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I, Robot (Widescreen Edition)
: Is it so much to ask of Hollywood that if they are claiming to be producing a movie based on a book that the movie in question have some passing resemblence to the book asside from the title?If the producers aren't going to use anything in the book, why not use a different title? They could call this "Man in Black." Or at least have the courtesy to run a groveling apology to the original writer, his estate and his fans at the beginning of the film.
 The movie `I, Robot' takes its cue from Asimov's collection of short stories by the same name. It is not based on any one of the stories from the collection, choosing instead of add a newer tale still firmly establishing itself in the premise of the book: The three Laws of Robotics.
The three laws are: 1) A robot may not injure a human being or through inaction allow a human being to come to harm. 2) A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
In this new visual tale, Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) has a deeply seated, personal prejudice against robots, saying himself that they are nothing but wires and lights. When Dr. Alfred Lanning (the wonderful James Cromwell) unbelievably commits suicide, Spooner finds himself in an investigation that is not only tangled with conflicts against the laws of robotics, but also places his life in danger.
Susan Calvin (expertly played by Bridget Moynahan) is a robot psychologist who finds Spooner's story ridiculous but detrimental to the impending release of the new NS5 robot series. Together they capture Sonny, an NS5 that was present at the time of Dr. Lanning's death, and discover that he not only behaves in a manner peculiar to robots, but that he has dreams; something robots are not capable of.
The plot takes off, with Spooner and Calvin searching for the meaning and the menace behind this aberrant behavior emerging in the new NS5's. All Lanning left behind him was a "trail of bread crumbs", clues that Spooner must decipher, beginning with a copy of the Hansel And Gretal book left behind at the scene of his death.
The special effects in this movie are stunning, sometimes going over the top but still blending in nicely with the futuristic theme. What I found surprisingly unique and pleasing is that they used slow motion effects even in the CGI scenes, filming the robot fights in a way that has been done only with live actors before. That was cool. The buildings, the modes of transportation, the robots, the explosions, all were spectacular effects but did not overpower the theme of the movie or the talent of the cast.
Will Smith brings his toughness and humor to the screen with his usual finesse, but to me it was Sonny the robot who captured the screen. There was a great deal of chemistry between Spooner, Sonny, and Calvin, that balanced out the FX with human interaction and fine performances. Adrian Ricard deserves a mention here for her role as Granny also, properly chastising the cocky Spooner in a way neither his Captain or Calvin could do.
This is a great sci-fi thriller, and in my opinion, a great addition to one of the most classic books in science fiction to date. Enjoy!
 Like some of the other reviews have said... they should have named the movie something else, since the only thing I saw in common to the book is mention of the Three Laws. Everything else is over-hollywoodized. I've always believed that you you make a movie from a book, do it right or don't do it at all! At least when the movie Contact came out, they followed the book as closely as they could. They couldn't include all the details, though, since it would have made the movie about 12 hours longer. At least they kept the basic story. I, Robot is not even close to the book. I say thumbs up for the movie in itself, but thumbs down for misusing the name.
 First of all, I haven't read Isaac Asimov's "I, Robot," so I don't have any basis on which to compare the book to the film. However, I have watched many science fiction flicks. I enjoy adventures such as the original "Star Wars" trilogy, action flicks like the recent "Resident Evil: Apocalypse," and the type of sci-fi that leaves you in a reflective mood, such as "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."
I expected "I, Robot" to lean towards the "Resident Evil" genre of sci-fi. Plenty of shoot'em up action and brainless explosions that are good for a Sunday afternoon, but won't expect you to think too much. Add to the fact that Will Smith is in the starring role, and I expected the action to be hopped up on streetwise, smarty-pants humor. Imagine my surprise when, after viewing the film, I was amazed at how really good this flick is.
Granted, it is full of fast-paced action that any Playstation fan would jump with glee for, but it also has a really great murder mystery aspect to it that leaves you questioning just who the bad guy really is. Also, Smith's token smart mouth is toned down a little, and I actually enjoyed watching him on the screen. He seems to have finally matured into an adult, and his face is finally showing a little age, which makes it easier to believe in him as a toughened cop.
The story starts out with Smith's character, Spooner, investigating the murder of a brilliant scientist responsible for introducing personal robots into society. These robots provide companionship, do manual labor, and serve as all-around go-to's when needed. Of course, Spooner believes this reliance on robots is only the beginning of something horrible down the road. He immediately suspects one of the newest robotic creations to be the murderer of the good doctor. He, along with a fellow employee of the deceased doctor, goes out to find who or what did the deed and why they did it. What follows is a quickly paced action film that has plenty of intelligence for the viewer with an I.Q. above the average moviegoer.
The story does start out somewhat slow, but it picks up about thirty-minutes in on both the action and intellectual levels. Don't worry, you can still watch this as a brainless flick, but its story is so good that you'll be hard pressed not to follow it.
The special effects are fun to watch. It is amazing how life-like the robots are. Sonny, the murder suspect, manages to win over even the toughest critics with his human emotions and actions. I forgot that he wasn't real while watching the movie, making this story that much easier to digest.
The DVD itself is sparse on extras. There is a little "making of" documentary and a stills gallery. There's also a commentary provided for those folks who have nothing better to do. Honestly, I glance at some extras on DVDs, but I hardly look at them more than once. If you're like me, you won't miss the movie trailers, cast filmographies, or other fluff that is sometimes put on these discs. I buy these things for the films on them, not to learn why certain scenes are left on the cutting room floor.
In closing, buy this flick if you like intelligent murder mysteries with a twist. If you like sci-fi flicks in general, this movie won't let you down. If you're an action fan, this motion picture has plenty of that, too.
Highly recommended.
The five stars are for the book, since the movie is not yet out. This is just a quick note to say that if you haven't read Isaac Asimov, "I, Robot", is a good book to try. Isaac Asimov is a major pioneer in early science fiction and is still quite good, if not better than most science fiction today. Also, you might try David Brin's "The Postman", which the Kevin Costner movie is loosely based on.
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