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Will Smith fights against artificial intelligence in I, Robot.
Some big budget sci-fi films rely largely on the computer generated magic of its subject to make people think the film is entertaining. Others use those effects to service the story, making sure people understand that the characters are the stars, not the CGI.
I, Robot, I think, skirts that edge. For the most part it relies mostly on the CGI to remain entertaining. But there are moments where it reminds the audience that at the heart of the movie is a living, breathing actor by the name of Will Smith.
That’s why I found this film enjoyable. I’m not saying it was great, but enjoyable. I thought they managed to develop Smith’s Detective Del Spooner enough to make him rise above the computer wizardary that he was literally immersed in for about 90 percent of I, Robot.
Here are the basics of the plot:
In 2035, robots have become a regular part of life. They clean our streets, cook our meals, and serve as personal butlers. But Detective Spooner just doesn’t trust them. So much so, that his paranoia is often dismissed by his superiors and anyone else who may listen. But when a scientist as U.S. Robotics is murdered, his paranoia grows when he suspects that a robot may be guilty of the crime.
However, the main of the three laws of robotics dictates that robots cannot harm a human being, deeming his theories impossible. Except what he discovers that robots are evolving — and a potential revolution is on hand.
I, Robot has very little in common with the famed book it uses as its basis. I was actually reminded largely of an old episode of Outer Limits, also called “I, Robot”, which starred Leonard Nimoy, where a robot is put on trial for killing its inventor. It didn’t have much to do with Issac Asimov’s novel, either.
That aside, the Will Smith vehicle has a lot of action, some great effects, and is a fun ride. Is it really thought provoking science fiction? Not really. It’s a popcorn movie, filled with all-too obvious product tie-ins and one liners. I think it would be nice if perhaps we could have gotten a more loyal big screen treatment of Asimov’s works, but I still enjoyed I, Robot, regardless.
As for this two-disc collector’s edition, there are some good special features, but I actually found the second disc a little confusing. The menus use some low-grade video as its background, and the navigation threw me off at first. But once you get passed this initial confusion, there are some nice extras to find.
The most interesting to me was “Three Laws Safe”, which is the “reality of the movie” documentary that features Jeff Vintar, who wrote the story the film is based upon, as well as screenwriter Akiva Goldsman and Asmiov’s daughter Robyn Asimov, among others. This was good for the geek factor, as it discusses the science of robotics and their place in science fiction.
For the most part, the rest is very tech heavy, focusing largely on the special effects. The Production Diaries are fun for about the first few minutes, but get old after a while. I like a documentary that tries to tell a story, but here we’re left to watch a bunch of footage recorded on set with no narration or guidance. It’s as if you are actually standing on set and watching things unfold, and while that may be fun if you’re actually there, in this case it just gets… well, boring.
There are also a selection of deleted scenes, and an alternate ending that is mildly interesting. The audio commentaries, and there are three of them, are pretty good. At least the main one is, which features the film’s director, Alex Proyas, and screenwriter Goldsman. The others are more technical, with one featuring the production designer and editor, while the third belongs to the composer, Marco Beltrami.
Ultimately, I, Robot is a fun film, and if you’re a fan of it than this collector’s edition is something you’ll want in your collection.
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