Checked out I, Robot on Sunday
afternoon, and it made for a pleasant time.
I, Robot is the new sci-fi action movie starring Will
Smith, destined to be one of those
summertime blockbusters that everyone ends up buying when the DVD comes
out. Maybe.
See, it’s loosely based on the Isaac Asimov book of the same
name. I
thought I had read this a long time ago, but I apparently either don’t
remember it or it wasn’t the same story. Either way, here’s the deal:
Will Smith is a technophobe living in a world where robots do
everything. Everyone has a personal robot assistant, and these robots
are the most helpful thing ever. On the eve of the largest robot release
ever, the doctor who invented most of this technology gets thrown from a
window and dies. But who did it?
Over the course of the movie, Smith (and Bridget
Moynahan, who plays another
robot-creating doctor) investigate the case and uncover a sinister plot
to take over the world.
Now, you probably watched the previews. You probably saw the same thing
I did - Will Smith kicking ass on a bunch of robots. You probably saw a
lot of gunplay and fighting and car chases and all the things that make
a light, fun action film.
Both you and I watched previews for a movie that really doesn’t exist.
See, I, Robot plays a lot more to the philosophic side of things. Can
robots evolve? Can they feel emotions? Are they sentient beings, capable
of free will? All of these things get looked at over the course of the
murder investigation. Interesting? Sure. Reflective? Maybe. Is this the
movie I came to see? No.
If I had wanted to see a Will Smith remake of Blade
Runner, that’d be one thing. I
saw the previews, though, and I expected some serious action. I wanted
smart one-liners and things getting blown up. I wanted car chases and
acrobatics. I wanted a special effects extravaganza with a nuclear
climax. What I got was a sci-fi murder mystery with a side of
philosophy.
That’s not to say this is a bad movie - far from it. I enjoyed the
film. I don’t feel like I lost out on my $6. That said, it’s not the
movie I went in to see. I expected one thing and got something else. I
feel a slight bit disappointed, like the victim of a bait-and-switch
scheme. Again, not that I got a lesser product, I just got a
different product. It wasn’t what I expected.
If it’s not an action movie, don’t pimp it like it’s an action movie.
Throw some more of the murder investigation in the previews. Give me
something that makes me realize there’s more than just action here. I
realize the action fills the seats, but you’ll get more positive word of
mouth if you accurately represent the product. (Don’t even get me
started on those movies with previews that show scenes that aren’t in
the film.)
I, Robot is good. Go see it. It’s worth a matinee price in the
theater, or at the very least a rental. I might have to think about it
for the full price… I’d consider it, but it might end up a coin toss.
Definitely worth checking out, just don’t go in looking for an all-out
action film.