Better than the Trailers Imply

Rating: Null/10 (18 July 2004)

It was a solid movie. I suppose I'm at an age now where either I'm desensitized to most movie violence or it takes more to impress me. Either way, this movie did all the normal stuff. Lots of car chase, crash bang, turn the DOLBY DIGITAL ALL THE WAY UP explosions (we went to a post midnight digital showing) with the hero hanging on by one hand and saving the day just in the nick of time.
IRobot gives a better futuristic vision than was achieved with Minority Report. It also does a good job of showing how things that are at one time "jaw dropping" technology, become every day taken for granted fixtures.
This movie moves at a great pace and treats you like an intelligent being. The explanations are kept to a minimum and yet even my twelve year old understood it. Yes, we took her, and she felt sorry for the "poor robots", but she quickly got over that. For all that, she left not quite knowing who's side she was on and I thought that was a good thing. This movie does not end with all problems solved if for no other reason than to make "IRobot 2".
I haven't read the book so I can't make a comparison there, but I felt this movie "borrowed" from a ton of other series and movies. The cars driving themselves from "The Sixth Day"; cars moving at incredible speeds every which way and sideways from "Minority Report"; A giant moving, talking, "everywhere-you-are-I-go" type head from Max Headrom (without the annoying stuttering); You'll see me over the hill at daybreak from "Lord of the Rings", and even the Nanites from "Star Trek" have a cameo appearance and do their job admirably.
The robots are gleamingly pretty and I can see how people would fall in love with them. They kind of remind me of the first Imac's with colors and clear monitors, only they walk and talk and that reminds me EVERYONE and their grandmother got their advertising bid in on this one. I'll give a shout out to all the ones I remember just to let the advertisers know they did their job,
Ovaltine Audi FedEx Converse Suzuki (from my husband and is reading over my shoulder as I type.)
I'm sorry, DVD player people. Your name was prominently displayed at least three or four times, but I cannot remember who it was made by. Ah well. I'd also like to give a shout out to Little Tykes who must have, but probably did not, design the demolition bot. That thing deserved more screen time. It was awesome.
The only this movie lacks is better dialogue, but I guess there wasn't much room to talk between all action. I have visions of a perfect script being ripped to shreds with only the best bits left in and a tearful writer clutching a fat paycheck. The robot had the best dialogue, Will Smith had the best one liners, and who the hell was that lady scientist? She was snoring boring. Or maybe it was just the character.
Husband note: He says she was also the lady scientist in Blade 2. Ah hah, now I see a pattern. The white lady side-kick for the superhero black guy!
I guess after Kill Bill (1 or 2, pick one), I'll never like movies again where all the women do is sit around, solve all the problems and then get rescued. Boring. Heck, even Aunt May kicks a little butt in Spiderman. Yet we're back to the typical damsel in distress story line here.
I also see that Hollywood has not evolved all that much. If the main characters at the end are of the same race and different genders, we'll have a side love-story with the kiss in the sunset at the end. If the characters are of different races or same gender, then we're left with the "friendship that will never broken" ending. Like the difference between the end of the Pelican Brief, movie vs. book.
OK. Whatever. Who cares right? (Pssst....I do.)
Ah well, you can't have everything but this movie sure does try.
Overall, I'd give IRobot B+. OK A-, because Will Smith naked is worth a boost in the grading curve every time. Jada is one lucky woman. ;)