Sci-Fi Cop Thriller

Rating: 6/10 (22 February 2008)

In 1942 the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov introduced what he called the "three laws of robotics", namely:-
1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
He later added a further law, although because this took precedence over the first three he named it the "Zeroth Law" rather than the Fourth. (Did the number zero have an ordinal form before Asimov devised this law?) It provides that "A robot may not injure humanity, or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm".
Asimov's laws appear simple, but, as he was well aware, they can give rise to all sorts of philosophical and logical difficulties, many of which he explored in his stories, such as "How would a robot react if it could only prevent a murder by killing or injuring the murderer?". Does "harm" only include physical injury, or can it also include a person's economic interests? The Zeroth Law has struck many- myself included- as being uncomfortably close to the mindset of those dictators and ideologues who are happy to kill people in what they perceive as being the greater interests of humanity.
The film is based upon Asimov's general ideas about robotics rather than any specific story. (Asimov's "I, Robot" was a collection of short stories rather than a single work, although another science-fiction writer, Otto Binder, did write a story with that title). The story takes place in 2035, by which time robots have become a common feature of everyday life, mostly used as domestic servants. Despite its futuristic setting, there are some pretty blatant attempts at product placement, especially for Audi and FedEx; presumably companies are attracted to the idea of advertising in films that imply they will still be around thirty years hence.
The main character is Del Spooner, a Chicago Police homicide detective. (After the "Men in Black" films and "Wild, Wild West", which had some science-fiction elements despite its Victorian setting, Will Smith seems to be specialising in sci-fi cops). Spooner is charged with investigating the death of Dr. Alfred Lanning, a scientist with the powerful US Robotics corporation who are about to release a new, improved model robot onto the market. Lanning fell to his death from a window, and Spooner comes under pressure to conclude that his death was suicide, but he suspects not only that Lanning was murdered but also that the murder was committed by a robot in violation of the First Law. Spooner, it should be noted, is a noted robotophobe whose phobia derives from bad experiences in his past.
The film combines two common science-fiction themes. The first is that of robots or other intelligent creations turning upon their creators, a theme that goes back at least as far as Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and has been dealt with in a number of films such as "Westworld". The second is the question of whether a robot is capable of evolving or acquiring consciousness, a personality and emotions similar to those of a human, a theme most famously explored in "Blade Runner". Certainly, one of the robots, Sonny (Spooner's first suspect in the murder case), does seem to have very human traits. Although the film does not explicitly mention the "Zeroth Law", it does rely upon a similar concept, that of robots interpreting the First Law as a licence to take over the reins of government on the grounds that humans are far too unintelligent and self-destructive to be entrusted with such a task themselves. The question then arises of who is behind this prospective robotic coup d'etat. Could it be the sinister boss of US Robotics?
Although the film touches on some weighty philosophical topics, it never does so in any depth. The theme of robots going out of control was better dealt with in "Westworld", which had a genuinely chilling figure in Yul Brynner's robot gunslinger. "I, Robot" never achieves anything like the intellectual or emotional depth of "Blade Runner", one of the best sci-fi movies ever made. There are some effective action sequences, which possibly show the pervasive influence of computer games, but it is really little more than a cop thriller with a futuristic setting. 6/10