Entertaining and fascinating future-vision

Rating: 7/10 (26 August 2005)

I haven't been to the cinema this summer...in fact, I haven't been to the cinema since the première of "The Day After Tomorrow" (2004). So I decided to go for "I, Robot". A future-vision about the mankind living together with robots, and my childhood-hero Will Smith in the leading role. I figured this had to be some good popcorn-entertainment, and I'm not disappointed. But I did get a film that was quite different than what I had expected.
The year is 2035, and people are living in harmony with robots that are designed and programmed to protect and obey orders from all people. We follow a police officer named Del Spooner (played by Will Smith), who is very sceptic about the robots after he had an bad experience with a robot, years ago. One day, Spooner is immediately being contacted when an old doctor named Alfred Lanning (played by James Cromwell) commits suicide. Dr. Lanning had just played an important role in the process of creating a "new and better" robot-model. No one understands why he would kill himself, but it turns out that Lanning knew something about the new robot-models that mankind never would be prepared for...
Something that struck me from the beginning of, was that "I, Robot" suffered from an very bad start. The opening was full of clichés and all about Will Smith's character walking around saying "cool and funny" lines, that were far from funny in my opinion. It didn't exactly make me "look forward" to the rest of the film, but thankfully the film did elevate from the point when Dr. Lanning was found dead. This is when it becomes a entertaining and fascinating future-vision about robots.
I came to the cinema to see robots. As a huge fan of the "Terminator" films, I have to say that I find myself fascinated by robots, in some way. And the robot-part didn't disappoint me. The robot called Sonny, who's a different robot with feelings and intelligence, impressed me and caught my attention. As a future-vision the film has some interesting elements, and I liked the way future-Chicago is being portrayed. A little flaw is that I think the setting of the story should've been further into the future. I mean...I doubt that we will see hoover-vehicles, robots and a technology like that in 30 years from now.
Will Smith is an good actor, no doubt about that...but this is not exactly a role written for him to show his talent. He has his moments in this film, but the problem is, as mentioned earlier, that he is given to many cliché-full "one-liners". But as the film goes on there is fewer of them, and he also comes with some lines that actually ARE funny. As for the rest of the cast I don't really feel that there's anyone that has to be mentioned. So let's just say that "I, Robot" is a film where the actors aren't the main attraction, in my opinion.
Over all..."I, Robot" is very good entertainment. Good Special Effects, good action, fascinating at times, thrilling at times and the plot is also solid. But after watching it I can't help feeling that it had the potential of being an excellent science-fiction movie, if some parts had been taken better care of. But despite it's down-sides, it was worth the visit to the cinema.
7.5 out of 10