This big-budget film-noir/video game is a poor man's "Minority Report". It's alright, but far from the best. ** out of ****.

Rating: Null/10 (24 July 2004)

"I, Robot", directed by Alex Proyas ("The Crow"), is a movie based on a classic novel by Issac Asimov. If it had been a literal translation, it could've been a fascinating story in the tradition of Steven Spielberg's "A.I. Artifical Intelligence" and the great Anime movie "Metropolis". Instead, the adaptation by screenwriter/producer Akiva Goldsmith (1997's "Lost in Space") mostly plays out like the typical action film.
Devoid of inventive ideas, this mystery thriller's most interesting aspect is the character of Sonny (voiced by Alan Tudyk). The only robot on earth accused of murder. Set in Chicago 2035, the movie stars Will Smith as a robot hating cop investigating the crime. He's joined by Bridget Monyahan, channeling Sandra Bullock from "Demolition Man". Smith's clothing and car seem to belong to the Tom Cruise's character from "Minority Report". In fact, the movie's whole look seems to derive from that classic Spielberg film.
"Minority Report" was the best sci-fi picture since "Dark City". It's ironic that Proyas, director of "Dark City", now seems to have been inspired by "Report". One of the problems I had with this picture are the robots themselves. They're tall and metallic, yet they defy gravity. They fly and jump around as they were as light as a feather. Why? Because the movie wants them to, no logical reason. The action scenes are the usual "Matrix"-like stuff. No suspense or excitement, just actors and special-effects going through the motions.
I suspect Smith felt envious of wife Jade for landing a job in the "Matrix" sequels and wanted to something similar. I think he's miscast in this role, yet he does manage to do something more than his usual "save the world" schtick. That was a bit of a surprise. Veteran actor James Cromwell ("L.A. Confedential") is the murdered creator of Sonny and Bruce Greenwood is the C.E.O. of a giant robot-creating company. Both actors are given limited screen time and do the best with what they have.
This is a movie that had potential to be a lot more than it is. It's not bad, yet it is. Watch it without expectation and you'll get a bearable, quasi-entertaining movie. Two stars out of four. "Minority Report" and "The Matrix Reloaded" are two better examples of this genre. I hope Proyas goes back to darker storytelling soon.