Video/DVD Review: I, Robot
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that though most of the violent attacks
are directed at robots, the creatures (some with distinct
personalities and human voices) are crushed, dismembered,
exploded, shot at, and destroyed. The results of one car crash
are particularly intense. Humans are also in danger: a
scientist is dead and bloody on the ground having fallen from a
great height; repeated flashbacks show a young girl trapped and
drowning in a car; a great, military-like force of robots chase
and try to kill humans. Swearing is relatively mild, but there
are many instances of "ass," "s--t," "goddamn," "hell,"
"piss," etc. In one early scene, Will Smith is seen in the
shower, naked from the back, perhaps to compare the human
physical ideal with the robotic form, otherwise it seems
gratuitous. Product placement is obvious and frequent.
Chicago, 2035. Robots are an integral part of society's daily life. On the eve of the launch of a new, advanced order of robot technology, the scientist responsible for its development (James Cromwell) is found dead, presumably a suicide. Police Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) is called in to investigate. Spooner, who admits to an ongoing prejudice against robots, believes the scientist was murdered. His suspicions are bolstered when he confronts a renegade robot, "Sunny," who appears to have broken the accepted robot code. Spooner becomes a target himself as he pursues his theory against the wishes of the police establishment and in defiance of U.S. Robotics, a corporate giant. As Spooner gets closer to the truth, war between Man and The Machine becomes inevitable.
I, ROBOT is inspired by a collection of Isaac Asimov stories. In those stories, basic laws for robot behavior are set down: 1) a robot cannot harm a human or allow one to be harmed; 2) a robot must obey human instructions less those instructions conflict with Law #1; and 3) a robot must protect himself unless doing so conflicts with Laws #1 and #2. Using those basic rules, director Alex Proyas and his team have set out to make an entertaining "good versus evil" action movie with hero Will Smith reliable in his likable "everyman" role. On some levels it works: lots of good special effects, imaginative settings, the requisite mayhem, destruction, and suspense. However, very little attention has been paid to wit or originality. Even less attention has been paid to the quality of some key performances: a few characters are one-note wonders and others seem even more robotic than the automated fellows with whom they interact. Entertaining, yes; memorable, no.
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