I, Robot (DVD)

I, Robot is not exactly a horror movie, but it’s a very dark sci-fi trip and it certainly did scare up a lot of money during it’s theatrical run. The cinematic interpretation of I, Robot is very 'Hollywood extravaganza' and you can definitely see the influence of producer/star Will Smith (snappy one-liners abound) and director Alex Proyas (the neo-noir look of his previous work, which includes The Crow and Dark City, are palpable here). Lucky for me: I like Hollywood extravaganzas, I like Will Smith, and I like Alex Proyas. I saw the movie on the big screen, and was eager to see it again on DVD — I wasn’t disappointed (as is too often the case having seen something on the big screen, liked it, then finding that even a few months later it hasn’t aged well).

I, Robot is set in Chicago in the near future (perhaps too near — 2035) where human-shaped robots are in common usage as assistants, workers, and even companions. Life with robots is easier, and certainly idyllic … until one of them commits murder. The victim is the "father" of the machines, Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell). The death is considered a suicide until Det. Del Spooner (Smith) comes on the bloody scene. Spooner hates robots, and his distrust borders on paranoia. Although every robot is bound by the Three Laws, one of which is to never harm a human being, Spooner believes there's a loophole. He sets his sights on "Sonny" (Alan Tudyk), one of Lanning's favorite robots. They haul the machine in to the police station, but the charges don't stick. Spooner makes it his personal mission to prove that the doctor was murdered, which leads to the seamy underbelly of U.S. Robotics, the sole manufacturer of hundreds of thousands of new, upgraded models getting set to flood the market. (By the way, Asimov came up with "U.S. Robotics" long before the modem company was even a web-dream.) U.S. Robotics' C.E.O. Lawrence Robertson (Bruce Greenwood) and the company psychologist, Dr. Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan) work at opposite ends of the spectrum in moving Spooner's risky investigation forward.

The action sequences involving the menacing machines are really quite harrowing. In contrast there are some nice, low-key scenes involving Spooner's granny (Adrian L. Ricard), and Spooner's rescue of the late Dr. Lanning's housecat. The movie is nicely balanced between extremes and the actors play their heightened characters with a sense of being grounded in reality; thankfully Smith and Moynahan are both watchable and competent, never misstepping. While he did sort of remind me of a crash test dummy, I did like Sonny. The CGI — a blend of live action capture (as was done with Gollem/Andy Serkis in the Lord of the Rings trilogy) and computer artistry — is very skilled on the robots and makes them look just real enough for you believe they could possibly hand you your slippers and then kill you. Tudyk's voice work is beyond reproach.

I will admit, there are a few Velveeta moments: In one scene early on, barenaked Smith is seen taking a shower and he's just standing there, posing like Atlas. This made even less sense when later on, Moynahan was in the shower and not posing like Atlas. At least the silly scene could have been book-ended in some way. There are also a few blustery over-the-top yelling scenes with actor Chi McBride channeling Det. Sgt. John Taggart from Beverly Hills Cop. A thoroughly irritating Shia LaBeouf seems thrown headlong into the story without a lifejacket, and there are perhaps a few too many obviously cinematic quips in the dialogue.

I do think I, Robot would have played better as a fully serious, hard science fiction opus but perhaps the filmmakers thought that would just be too risky. To my knowledge, Smith hasn't ever really played a completely earnest character (even Muhammad Ali had a healthy sense of humor)  and his other light-fare science fiction films (Men In Black and Independence Day) have been huge, moneymaking box office hurricanes. All in all I think the story, acting, direction and the stylized look and feel of the film is strong enough to carry it through most nitpicks.

Discerning horror fans will enjoy this futuristic science fiction actioner for its dark, sinister elements. I'm not saying it's on par with deeply shadowed sci-fi classics like Blade Runner or A.I., but it's certainly as good as Minority Report and is leaps and bounds beyond more recent efforts like the dismal Terminator III or the fun but forgettable The Chronicles of Riddick.

The DVD has quite a lot of interesting featurettes and additional release material. Although I’m seldom interested in seeing information about other upcoming movies on a DVD, I tuned in for the “sneak peeks” section and was actually entertained. They’re not just trailers — we get an actual behind-the-scenes look at some 2005 Fox releases: Robots, an animated CGI feature; Jennifer Garner getting primed for Electra; and the too-beautiful onscreen couple of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, what looks to be a very funny, sly spy thriller.

There are also the obligatory “Making-Of I, Robot” featurettes, which are pretty interesting. Perhaps most enjoyable is the commentary from the director, and from one of the screenwriters, Akiva Goldsman. Unfortunately the two are not together so there is no back-and-forth banter; instead, there’s back-and-forth splicing of their comments. Still, it works. Proyas has some interesting things to say about why the detective genre works so well cinematically, a lot about the characters’ motivations, and what they are thinking. Goldsman’s commentary also focuses on character and furthermore, he reveals where certain ideas and inspirations came from. I thought it was intriguing to learn that Sonny was inspired by Maria from 1927’s Metropolis.

One thing I would very much have liked to have learned was not revealed: There’s a scene in the movie in which Spooner interacts with the recently-deceased Dr. Lanning's cat; in it, Spooner says, “You’re a cat, I’m black, and I am not going to be hurt again.” When I first saw the movie on the big screen, I thought, “OK. That’s an odd thing to say out of the blue.” Then when I saw there was commentary on the DVD, I went, “Now, finally, I’ll find out what the hell that means.” Wrong! The commentary on that section in the film is by the director, and it’s all technical about the shot. So, here’s my theory: It’s an obscure reference to 1969’s tearjerker, J.T. In that movie, J.T. (Kevin Hooks) is a withdrawn inner-city boy who learns about kindness and responsibility when he takes care of an elderly, badly injured alley cat he names Bones. J.T. nurses Bones back to health, but the gatto can’t hack the ghetto and winds up dead, breaking poor J.T.’s heart. (Am I right, Mr. Goldsman?)

All in all I recommend I, Robot the DVD. It’s a keeper for the library.