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This film was a pleasant
surprise for me because I wanted to see it but was tentative about it. The movie is set
in a near future where robots are subservient to humans, and they must follow a very
strict code of conduct.
- A robot may not injure a human, or
through inaction, allow a human to come to harm.
- A robot must obey orders
given to it by a human except where it could conflict with the first law.
- A
robot must protect itself, as long as that protection doesn’t violate either the first or
second law.
The film explores what happens when a robot is accused of
killing a man and breaking the code of conduct. Will Smith plays Detective Del Spooner,
a man determined to prosecute the robot.
In the beginning, the audience
is very aware of Spooner’s contempt, but without any real explanation. It’s why his
colleagues consider him a conspiracy theorist, and they don’t buy the idea of a robot
killing Dr. Miles Hogenmiller, the man who invented the robots. Instead, they believe he
committed suicide.
It turns out that Spooner is right about his theory,
but he’s chasing the wrong lead. While we follow Spooner, we see that he’s right, but he
can’t prove it. In the end, even the audience is fooled by the truth. Generally, I’d
have to say that the story reminds me of T3, Blade Runner, and elements of
Report.
Visually, I found this movie to be friggin’ great. The
screen transfer was vivid, the effects were interesting, and I loved the sound. Seeing
two robots fighting Matrix-Martial Arts
style toward the end was so cool that I re-watched and showed the scene several times
after watching some of the DVD’s extra materials.
The making-of
featurette included on the DVD is cool because it shows more than run-of-the-mill
promotional fodder. The DVD also offers commentary and a number of additional
trailers.
GRADE: B+ (movie), B (DVD)
