I, Robot

This movie is classic Will Smith entertainment. “I, Robot” is not the best film he has starred in but it is not the worst either. It is better the first time you see it but it remains enjoyable upon multiple viewings. The special effects are very good and the story is well crafted. The acting is good as well.

Many hands have crafted this story, which can be a bad thing. In this case, it worked out okay. I believe that Oscar winning writer Akiva Goldsman was the best contributor to “I, Robot” because he adapted the script to capitalize on Will Smith’s acting. As with all reviews I write, they contain spoilers. To better critique the story, I must analyze it from the viewpoint of someone who knows the ending. It is important that we know what the three laws are from the start of the movie and reading them is much more memorable than hearing them. It becomes apparent that Spooner must overcome his prejudices and at the same time, it is important that he has them. Towards the middle of the movie, it is revealed that those prejudices are the reason why Dr. Lanning wanted Spooner on the case. Throughout the film, Spooner is able to vocalize exactly what he has against robots and this includes how his intolerance began. Calvin is established as someone who appears to have no emotion, which is ironic considering her job. She ends up having emotions after all and is just suppressing them in the wake of Lanning’s death. Lanning has left clues so as to tip off Spooner but not VIKI such as the “Hansel and Gretel” book. One problem of the movie is that these clues are made obvious to us as Spooner comes across them. Many times, Spooner verbally points them out. We don’t know what they mean exactly but we know that they are important. A better thing to do would be to show these clues in a casual manner and later reveal them as being extremely important like on “Sherlock Holmes”. Just before Sonny first appearance, the three laws are reviewed. It is important that we understand them so as to understand how the “criminal” has interpreted them. A good design choice is giving Sonny blue eyes. It makes him more human as opposed to the other NS-5s who have bright green eyes. The action in the film is not put there just for entertainment but it furthers the story. Spooner doesn’t know why he goes over to Lanning’s place other than Lanning wanted him specifically to investigate his death. That scene ends up proving that he is on to something as evidenced by the destruction of Lanning’s house earlier than scheduled. The audience is on Spooner’s side after that. I love Will’s reaction to the robots suddenly attacking his character on the road while driving. That scene also furthers the story because it reveals Spooner’s mechanical arm. Spooner truly is the dumbest, smart guy on the planet. All the clues pointing to VIKI as the criminal are right in front of him such as the fully automated robot assembly plant. In pointing out some of these obvious clues to us, he fails to interpret them. I love the scene that reveals VIKI as the villain. It is executed so that when VIKI appears, you realize how obvious it is that she is behind the revolution. The wink from Sonny is so awesome because you know that without a doubt that he is on Spooner’s side. The wink is so machine-like and yet conveys a basic human message. I don’t think Sonny is capable of betrayal thanks to his “heart”. Will has some great moments during the climax such as his character having to deal with heights and the line: “You have so got to die.” For resolution purposes, Will is able to overcome his prejudices on robots thanks to Sonny. Sonny becomes the robot that Spooner would have wanted to save him because he would have saved that girl first. When you think about it, Sonny didn’t murder Dr. Lanning because Lanning asked Sonny to kill him.

There are other parts of this movie that are impressive and some that are not. I am not too impressed with the partial nudity we have in “I, Robot”. What is its purpose? Will Smith does a good job but mostly because the script is designed to allow that. His character in this movie resembles that of Steven Hiller and Jay a little too much. I his acting a little better when the script has not been designed for Will so that he can best show his talent. I think that Alan Tudyk was quite good as Sonny. You believed his performance as a non-human. This film introduced me to Bruce Greenwood. He plays Robertson as a suspicious guy but not to extreme measures. We must suspect him of being a bad guy but when he is revealed dead in his office, we must not be surprised. The only thing Robertson is guilty of is being a hard working, unfazed businessman and Greenwood pulled this off very well. Because of this role and his more famous role in “Transformers”, I thought that Shia LaBeouf’s acting was limited to characters that were always in 5th gear in terms of emotions. It was “Indiana Jones” that proved to me that Shia can play other kinds of character. I like seeing Shia “leading” the mob against the robots. It is sort of foreshadowing. “I, Robot” has great special effects and deserved its Oscar nomination. The quantity of effects shots may have contributed however to “Spider-Man 2” winning that year. Also, the use of camera in creating a shot that rotates vertically 360 degrees was cool. It is something that is only possible today with the help of green screen.

Every time I see this movie, it is enjoyable. Will Smith does his usual job of giving us a fun time at the movies. The first time you see this show is the best unfortunately.

3.5 Stars