Surprisingly deep

Rating: 10/10 (19 July 2004)

This story of this movie is not one of Isaac Asimov's, but the movie makes every effort to understand and present a lot of his ideas. I'm a big fan of Asimov's books and read all of his stories I could get my hands on when I was twelve. I liked (and still like) his writing style and how he lays things out. Still, apart from the action and graphics, I would not really understand or like the movie very much if I were twelve now - the movie is a lot more subtle than his stories. Still, it brings across a lot of the points he made, as well as some others (the world is not as simple as Asimov would have liked).
There is a lot of attention to detail, but detail is not presented to bore or confuse the audience. There is enough explanation for someone who has not read Asimov's books, but the movie is not slow for someone who has. The casting is excellent; I particularly liked the strong and consistent role of steely Dr Calvin. The various scenes flow well together, and the graphics are excellent, but the movie doesn't rely on special effects. The action flows with the rest of the plot and although it is an action movie, the movie is more comprehensive than most and floats across genres in a smooth and pleasing manner. A great 2004 adaptation of Asimov's ideas and an entertaining movie.