I, Robot (2004)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Alex Proyas

Writers (WGA):

Jeff Vintar (screenplay) and
Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

16 July 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

What will you do with yours?

Plot:

In the year 2035 a techno-phobic cop investigates a crime that may have been perpetrated by a robot, which leads to a larger threat to humanity.

Plot Keywords:

Robot | Law | Death | Suicide | Investigation

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 9 nominations

Cast

Will Smith	...	Del Spooner
Bridget Moynahan	...	Susan Calvin
Alan Tudyk	...	Sonny
James Cromwell	...	Dr. Alfred Lanning
Bruce Greenwood	...	Lawrence Robertson
Adrian Ricard	...	Granny (as Adrian L. Ricard)
Chi McBride	...	Lt. John Bergin
Jerry Wasserman	...	Baldez
Fiona Hogan	...	V.I.K.I.
Peter Shinkoda	...	Chin
Terry Chen	...	Chin
David Haysom	...	NS4 Robot / NS5 Robot
Scott Heindl	...	NS4 Robot / NS5 Robot
Sharon Wilkins	...	Woman
Craig March	...	Detective

Also Known As:

Hardwired (USA) (working title)
I, Robot (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense stylized action, and some brief partial nudity.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) (Canadian Home Video rating) | UK:15 (DVD rating) | France:U | Iceland:12 | Malaysia:U | Brazil:10 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:MG6 | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:T | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (Approved No. 40784) | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:12PG | Ireland:15 (DVD/VHS release) | Greece:K-13

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Most of the cars in the movie are modified pre-2004 Audi A2, A6 and TT models. There are even some unmodified cars.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Spooner is driving back into town on his motorcycle, there are several shots that show that the cars on the road have conventional tires rather than the ball type wheels that they're supposed to have. These cars have the ball wheel props added to their fenders, but the standard tires remain visible underneath.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Detective Del Spooner: [singing along with Stevie Wonder's "Superstition"] Seven years of bad luck.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Robot Chicken: Kiddie Pool (#1.15)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Superstition

Good mix of action and philosophy

Like the Matrix and many other major movies, I, Robot has its foundations in philosophy, in its case the question of epistemology(The study of knowledge itself and computers being self-aware).

Will Smith is Spooner, a cop with an apparent attitude problem. Set in the future, I Robot sees Spooner embarking on a puzzling case of suicide where he believes it was actually murder. By a robot.

In this future society (With more than a homage to Blade Runner) robots are used as slaves of humans in all facets of life. They have 3 rules of conduct hard coded into them which essentially state they cannot harm humans. So the postulation by Spooner that a robot killed a man after a history where no robot had ever committed so much as a mugging presents a big problem to both his peers and his boss.

Suffice to say the story's plot thickens and a number of twists and turns emerge before the truth is revealed.

Will Smith is an absolute surprise here. Having previously been a light-hearted comedy actor he puts in a truly excellent and believable shift as a wise-cracking cop with a dark past.

However, the real star is the special effects and visual trickery. Impossible but ingenious camerawork and some jawdropping animation really make I, Robot feel truly alive and utterly believable, while never being dull for a second.

It arguably doesn't delve too deep into its philosophical undertones, but it doesn't really need to. It's a traditional Hollywood blockbuster action flick but it unquestionably has a brain and is a clear cut above the likes of Armageddon et al.

Very enjoyable.