Blade Runner Re Hashed With More Flash & Less Flare

Rating: 7/10 (17 July 2004)

The titles say "Based on a story by Issac Asimov". If that means using the title of the original story & little else then yes, it is based on the Asimov story!
It's predictable, a 1970s cop "Buddy Movie" with CGI & flying cars. A good old 1950s paranoid Commie Hunt B movie wrapped up in a surprising amount of glitz.
Yes, the CGI robots are amazing, sometimes acting better than the often wooden Will Smith, and it has to be said that the visuals do make up for some of the short comings. But........
The story, as mentioned, is about as far removed from the Asimov original as you can get. Basically it's Frankenstein's Monster or Blade Runner, along with the usual "Cop on the outside" clichés from a thousand previous clones (Die Hard, Leathal Weapon etc etc). The premise that a robot could subvert the 3 Rules of Robotics by themselves is a major deviation. Asimov has a robot who's rules were altered for a specific &, as thought by the story characters at the time, perfectly good reason. The result of this innocent alteration (a change to the 2nd law in only one robot) was to have disastrous repercussion. This is a telling allegory, a warning that what may seem to be so simple & harmless can have enormous consequences (remember the Arriane Rocket that exploded due to one misplaced character in its software!).
Squint & you can see Tyrell at the head of US Robotics, or Ernst Blofeldt (007 villain) or Emporer Ming, wrapped up in slick, new millennium corporatism. You could almost see him shaving his head & sticking out his pinky as he says "isn't that a little .... evil?" Ah, but I won't give the game away.
As usual the brush strokes are broad, the characterisations somewhat clunky & the originality is down to zero. The CGI often takes the lead, admittedly being startling, but I cannot believe that this is what the future will look like in a little over 30 years time. Maybe 130 years, but definitely not before then.
It's worth seeing, but there is better. Having said that there is, sadly, much, MUCH worse you can see so at least sci fi fans get something to immerse themselves in.