I, Robot

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: July 16, 2004

8.0	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 456 Ratings

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User Reviews

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grandpajoe6191Sep 23, 2011

The movie's motives and premise is simply one of the dumbest things I've seen since the Ed Wood era. That is why "I, Robot" is a well ended movie, but with a terrible start.

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

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jimmytancrediMay 30, 2011

The highest point of the film is undoubtedly the script. Balconies with super smart and well-constructed dialogue, the film shows the writers' job well done. And what scene is that one of the blink at the end? Genial. Will Smith's characterThe highest point of the film is undoubtedly the script. Balconies with super smart and well-constructed dialogue, the film shows the writers' job well done. And what scene is that one of the blink at the end? Genial. Will Smith's character takes a lot to be charismatic. In the first 30 minutes I started to say that was such a big mistake to choose him as the protagonist of the film. I was wrong, he shows his past and his psychological construction gets well structured. Charismatic yes, but could be better. I, Robot is one of the best movies set in the future. Chicago of 2035 was extremely realistic, though. Moreover, another defect of the film is the merchandising. How did Converse pay for that exhibition of All-Star? And the Audi logo appearing all the time? To me it doesn't seem coincidental that the main robot is named Sonny. Even with two N's, it is worth remembering that in U.S. the name is only pronounced, not written. It may sound conspiracy theory, but I found relevant. Apart from some minimal defects, "I, Robot" is a good movie. Those kind that you get a good feeling after watching it.… Expand

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MovieGuysDec 31, 2013

I, Robot can be action-packed and fun to watch at some parts, and at some points it can be a bit jumpy and hyper. The movie is predictable, and has no twists and turns. But that's what most people who watch this are looking for. Action andI, Robot can be action-packed and fun to watch at some parts, and at some points it can be a bit jumpy and hyper. The movie is predictable, and has no twists and turns. But that's what most people who watch this are looking for. Action and gunfire for story and substance. Fair trade.… Expand

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MovieMasterEddyApr 3, 2016

When robots finally take over the world (assuming they haven't already) we will not be able to say we weren't warned. Every year, Hollywood studios present dire scenarios in which androids, computers and artificial-intelligence applicationsWhen robots finally take over the world (assuming they haven't already) we will not be able to say we weren't warned. Every year, Hollywood studios present dire scenarios in which androids, computers and artificial-intelligence applications run amok and enslave the human race, but the public never seems to get the message. Perhaps "I, Robot," a hectic, half-baked science-fiction thriller that opens today nationwide, will succeed where the "Terminator" and "Matrix" movies failed, and alert us to the grave danger that our innocent-looking toasters, vacuum cleaners, smart cars and laptop computers really pose.

At the same time, "I, Robot," directed by Alex Proyas and "suggested by" Isaac Asimov's 1950 book of short stories, may inspire some tenderness toward the technological doodads that run our lives. This is because, like other movies in this dystopian vein (including "Blade Runner" and "A.I."), it proposes that machines have feelings, too. The robots in this familiar future (the movie takes place in Chicago in 2035) have not only the intelligence necessary to turn against their human creators, but also the capacity to dream, to love and to suffer. At the screening I attended, cellphones and laptops were confiscated at the door. Supposedly, this was to prevent piracy, but I'm not so sure. Maybe 20th Century Fox wanted to make sure those clever gadgets didn't get any ideas, or maybe the studio just wanted to protect their feelings.

Del Spooner, a brooding, wise-cracking homicide detective played with weary action-hero bravado by Will Smith, shows no such sensitivity. He is, in fact, a raging anti-robot bigot, harboring a grudge against the helpful, polite machines that shuffle around the city running errands and doing menial work. Early in the movie, he chases down a robot he mistakenly believes has stolen a woman's purse, only to discover that he has been guilty of technological profiling. He is repeatedly scolded for his prejudice — by his grandmother (Adrian Ricard), by his boss (Chi McBride) and by the sinister head of the top robot-producing corporation (Bruce Greenwood) — which gives the movie an interesting undercurrent of racial irony.

Spooner's attitude also revives some familiar conundrums of sci-fi philosophy, which the script, written by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman, tackles in lengthy expository scenes. Where is the boundary between the human and the nonhuman? How does the technological blurring of this boundary affect our ethical conceptions of humanity and inhumanity?

These questions are batted around in a series of arguments between Spooner and Dr. Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan), who meet in the course of Spooner's investigation into the death of a kindly old scientist.

Spooner suspects that the man, a friend of his, was murdered by a robot, a possibility that seems at once logical and unthinkable, since the company's robots are governed by three laws, the first of which is that they can never harm a human. But the main suspect, a soulful prototype named Sonny (a computer-enhanced special effect voiced by Alan Tudyk), has developed a mind and a will of his own, which makes him a harbinger of apocalyptic danger as well as a friendly sidekick.

"You're the dumbest smart person I've ever met," Spooner says to Dr. Calvin during one of their debates, and "I, Robot" is one of the smarter dumb movies I've seen in a while. Its vision of the future is a grab-bag of borrowings from other pictures: the evil corporation from "Robocop," the urban consumer environment from "Minority Report," the sleek and agile killer robots from the last two "Terminator" movies, the climactic riot from, of all things, "Gangs of New York."

A straightforward genre exercise, directed with more competence than inspiration, "I, Robot" lacks both the intellectual rigor and the soulful sublimity of "A.I.," but it nonetheless allows some genuine ideas and emotions to pop up amid the noise and clutter. The overwrought ending tries to bring these into some kind of coherence, and the filmmakers deserve some credit for the effort, even though "I, Robot" makes less sense the more you think about it.

Which, I suppose, is just as silly as taking the film seriously as a cautionary tale. Still, this kind of movie presents a troubling paradox, since it is an example of the very phenomenon it purports to warn against. Dramatizing the threat of runaway technology seems to demand ever greater technological innovation, as digitized special effects increasingly push human beings off screen.

Sonny, with his mournful blue eyes and his smooth features, nearly upstages Mr. Smith and Ms. Moynahan, and it is possible to foresee a day when his kind will tire of being pushed around by flesh-and-blood actors and directors. They will organize their own guilds, take creative control over their own movies and, eventually, turn their mechanical minds to film criticism. Now I'm scared. I hope it's not too late.… Expand

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RirenMar 19, 2007

A decent, if lopsided, thriller built around a weak story. The dialogue is uninspired and the acting is laughably bad, with every cast member showing one or two emotions in the entire movie, and flipping between them like they have switches A decent, if lopsided, thriller built around a weak story. The dialogue is uninspired and the acting is laughably bad, with every cast member showing one or two emotions in the entire movie, and flipping between them like they have switches built in their backs. I Robot's saving grace is its special effects, which are head and shoulders above what you see in a lot of movies, but will soon be outdated. These special effects are paid for by the copious products that are shamelessly placed and mentioned in the movie. A handful of times it feels more like a commercial than a story. Coupling its superficiality with its terrible character development, you are left with a movie that is only worth seeing for its few truly inspired special effects. See it on TV. Don't pay for it.… Expand

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Compi24Nov 28, 2012

"I, Robot" is an almost-thought-provoking film with a complex lead protagonist and some clever visuals.