Good pop corn action movie!

Rating: 7/10 (16 November 2005)

I, Robot is a very entertaining film. In fact it is one of Will Smith's best films so far and although it did have some problems the overall product was satisfactory from where I'm standing. I, Robot is mainly entertainment but it also touches a few philosophical questions (though just barely) and that is both its greatest strength but also its greatest weakness.
In terms of acting the film is a mixed bag. Will Smith is decent. He does what he always does and that is not a bad thing. His character is not exactly the deepest character I have ever seen but it is adequate and fitting. In fact it almost seems like the character was written for Smith. He, of course, has his almost compulsive one liners but his timing is good so they work. Another thing that should be noted about Smith is his sassy attitude which somehow always seems to be present no matter what kind of character he plays and for me it worked. Bridget Moynahan on the other hand is only in the film as eye candy (a purpose she does fulfill I must say) because her character is about as clichéd and 2-dimensional as they come. Alan Tudyk is decent as voice of Sonny. The character is pretty interesting simply because of the fact that he is a machine who gains human traits like dreams, feelings and desires. The supporting is decent and I would have liked to have seen more of James Cromwell who is by all means an excellent actor. Also Bruce Greenwood does a decent job.
The effects are very well done. I always find it interesting to see what directors think the future might be like and I liked Alex Proyas' take on the future because it is not entirely depressing like for example Ridley Scott's much darker version in Blade Runner (this doesn't mean I don't like Blade Runner). The future seemed plausible as we in the present day are very dependent on machines so its very likely that we will invent something along the lines of the robots appearing in I, Robot. The action sequences are thrilling mainly because of the effects but also because Will Smith is so good at doing action sequences. Also the robots especially Sonny (Alan Tudyk) provide some very interesting and well thought out stunts that look great on screen. All in all the effects are nothing short of excellent, which is of course something we have come to expect of science fiction films. In fact sometimes our expectations are too high which then results feeling let down if the effects do not live up to them. They do in I, Robot, however. Two thumbs up.
The film also touches a few philosophical issues and as previously stated that is both good and bad. Good because it sets the film apart from other typically brain dead films in the genre and bad because the film doesn't follow through. The film brings up some issues about existentialism but it just leaves the issues hanging there. I must say it left me licking my mouth trying to see if there wasn't a little more but unfortunately there wasn't. The film's overall goal is entertainment, however, and there are loads of entertaining scenes that will leave you wanting for more. The "surprise ending" wasn't really all that surprising but that doesn't really lessen the overall value of the film which is quite high.
I, Robot stands as a very entertaining flick that probably could have become more if it had dealt with the philosophical issues a little better than it did but because of the high entertainment value the film is slightly above average. I, Robot is by no means a masterpiece like Blade Runner but its still good.
7/10