Unconvincing script and casting

Rating: 4/10 (19 August 2004)

This is based on an Isaac Asimov story and from what I have heard Asimov would have been furious with this bad Hollywood rendition which serves nothing except to try and make money. Story takes place in 2035 Chicago where robots are used by most people as servants and workers and after the suspicious death of Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell) who is the creator of robotics a Chicago cop thinks that it may be homicide. Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) hates robots and doesn't trust them which puts him at odds with his superiors but while investigating Dr. Lanning's lab he runs into a robot named Sonny who acts suspicious and tries to run off. Helping Spooner is Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan) who works for the same company that makes robots and her job is to make them more human like although she appears to be very cold in nature.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Sonny is let go by the police but Spooner keeps investigating and discovers that a robot revolution is about to take place and it's masterminded by a robotic power source that functions like the main brain for all working robots.
This film is directed by Alex Proyas who also made the incredibly underrated "Dark City" and he does have a good vision as far as what these futuristic films should look like but the script is really nothing more than a bunch of action scenes set-up for Will Smith to act heroic. Although many will probably disagree with me I never thought Smith was credible playing a cop in any film and I base that on his persona as a loudmouth that talks a lot but doesn't listen. It's supposed to be 2035 and everyone has modern devices but Smith's character seems to have been plucked out of modern times and placed into the future. From his smart alecky street attitude to the goofy clothes he wears Smith is totally out of place in this science fiction film. I understand he's gold at the box office and shallow viewers expect him to play the same character in every film but he's just obnoxious and annoying here. At one point he barges into the home of Moynahan and pours himself a drink and plops down on a chair making himself at home which infuriates her and than asks her why she would get along with robots better than humans. After two minutes of watching his behavior and listening to his crappy attitude I think everyone would prefer the company of a robot over him! The dialogue is especially bad and twice during the film the phrase "Your the dumbest of the dumb" is uttered. Isaac Asimov is a great writer and his stories are timeless but even though the potential for some truly classic films could be made they never will be as long as Hollywood keeps looking at them with dollar signs in their eyes and miscasting big name actors.