Product: I, Robot [Region 2] (2004)
Rating: 4.0
I, pleasantly surprised
Although I read Asimov when I was young, I didn't recall enough of it to spoil the movie for me. In fact, I read elsewhere that the movie only loosely follows pieces of Asimov's famous short story collection.That being said, I loved the movie - it was highly entertaining, and a little philosophical, but not over-the-top philosophical like AI was (and nowhere near as lengthy). Will Smith does his usual fine job on screen, so you won't be disappointed with the acting. Don't listen to the critics who warned you away from seeing this movie - they were wrong again, as usual.It didn't occur to me when I read Asimov years ago, but I finally "got" the significance of Dr. Calvin's name... John Calvin was a theologian of the reformation who argued that humans are pre-destined by God, and therefore do not have free will. Asimov's Dr. Calvin believes that the three laws of robotics make it impossible for a robot to have their own free will, and in a sense pre-destines their fate with humanity. Oh well, enough philosophy for a simple movie review. You'll have to see the movie if you want to know more.The DVD also comes w/ some nice featurettes on the making of the movie, cast & director interviews, the writings of Asimov on robots, and various other of the usual things the studio throws in whenever they have some space left over on the disc.My final recommendation is: five stars for the movie, and four stars for the supplemental material and packaging. This will make a great Christmas present for that sci-fi fan in your family.