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Will Smith (Independence Day, Six Degrees of Separation) stars in this sci-fi/mystery based loosely on the writings of Isaac Asimov. Smith plays Del Spooner, a 2035 police detective who distrusts the growing population of robots who serve humankind. When the creator of the robots (James Cromwell) dies in an apparent suicide, Spooner suspects a certain robot named Sonny (voiced by Alan Tudyk) of murder. The investigation reveals secrets and hidden agendas that culminate in a third-act revolution between humans and robots, where the robots attempt to enslave humanity ‘for its own good’.
There are a lot of good ideas at play in I, Robot, including the danger of artificial intelligence following cold rationality to the exclusion of compassion, no matter how well we attempt to program it to serve and protect us. The film is decidedly more plot-driven than character-centered, sacrificing a greater dramatic impact for a more popcorn-friendly, commercial appeal. Spooner’s relationship with Cromwell’s character, revealed in mid-film exposition, is among the film’s more interesting angles, as is his evolving feelings toward Sonny and robot-kind. There’s also an intriguing religious/messianic insinuation for both Smith’s and Tudyk’s characters.
Will Smith serves the film very well. He brings a warm and funny human element to an otherwise sterile-looking film full of waxy-looking computer-generated imagery. Tudyk is also memorable in his motion-capture and voice-over performance of the thoughtful, introspective Sonny, the first robot to possibly possess a soul. Supporting characters played by Bridget Moynahan and Shia LaBeouf are more half-baked and underwhelming. The film isn’t as sumptuously stylish as director Alex Proyas’s work on The Crow, nor is it as narratively sophisticated as his previous sci-fi/mystery tale, Dark City. It’s a more mainstream effort, but a mildly entertaining one. The script by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman is largely predictable, but the third act yields a couple of pleasant surprises.
With Bruce Greenwood, Chi McBride, and Adrian Ricard.
Oscar Nomination: Best Visual Effects