I, ROBOT (2004)

I, ROBOT (2004)

Tagline: Laws are made to be broken

(Sci Fi, Action, Mystery) [PG-13] 

There have always been ghosts in the machine.

So back when Blockbuster was closing they had a ton of DVDs on sale. I think at one point the better movies were going 4 or 5 for $20.00. Naturally, I was all about that, and I, ROBOT ended up being one of those. I think the premise probably drew me in, but I never saw it at the theaters and figured I couldn’t go wrong picking a Will Smith action flick with robots in it. I was correct.

In this one robots are a part of everyday life in 2035. They literally help with everything but it’s time to upgrade and get new models. Days before the upgrade one of the top scientists Dr. Alfred Lanning (played by James Cromwell from SPIDER-MAN 3), involved in the creation of the robots is thought to have committed suicide. Del Spooner (played by Will Smith) of the Chicago PD is basically a one-man investigation in charge of looking into it. He’s got a stick up his butt about robots, so it doesn’t take long before he starts throwing wild accusations around about foul play. He is sometimes pestered and sometimes assisted by one of Dr. Lanning’s protégé’s Susan Calvin (played by Bridget Moynahan best known for being in the JOHN WICK series). 

Largely focused around the 3 laws the robots are coded with and Dr. Lanning’s sometimes spooky yet ominous verbal and visual breadcrumbs (clues), this movie is not just a sci-fi flick without brains. It’s ridiculously entertaining while still being both provocative and unique. It’s essentially asking all the same questions that EX MACHINA does without the brainy arrogant subtext and almost complete reliance on dialog. We actually like Dr. Lanning and probably the movie's main character Sonny (voiced by Alan Tudyk) even more. I am fond of both Susan and Del given their circumstances. The chemistry between the two works in much the same way John Spartan and Lenina Huxley do in DEMOLITION MAN. The secondary casting is also very strong.

The action sequences, pacing, and score are super strong in this movie and overall there just isn’t a ton to pick on. To this day this is one of my favorite sci-fi movies ever made. I realized that it’s completely slipped off most people’s radar over the years, but even the effects and futuristic setting still hold up remarkably well. I can see someone complaining about the robot designs, but for me, this wasn’t an issue especially since we still haven’t seen many robot designs like it since. This movie was directed by Alex Proyas who directed THE CROW, but also GOD’S OF EGYPT which almost everyone but me seemed to hate. 

If we do ever have robots in every household. Maybe we don’t give them the ability to jump 30 feet in the air and trap us inside our houses if they want to. For me I, ROBOT is a solid 7 out of 7. Like I said earlier this thing is just tough to pick on…because as a sci-fi film it’s near flawless.

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY.  

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