In this case, the format works.

Rating: 8/10 (30 June 2011)

Amazingly, this is a good, robust movie. Despite the heavy reliance on special effects, the movie actually has a coherent story in which human characters figure prominently. Some of the dialog is snappy and the movie keeps the audience engaged. The principle characters are interesting and are not lost in all the noise and mayhem caused by the robots. The robots, both good and bad, are actually interesting, with humanoid features that make their behavior more plausible. One can almost feel sorry or elated when a robot is destroyed. John Malkovich and John Tuturro are especially excellent and the rest of cast give energetic performances. One is almost rooting for the good guys to win. Heroism abounds as the robots and humans join together to fight for the survival of the planet. They form a united front which transcends the obvious chasm that separates human from machine. Leonard Nimoy's voice-over work is excellent. This movie is one of the better examples of the sci-fi, action, fantasy genre. In this case, the format works.