One of the better films of the year so far.

Rating: 8/10 (16 August 2004)

Yes, it's true. I liked it. On the surface it's a simple future-cop story with lots of pretty graphics and an amiable star. But it did something (albeit for only a short time) that most films this year haven't. It made me think. Of course, once you figure out whodunnit, it's mostly just an action ride to the finish. But at least it tried.
Most surprising of all here is Will Smith. He doesn't get to "Will Smith-ify" the movie too much. In fact, he's very restrained and, it has to be said, very mature in this role. Only a couple of times does he get to cut loose, but on the whole I'm beginning to believe there is a serious actor hidden away inside him.
The film as a whole doesn't take itself too seriously, even though the subject matter merits further thought. Likewise the graphics are pretty good (and this is one of the few movies this year that I've said that about) and work much better than I had feared.
There are a couple of moments that made me frown, most notably the spinning car-in-tunnel scene. But on the whole nothing made me scowl at the screen.
I've not read the book by Asimov, so I can't comment on how faithful the movie version is to the book. But, much like Starship Troopers, that matters less if the film is good and entertains you. And I, Robot entertains very nicely.
Worth a look.