Robots: Your Trusted Friends

I'm usually not big on Sci-Fi's, but I,Robot is worth a trip to the theater, perhaps.

Hey, it's the summertime. And you know what you get when you connect summer with the cinema: mindlessness.

But this movie was such fun mindlessness. It has a carefully contrived (or apparently so) plot that makes the whole robot takeover scheme seem so deep that the layman can't understand it...when perhaps the director's intent is to use so much mumbo-jumbo that the audience gets lost and figure, "wow, I'm actually watching an esoteric movie."

In any case, it's 2030 (I think that's the right year) in Chicago, a robot commits a murder which robots are supposed to be unable to do, Will Smith investigates it to find out he is the chosen one to stop a robot revolution by a new breed of robots that is able to think and feel thus defying the laws of robotics. Or something like that.

The fact is that there's enough mindless action and funny comments from Willy boy to keep things interesting. Some of my favorite quotes:

Will Smith to woman robot psychiatrist:
"You're the dumbest smart person I've ever met."

"Sonny" the Robot
"Dectective Spooner, what does this signify? [robot winks]"

Will Smith to random kid
"Stop cussing and GO HOME!"

Will Smith thinking out loud as a robot army appears from nowhere and commences to leap toward his Audi futuro car
"Aw heck no, I no my luck isn't that bad."

Will Smith to Sonny the Robot
Robot to Will Smith
"After all this time you seem to still be suspicious of me, Detective Spooner."
"Yeah, well, you know what they say about old dogs."

Anyhow, the movie gets almost campy at times...this is the kind of Sci-Fi I can appreciate. Where you're slightly thrilled and on the edge of your seat as the robots attack, but simultaneously humoured at their appearance and Will Smith's ever-present bad-to-the-bone evil eye squint and randomly amusing comments. And the the female psychiatrist character that ends up working with Smith in a love-hate relationship greatly adds to the overall humour of things with her pseudo-intellectualism.

To sum things up, I,Robot won't have you reaching into unused portions of your cranium but it will have you chuckling, at times excited, and in general quite entertained.