Could have been the next "Blade Runner"

Rating: 6/10 (10 August 2004)

"I, Robot" was this year's most entertaining Blockbuster: a lot of action, witty dialog and a fine plot. In fact, I thought the plot was so good that it was a waste to turn this project into a Will Smith vehicle. Not that he ruined the movie or anything but his funnyman performance - and the witty dialog - just kept the story from getting deep. So many other recent Blockbusters were unnecessarily lofty (*cough*SPIDER-MAN2*cough*MATRIX2&3*cough*cough*) and could have used some irony. With "I, Robot", however, it would have been a great idea to go for a more philosophical approach. The direction is very spectacular and fast paced, which isn't a bad thing, but it doesn't help to create an intriguing atmosphere, either. The special effects look great for the most parts, except when they are used to create landscapes. Sometimes a location looks like it was taken directly out of a video game. Anyway, "I, Robot" is a fantastic way to spend 90 minutes, but it's no masterpiece and won't be remembered among classics who deal with similar topics ("Blade Runner", "The Terminator", "The Matrix 1"). Pity. The potential was there.