I, Robot

If it weren't so excessively cool, it would be the biggest sci-fi event since the launch of Spielberg's Minority Report. Directed by Alex Proyas, the film has a suggestive atmosphere and, surprisingly, a decent (albeit reduced) idea. Will Smith was cast to ensure commercial security, so his Del Spooner makes the film a bit of a macho zodiac. I don't mind the character as a whole, but some of the one-liners seem as natural in the context of the story as Zarathustra in public toilets. Nevertheless, I pay tribute to Proyas for the ease with which he was able to balance the compromise between the action show and the impressive sci-fi spectacle with a warning undertone... How easily he was able to incorporate impressive emotions and sequences worth remembering into the veins of the film. In the end, one tends to forgive even the several exaggerated fancy "matrix-like" scenes, and if you are not one of the uncompromising fans of Isaac Asimov, then with a bit of good will, you won’t be able to help but enjoy this perfectly filmed ride. Definitely a hot candidate for sci-fi of the year. (03.09.2004)

Although this is Proyas’ worst ever picture, it is still on a high quality level. It’s proof that a “summer blockbuster" isn’t always necessarily a dumb movie that you have to switch off your brain for and suffer laboring through two hours of movie just to see a quarter hour of new generation CGI effects. I have two fundamental objections to make and neither of them is “regular". Firstly I’m unsure of what this has to do with Asimov. If you’ve read his books, you will be disappointed with it, if not, then the name will mean nothing to you. Apart from the three laws of robotics (which are ignored here anyhow), a couple of names and one pleasant nod in the factory, we get no hint of Asimov. My second objection concerns Alex himself for abandoning his habit of making cult movies not made just for the masses. The first objection just surprises me, but the second is understandable, because he wanted to film an action sci-fi that would enjoy commercial success and he succeeded in that to the maximum. (02.09.2004)

I, Robot is a spectacular, technically flawless action flick for mainstream popcorn fans, but even more discerning viewers will enjoy it. But any talk of highly intelligent entertainment in the mold of Minority Report is out of line. The film’s screenplay is simple and unsophisticated, with banal dialogue and a sizable portion of clichés. The screenplay is brought up to the level of high-quality entertainment only by director Alex Proyas, thanks to whom the result is dynamic enough not to be boring, and paranoid and disturbing enough to be enthralling. (14.09.2004)

A very solid film with flawless special effects that I believe will not become a sci-fi classic like, for instance, Blade Runner. It lacks a deeper dimension of thought for that, its ambition is only to entertain, nothing more. Which, of course, is no small feat, and it delivers without problem. The futuristic vision was very impressive, some of it really amused me, because the horizon of 30 years is not that far away, the creators really let their imagination run wild in places. Will Smith with his swagger is an advert for testosterone, some of the action sequences were outstanding (especially Smith's duel with the robots in the tunnel) and the whole thing ran like a Swiss watch without a hitch. Cool. (05.09.2004)

I hate it when a potentially thought-provoking film ends up being a simple action ride with only one goal: entertainment. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I refuse to be only entertained with such a topic. On top of that, everyone is praising the special effects, but to me that ubiquitous CGI eye pounding was terribly annoying, only surpassed by Will Smith in the main role – I hate his typical cool pose. Proyas’ excellent direction saves things a little and I, Robot is at least watchable – I even felt some tension by the end… but I’d much rather see this theme approached in another way. And only imagining how Asimov’s “Foundation” will turn out in the hands of Emmerich brings tears to my eyes. (30.06.2009)