re:mote voices

Title: I, Robot
Cast: Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Alan Tudyk, James Cromwell, Bruce Greenwood
Director: Alex Proyas

One thing to be said straight off is that at least of recent Hollywood adaptations I, Robot is honest enough to say that is “suggested” by the writing of Isaac Assimov as opposed to be a direct adaptation. The problem with adaptations is that they are always going to make someone unhappy, but they are always going to be done because it saves Hollywood some hassle – apart from which, increasingly one gets the sense that novelists are writing with one eye on having their work made into a film. Of course now a days comments like “suggested” or “loosely based on” are kind of covering cop outs, but at least it is acknowledgement.

Which given that I’ve never particularly read the works of Assimov is all besides the point. Based on that the execution of this Will Smith vehicle, which he stars in as well as having co-produced, is quite well done. In terms of background detail, which can make or break the atmospherics and mood of this kind of film, we have the kind of updated Blade Runner business – the kind of eye for detail and bustle, without the grime – much in the same way as say Minority Report did.

I, Robot plays with the ideas of robot intelligence and the three laws of robotics, while mixing that into the sense of racism – the ideas of discrimination against robots, losing jobs to robots and to what degree they should really be treated as individuals or just machines. Classic themes, which should be familiar in some form to most viewers. In the context of the film the robotics market has been dominated by one company, who are preparing to roll out the latest model. This is a big deal and designed to make USR even bigger than they already are. However the launch is marred by the death of one of the key scientists behind the success of USR.

Will Smith plays the part of a paranoid and xenophobic police officer, convinced despite the lack of any evidence that robots are evil and we should not be turning as much of our world over to them as we are. With the death of the scientist, who Smith happens to know, his instincts tell him that it is not the suicide it seems to be. Based on this he tries to convince people that it was a robot that killed the scientist. Which doesn’t go down well, and he is told to forget it, but a series of increasingly alarming events mean that he can’t let it lie.

Effects wise the design of the robots, of the existing and new series, is effective – expressing the changes and the technology, and to a degree how they work. How this is then brought to life, from the high presence of robots in day to day life, to how things escalate, is what really gives the film the level of detail that brings I, Robot to life. As the film goes on there is an increasing reliance on guns and explosions, which could be found in any big budget action film, which undoubtedly this is, but it is the action and choreography of the robots throughout that makes this film different.

As for the plot, there are some similarities to other contemporary science fiction thrillers. Perhaps even some parallel’s to the afore-mentioned Minority Report. But taking that aboard the results are reasonably well delivered, building and unfolding in a manner which is fair enough. Though I suspect it is the very plot that the film is built upon that sees it depart from the original text.