Product: I, Robot [Region 2] (2004)
Rating: 4.0
COOL MOVIE BETTER THAN ASIMOV'S BOOK
As a kid, I spent several hours on a plane seated near "I, Robot" author Isaac Asimov. It was an unpleasant experience. Mean, self-centered and arrogant, appeared to be Asimov's three rules of human behavior.More than a smidgen of that dangerous attitude infuses the cyborg menace in the terrifically entertaining I, ROBOT. Using only Asimov's title and the premise of once obedient and safe but now seemingly sentient robots run amuck, this possibly prescient action film stars Will Smith as a paranoid cop investigating a murder involving a robot. Are his fears of a powerful robot army of workers who turn against their human owners coming true?Asimov may have been writing about the dangers of artificial intelligence, or a metaphor for the Communist Revolution, or perhaps an Orwellian warning about the power of labor unions -- but don't worry, this film does not get sidetracked with any preachy scenes and in fact the screenplay by Akiva Goldman is all the more powerful because it includes just enough tantalizing intellectual moments to perfectly balance the outstanding visceral energy of the visuals. A short making-of featurette restates the plot and hints at the complex robot choreography and CGI work. The main extra is an insightful commentary from director Alex Proyas and Goldman.