Will Smith to the rescue

Rating: 6/10 (22 December 2004)

The robots are a revelation--insect-like, fast-moving and believable. But the Will Smith role is strictly from comicsville. It's not that Smith is all that bad an actor. He plays the usual Will Smith part--kind of a cross between Eddie Murphy and Audie Murphy. His part is written as if Smith had the script in his back pocket while everyone else walks blindly around robot town.
All this flick needed was a little mystery--just a little but that ain't the way it goes. Oh, Smith rumbles around with a young lady looking for clues but it's weak.
The one thing you know--you can bank on--the message is the same from Frankenstein to 2001 to Westworld to Jurassic Park to I, Robot--technology as grand as it may be will always turn on us humans.
Since we know that, what's this story about, you ask? Won't tell you.
Just know that there are good special effects and little to no suspense. At some point, Hollywood may want to really consider if all the effects aren't harming movies in the long run. You can make all these amazing things crash and burn and it's all very believable. Trouble is--it's covering up a weak story.