I, ROBOT

FOX

RELEASED 6 August 2004

It’s clear from the opening credit ‘suggested by Issac Asimov’s book’ that the movie you’re about to see will bear little relation to the written version of ‘I, Robot’. When Asimov wrote his original novel, he created The Three Laws of Robotics: a robot cannot hurt a human being or allow a human being to come to harm; a robot must obey a human being’s orders unless the orders conflict with the first law; a robot must protect its own existence as long as it doesn’t conflict with the first or second law. The movie takes this fantastic basis for an intriguing and intelligent look at the possible dangers and potentials of robots and turns it into... a murder mystery. Set in the year 2035.

Robots are everywhere, from collecting the garbage, to catching up with their owners to give them the inhaler they’ve left at home. They have become an everyday household item, no different from today’s dishwasher. Except this household item can walk, talk, and even save your life. When the new model NS-5 rolls off the production line, it appears a fatal design fault has occured after robot creator Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell) is apparently murdered by his own personal NS-5, named Sonny (acted and voiced by a very 2001 HAL-sounding Alan Tudyk). Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith wearing a beenie hat that is always over one ear but above the other), distrusting of robots after a tragic experience in his past, must discover whether robots have become sentient, or find out if there is actually a human mind responsible.

The possibility for a really dark, questioning look at where our lives are headed concerning robots and artificial intelligence has been completely missed by ‘I, Robot’. Director Alex Proyas (The Crow, Dark City) is happy to give us second-rate vistas of a future Los Angeles, a few action sequences (standard requirements for a summer blockbuster), the occasional wise-crack from the ‘Fresh Prince of Bel Air’, and some quite disgusting product placement (a pair of trainers conveniently from the ‘antique’ 2004 line, and an ‘antique’ stereo also from the apparently design-classic year of 2004 - we live in golden times eh!) The robots do look authentic (no surprise coming from the ‘Lord of the Rings’ effects team WETA) and Sonny has an engaging personality, but the story of ‘I, Robot’ is weak, as is the lacklustre screenplay. The whole issue of AI and our responsibilty concerning the role of robots in the workplace and the home, and the social ramifications, is lost in a blur of action, explosions, and big bikes. The future of 2035 is not even visualised much differently from today. There are just a few more shiny buildings, faster highways, smarter car parks. Everything’s just shinier! Where are the incredible new inventions? Life barely seems any different, coming over like ten years from now rather than thirty-one!

‘I, Robot’ is another Hollywood blockbuster that will get lost in memory. 

TWO OUT OF FIVE