Still fairly true to Dr. Asimov's ideals

Rating: Null/10 (2 August 2004)

OK, the movie has been in theaters for three weeks and I just now got around to seeing it. But I was much more favorably impressed than I expected to be.
The bit that really impressed me was that the writing was tight - I would even say spare. Dr. Isaac Asimov was well known for concise, undecorative prose, with a sharp sense of humor. I always enjoyed reading his novels because he delivered excellent build-ups to logical (though often surprising) conclusions, and he got you there quickly with a minimum of meaningless bits of frou-frou. This movie does the same thing. The only thing I would have left out was the cat. ("I'm sorry, you're a cat, I'm black, it'll never work" - what the heck was that supposed to mean?)
Will Smith does his usual kick-butt summer-blockbuster star turn. Bridget Moynahan does a respectable job with the very difficult role of Dr. Susan Calvin - the deepest and most complex female character Asimov ever invented.
Alan Tudyk must have really enjoyed playing a CGI character, it may have been the best role he's ever had - I'm glad to see him (excuse me, hear him) without any silly accent - and he put a lot of meat onto the dense-alloy bones of Sonny the robot.
For those concerned with "family" issues: the shower scenes are handled with excellent circumspection. If you are totally against ever having your under-14 children exposed to an image of a naked human body, you shouldn't bring your kids, but believe me - Smith poses like a Rodin sculpture. Other than this and some mild cussing, such as every kid will hear in any school, I'd say this movie should meet most family standards. My 12-year-old was not embarrassed or uncomfortable at all.