An uncommonly coherent robot flick

Rating: 9/10 (27 December 2004)

It is sad to say that one look at the poster may be sufficient to dissuade you from seeing I, ROBOT. Such is the sheer quantity of half-baked, ill-proportioned sci-fi/action movies these days, it has, quite understandably, become common practice to dismiss every film that promises to be full of computer-generated wizardry and rip-roaring action, as a complete load of junk. And who can blame us, with the likes of TERMINATOR 3 and AVP littering our cinemas? I, ROBOT, however, is a shining exception, a resplendent piece of cinematic science fiction that deserves as much attention as possible.
The plot, adapted from clippings of Isaac Asimov's works, has been synthesised into a consistent and extremely entertaining whole. The film is set in the USA, circa 2035 CE, where advanced robots are beginning to take over aspects of human conduct. It follows the exploits of Del Spooner (a slightly more intense Will Smith), a brooding Chicago cop with a chip in his shoulder against robots, who is assigned to investigate the murder of a prominent technologist working for USR, the country's biggest robotics manufacturer. Alternately aided and hindered by a USR researcher (Bridget Moynahan), Spooner comes to the conclusion that his man was murdered by a robot, an anomalous, disarmingly emotional machine nicknamed "Sonny". Dismissed and derided by the majority for this theory, Spooner nonetheless persists with his investigation, and discovers that the world's robots are preparing to launch a revolution against humankind in violation of the three laws that govern them, co-ordinated by V.I.K.I, USR's artificially intelligent mainframe computer.
This intelligent, fast-paced and entertaining story is interwoven with soundings in philosophy that make the Wachowski brothers seem like dithering idiots (not that it's all that hard...). The philosophic content in I, ROBOT is coherently incorporated into the plot itself, as opposed to being crammed in in clumps in the case of THE MATRIX trilogy.
Much of the story is rendered in computer-generated graphics. While overuse of such technology can often make a film feel lifeless and unconvincing, the script is so entertaining and convincing that the graphics feel quite atmospheric.The robots themselves are sincerely haunting, presented in the manner of burnished steel skeletons.
I, ROBOT is, overall, a fresh and surprising film that's well-written enough to interest almost anybody. If there was an Academy Award for breaking genre trends, this would be a sure nominee. 9/10.