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Review #53: I, Robot.
Based on Isaac Asimov’s short stories, a murder investigation draws a police detective into a secret experiment that was carried out by the man who was murdered.
Within the experiment is a robot named Sonny, who is more than he seems. Along side is a computer ‘psychiatrist’ who will help the detective with the mystery of ‘apparent killer robots’ and the officer in question is also, more than he seems.
However, there are more powerful entities in their way and the mystery of the ‘killer robots’ is much more deadly than they had first feared.
It’s a good piece of writing for a Hollywood story though as usual with Hollywood, it utilises an original idea from the past, in this case from 1950, and updates it with CGI, gimmicks and flashiness.
The CGI however doesn’t disappoint, it’s absolutely bang on the money and doesn’t fail in any way, but sometimes it gets a little too much.
More practical effects could have been welcome in the film, it feels too separated from reality. It goes for more flash than substance.
The storyline and plot itself is another good point, it’s easy to figure out straight from the start, but it keeps its tension and mystery throughout which isn’t easy considering the audience can see the reveal right from the very start.
The elements of comedy within the dialogue and occasional hints of character expansion are a welcome addition, but sadly, there’s just not enough to keep the viewer fixed to the screen for the running time.
It’s extremely 123 with the plot and story. Typical of Hollywood.
The main problem lies with the fact that Asimov’s original writings are pretty much ignored throughout, only the basic plot point are used are the Three Laws Of Robotics and a scene where Sonny attempts to hide in a crowd.
It’s not the only fault either, Will Smith is relatively type-cast as the hero: The line "…You’re a cat, I’m black…" says it all.
Smith is very ‘1990s Fresh Prince’ and nowhere near the futuristic society character the movie strives to achieve.
Smith however, is an enjoyable Lead Actor as usual, and does his thang in his style.
The rest of the acting however, is pretty standard for the CGI laden epic it tries to be.
Alan Tudyk as the voice and motion capture of ‘Sonny’ is a brilliant piece of filmmaking and acting. He's extremly believable and very well modelled.
I will say though, after all the bad points, is that the action scenes are extremely well choreographed, very exciting, fast and explosive. They’re by far the best thing about the film.
Other than that, all in all, it’s an enjoyable film for anyone who hasn’t read the short stories, and for teenagers who want to see exciting CGI action. Anyone else may find themselves digging dirt out of their fingernails during the running time.
My rating 60%
Based on Isaac Asimov’s short stories, a murder investigation draws a police detective into a secret experiment that was carried out by the man who was murdered.
Within the experiment is a robot named Sonny, who is more than he seems. Along side is a computer ‘psychiatrist’ who will help the detective with the mystery of ‘apparent killer robots’ and the officer in question is also, more than he seems.
However, there are more powerful entities in their way and the mystery of the ‘killer robots’ is much more deadly than they had first feared.
It’s a good piece of writing for a Hollywood story though as usual with Hollywood, it utilises an original idea from the past, in this case from 1950, and updates it with CGI, gimmicks and flashiness.
The CGI however doesn’t disappoint, it’s absolutely bang on the money and doesn’t fail in any way, but sometimes it gets a little too much.
More practical effects could have been welcome in the film, it feels too separated from reality. It goes for more flash than substance.
The storyline and plot itself is another good point, it’s easy to figure out straight from the start, but it keeps its tension and mystery throughout which isn’t easy considering the audience can see the reveal right from the very start.
The elements of comedy within the dialogue and occasional hints of character expansion are a welcome addition, but sadly, there’s just not enough to keep the viewer fixed to the screen for the running time.
It’s extremely 123 with the plot and story. Typical of Hollywood.
The main problem lies with the fact that Asimov’s original writings are pretty much ignored throughout, only the basic plot point are used are the Three Laws Of Robotics and a scene where Sonny attempts to hide in a crowd.
It’s not the only fault either, Will Smith is relatively type-cast as the hero: The line "…You’re a cat, I’m black…" says it all.
Smith is very ‘1990s Fresh Prince’ and nowhere near the futuristic society character the movie strives to achieve.
Smith however, is an enjoyable Lead Actor as usual, and does his thang in his style.
The rest of the acting however, is pretty standard for the CGI laden epic it tries to be.
Alan Tudyk as the voice and motion capture of ‘Sonny’ is a brilliant piece of filmmaking and acting. He's extremly believable and very well modelled.
I will say though, after all the bad points, is that the action scenes are extremely well choreographed, very exciting, fast and explosive. They’re by far the best thing about the film.
Other than that, all in all, it’s an enjoyable film for anyone who hasn’t read the short stories, and for teenagers who want to see exciting CGI action. Anyone else may find themselves digging dirt out of their fingernails during the running time.
My rating 60%
