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Surrogates

EMAILPRINTTouchstone Pictures

Surrogates reviews
45
6.1 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 21 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 38 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Action  |  Sci-fi  |  Suspense/Thriller

Written by: Brett Weldele (graphic novel)
Robert Venditti (graphic novel)
John D. Brancato
Michael Ferris

Directed by: Jonathan Mostow

Release Date:
Theatrical: September 25, 2009

Running Time: 88 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing images, language, sexuality and a drug-related scene

Starring Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe, James Francis Ginty, James Cromwell, and Ving Rhames

People are living their lives remotely from the safety of their own homes via robotic surrogates—sexy, physically perfect mechanical representations of themselves. It's an ideal world where crime, pain, fear and consequences don't exist. When the first murder in years jolts this utopia, FBI agent Greer discovers a vast conspiracy behind the surrogate phenomenon and must abandon his own surrogate, risking his life to unravel the mystery. (Touchstone Pictures)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

80

Time Out New York Keith Uhlich

What follows is pulp made near-profound through director Jonathan Mostow’s sure-handed guidance.

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75

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

There's fun robot stuff, some good philosophical ideas, and a brief, nutty Willis-Ving Rhames reunion 15 years after "Pulp Fiction."

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75

New York Post Kyle Smith

Among cheesy sci-fi movies meant to make you think, I'll take Surrogates over "District 9." Both are highly derivative, but in the course of recombining the basic chromosomes of "Blade Runner," "The Matrix" and especially "I, Robot," Surrogates nudges the robo-thriller in an interesting direction.

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75

ReelViews James Berardinelli

This represesents the smartest high-budget, high-profile science fiction film to have come along in quite some time.

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70

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Surrogates stays afloat by not taking itself too seriously, but also by recognizing that a movie about robots shouldn't look as if it were made by one.

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70

Variety Todd McCarthy

Mostow's smart speculative suspenser imagines a time when people can live through ideal versions of themselves while they sit wired up at home.

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63

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Surrogates is entertaining and ingenious, but it settles too soon for formula.

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60

Village Voice Nick Pinkerton

Willis is fine, both as his blond action figure (Zack Morris hair) and actual self, in trusty bruised palooka mode. Mostow does good meat-and-potatoes genre work, coherent even when reckless.

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50

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

The questions the movie raises have less to do with science than movie execution: Do the actors sound so robotic because they are playing robots well or humans badly? And did a machine write this dialogue? If so, could we please apply for an upgrade?

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50

USA Today Claudia Puig

Half a howler but not nearly funny enough.

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50

Boston Globe Ty Burr

A reasonably watchable sci-fi B movie, a case of a good director and some intriguing ideas struggling to overcome formula plotting, limp dialogue, and a serious case of the sillies.

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42

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

Relentlessly plods from one dour moment to the next, coming to life only in a late-film car chase that takes the possibilities of a world filled with robots to an absurd extreme.

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40

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

A mechanical sci-fi'er absent of logic or emotions. It functions as an expensive place-filler on the Disney release schedule and, as such, will be welcomed by only the least discriminating thriller fans.

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40

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

In this kind of industrial entertainment, particularly one that seems to be missing some connective narrative tissue, it’s hard to know if the writers or the director can be credited or blamed for what’s left on screen.

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40

Los Angeles Times Robert Abele

An interesting idea, but unfortunately, the film's narrative and emotional engine operate as mechanically as the titular, dead-eyed glamazoids.

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40

Time Richard Corliss

An ambitious but sub-ordinary SF epic in which, as so often, Willis is better than his material.

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38

Philadelphia Inquirer David Hiltbrand

Surrogates, which borrows tone and content freely from "I, Robot," is all windup and no pitch.

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30

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

The premise for this sci-fi actioner makes sense for about four seconds, after which you begin to wonder why everyone on the planet would willingly become a shut-in.

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30

Washington Post Dan Kois

Surrogates takes an interesting idea -- the triumph of technological convenience over grimy, workaday life -- and buries it under clumsy exposition, unconvincing action sequences and a by-the-numbers conspiracy plot.

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20

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

The filmmakers were too busy throwing together potential blockbuster material to notice all the loose ends and gaping holes in logic. Which may, ultimately, explain why Willis looks so confused throughout. Maybe he, too, is straining to locate some intelligence amid all the machinery.

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0

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Surrogates' morality is less Asimov than asinine, although it's bizarrely reassuring, in a nihilistic sort of way, to believe that in the future, when the world is ready to play The Sims for real (so to speak), our avatars are all going to look like generic porn stars with shitty airbrush jobs.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 6.1 (out of 10) based on 38 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Nerijus D gave it a4:
The idea wasn't fully thought through.

Eric E gave it a7:
Decent enough movie. I think it is worth watching. Nothing great about it, the characters could have been developed a bit deeper. Saw the ending coming a mile away. But kept me interested. Am also reading the comic right now (just the first one so far). Seems to be very similar to the movie or vice versa.

Pier B gave it a3:
the only thing I like about this films are the themes. Sadly, like any other thing in this movie, those themes were not well developed. Acting is bad, script is bad, picture is bad. The range of colors is like a family disney comedy.... and the music too. The plot is full of holes... and all the sci fi elements are phony. The movie feels fake from top to bottom. Ironically that's what the movie is trying to critize.

Colin gave it an8:
Good movie. I enjoyed it. It has some good action.

Jack Z gave it a7:
'Surrogates, which borrows tone and content freely from "I, Robot," is all windup and no pitch.' ---Philadelphia Inquirer David Hiltbrand No offense. But David, do you even bother do a background check before you write shits down? This film is based on a five-issue comic book series. If you have problem with "borrowing stuff from i robot", go flame on Robert Venditti. I for one seriously doubt the score you give to this film because you just write shits before you even do your homework. immature and irresponsible.

TY gave it a1:
Laughable B Movie that is really bad.

Jeff S gave it a7:
Not a bad movie...interesting topic and the acting was pretty good. I go to the movies to be entertained and I was.

Read more user comments >

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