A smart scifi that is also a blockbuster

Rating: 7/10 (22 July 2004)

Imagine that you are Alex Proyas, charged to deliver a summer blockbuster that is also a good scifi movie and does not dastardly slash Asimov's series.
That's a pretty hard task, but this is precisely what Alex, et. al dido
As a summer blockbuster staring Will Smith, the inevitable one liners show up-- but not enough to distract from the movie. As a smart scifi film, not all is given on a silver platter for the audience, but enough to keep the dimwitted popcorn chewing masses from scratching their heads in utter confusion.
I've read a lot of people describe how the movie violates Asimov's laws, but in reality, it does not, and the explanation in itself is not so far-fetched within the universe of Asimov's robot novels-- in fact, they fit. The only discernible difference is the scale in which the laws are stretched. Obviously, the movie is not an exact representation of the robot series. That is practically an impossibility on film-- and one meant to be a blockbuster.
It is a fun ride, one filled with reminders of classic such as Space Odyssey 2001, the Terminator movies, and minority report-- but these are simplicities that by the nature of the story come up. It is not so much as the moviemakers stole as those movies simply cam before. And even when the scene is reminiscent, it is not to the extent of distraction.
Overall a very good movie, especially when the ironic and allegorical overtones-- racial and biblical are taken into account.