High on action, not on philosophy

Rating: 6/10 (13 December 2004)

"I Robot" is a generic action flick disguised as a movie that will force you to ask yourself questions about the consequences of technology's advancement. Set in a futuristic Chicago, where robots serve as both humanity's slave and pet, Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) is wary of the infiltration of robots in human society. Unlike the humanoid robots in the robotic soap opera "AI", the robots here clearly are machines despite their fluid movements and face-like expressions. When Dr. Lanning, the "father of robotics" dies one afternoon, most everyone writes it off as a suicide, except Detective Spooner who accuses Dr. Lanning's personal and top-of-the-line NS5 robot Sonny.
Spooner is regarded as crazy and paranoid by his fellow officers and leading robot scientists. What follows is a silly and unrealistic investigation of "clues" left by Dr. Lanning about the coming robot insurrection. After the robots turn on humanity, we are left with a silly action flick where the brash Will Smith single-handedly saves the human race from the maniacal machinery meant to be man's best friend.
High on action and low of philosophy, "I Robot" dissolves into the typical Will Smith genre as the movie progresses. With Sonny acting as some sort of messianic robot, the movie tries to draw on the question: If robots can do everything better than humanity, shouldn't robots be the masters and not the slaves? However, it is presented clumsily around the monotonous action sequences. Entertaining movie, but could've been better. 2.5 out of 4.