Summer SciFi fun, but where's Asimov's genius?

Rating: Null/10 (5 August 2004)

I have loved reading and watching Science Fiction books and movies all of my life and feel that Isaac Asimov's works stand shoulder to shoulder with the best of the early Grand Masters like Robert Heinlen, Damon Knight, Ray Bradbury, James Blish, and Arthur C. Clark, to name a few.
So take it from me, if you want to see a very entertaining Sci-Fi movie with the great Will Smith and state-of-the-art special effects by all means see "I, Robot", just don't expect a story by Isaac Asimov.
While this story written by screenwriter Jeff Vintar merits a rating of "very entertaining", Asimov's Robot Series merits a rating of "Must Read Classic Collection".
Asimov's Robot books are emotionally compelling, contain novel twists, and are difficult to put down. These books have so much to offer, it's a shame that Vintar only took from the books the names of a few characters and the "Three Robot Laws".
It seems that Vintar only put the "Three Robot Laws" into the movie so he could immediately break them with impunity. Asimov didn't break the "Three Robot Laws" because that was the cheap and easy way to make the story work. One of chief reasons the Robot books are so thought provoking is because the stories had to work without such cheating.
Make sure you see the movie, but then make sure you read the Robot books. You'll find out how much gold this movie left unmined.