SURROGATES

DISNEY

RELEASED 25 September 2009

Set sometime in the future, FBI agent Greer (Bruce Willis) has to investigate the combined murder of two Surrogates and their operators. A human operator sits in the safety of a virtual reality control pod at their home while their robot double goes about everyday life. Most of humanity has decided to live their lives this way, and Greer himself controls a younger, blond-haired (and plastic-looking) Surrogate. But Greer soon realises someone is out to put a halt to this way of life, and he must put away the robot and get his grizzled chops back on the streets for some old-school action, Bruce-style!

‘Surrogates’ weak points are it’s script (only one or two good throwaways for Bruce) and the dull ‘who-dunnit’ plot. However, Surrogates has plenty of good sci-fi ideas, and it’s a shame the film didn’t explore these in more depth. Soldiers fight wars from ‘Call of Duty-style’ online booths housed in vast darkened rooms, kids can be protected from harm by sending a Surrogate to school, and the police can stop a crime through illegal monitoring and disabling of Surrogates. Effectively, the world is a controlled, sanitised place.

There’s also a nicely-played subplot about Greer’s broken-down marriage after the death of his son years ago. Rosamund Pike plays the stunning-looking Barbie-doll wife, while a sad and regretful mother sits at home in her control pod.

THREE OUT OF FIVE