Product: I, Robot [Region 2] (2004)
Rating: 4.0
A GOOD MOVIE (EVEN IF IT DOESN'T REALLY FOLLOW THE BOOK)
I always cringe when I see a movie come out that is based on a book I have enjoyed in the past. I have had too many disappointments from movies such as "Planet of the Apes" (both versions), "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," and "Earthsea" to not be wary. There have been pleasant surprises, such as "The Stand" or "The Green Mile," but usually movies based on books are a big risk.Having said that, I have to admit that Alex Proyas' vision for this story was well worth watching. He captured the whole conundrum that fans of SF have debated for decades: What constitutes "life?" What is intelligence? What makes a soul?Will Smith's character, Spooner, has an inherent distrust for robots, but finds in Sonny a friend who is willing to make sacrifices for those close to him, and for the greater good.I agree that the use of the Three Laws of Robotics made "I, Robot" the obvious title, but there are also major elements taken from "The Humanoids" by Jack Williamson and "Rossum's Universal Robots" by Karel Capek (who actually coined the word, "robot" in his story.)The story is fairly tight, and Will Smith is at his wisecracking best. This is worth more than one viewing.