full of chiches and stupidity.
But there are some bright spots in the cast. Bruce Greenwood plays Lawrence Robertson, the head of US Robot, the corporation that produces these robots.
Chi McBride is excellent as John Burgin, Will Smiths boss who in understanding but always comprehensive of Will Smith's fear of robots. James Cromwell is also excellent as Dr. Alfred Lanning, the creator of these robots who is recently deceased, under mysterious circumstances, which is the centerpiece of the plot. Although this is a very fascinating film in many respects was unhappy with the finale. The finale was a typical slam-bang action thriller that might as well have been an alternative ending to The Matrix. This I think was nothing short of an insult to great science fiction, and aside from the bad acting is an insult to great science fiction work that is true science fiction instead of an excuse for an action film.
To further add to the concept of a different time I get the feeling that Del Spooner, Will Smith's character is a comparison to McCarthyism, a reference to an earlier time as I mentioned before. In McCarthyism America was supposed to be scared of an enemy, and those that were not scared of this enemy were branded evil and part of the problem, which was in those days communism. Here paranoia is considered evil, and if you are paranoid of robots then you are branded an outcast in a McCarthy-like manner. This was one of the most fascinating aspects of the film, and one of the high-points of this film's writing style. The bottom line of this movie is that a good substantive film on the fate of man was sandwiched by a film full of Hollywood clichés. What could have been one of the best science fiction films of a generation has turned out to be a film with as many equally bad points as there are good points. This film is also entirely too reliant on computer effects. When I watch films like this, which are heavily computerized I am turned off by them, I do not feel as though I am watching anything, just something someone created from a computer. And I feel like if most of this movie, or at least large parts of it were created by computers I could create full length films on my computer. I know I can't, but perhaps the creation of films through computer is yet another question all of humanity will eventually will have to answer to