Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15146 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-12-03
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 115 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
As paranoid cop Del Spooner, Will Smith displays both his trademark quips and some impressive pectoral muscles in I, Robot. Only Spooner suspects that the robots that provide the near future with menial labor are going to turn on mankind--he's just not sure how. When a leading roboticist dies suspiciously, Spooner pursues a trail that may prove his suspicions. Don't expect much of a connection to Isaac Asimov's classic science fiction stories; I, Robot, the action movie, isn't prepared for any ruminations on the significance of artificial intelligence. This likable, efficient movie won't break any new ground, but it does have an idea or two to accompany its jolts and thrills, which puts it ahead of most recent action flicks. Also featuring Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, and James Cromwell. --Bret Fetzer

Special Features
Feature Length Audio Commentaries By: - Director Alex Proyas & Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman. - Production Designer Patrick Tatopoulis, Editor Richard Learoyd, Visual Effects Supervisor John Nelson, Associate Producer John Kilkenny, Animation Supervisor - Andrew Jones Of Digital Domain. - Composer Marco Beltrami. - The Making Of… "I, Robot" - Gag Reel - Still Gallery - Day Out of Days: The I, Robot Production Diaries - Post Production - Sentient Machines: Robotic Behaviour - About Science Fiction & Robots - The Filmmakers' Toolbox & Visual Effects - Extended & Deleted Scenes - Easter Eggs - Trailers For: Alien Vs Predator, 24, Electra

Synopsis
Loosely based on the novel from Isaac Asimov, I, ROBOT is an action-packed, CGI-laden thrill ride from director Alex Proyas (THE CROW). Set in 2035, Will Smith stars as Chicago law enforcer Detective Del Spooner. Called upon to investigate the mysterious suicide of scientist Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell), Spooner deduces that Lanning didn't kill himself but was, in fact, murdered. Lanning worked for the US Robotics headquarters, where he constructed friendly robots designed to help humans with mundane tasks. Lanning's creations are prevalent all over the city, and have been fully integrated into the culture. They are allegedly programmed not to harm humans, but as Spooner digs deeper, his investigations lead him to a new type of robot that Lanning was working on before his death, and one of these models--the highly charismatic Sonny--becomes the prime suspect in the case. Spooner bears a grudge against robots due to an unfortunate incident, so his case against Sonny is met with shrugs of indifference from colleagues who know his prejudices all too well. Fortunately he meets an ally, and a romantic interest, in Dr. Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan), who agrees to help him. As Sonny is cured of his violent tendencies, the other robots amass across the city, working on the assumption that they need to control humanity in order to safeguard its future. Director Proyas unleashes a fearsome arsenal of special effects, while Spooner and Calvin chase the errant robots all over the city. Sonny's facial features and voice are digitally manipulated from the actor Alan Tudyk, lending an unnerving element of humanity to the character. Smith and Moynahan give convincing performances throughout, and as the action races towards a nail-biting conclusion, the message of the movie suggests that technologies built to help mankind could also provide its downfall.

Customer Reviews

Great Movie and this Year's Best Summer Blockbuster
I won't lie, having seen the trailer to 'i, Robot', I thought it looked quite frankly rubbish. Shots of camp robots jumping all over a futuristic Audi, that was being piloted by Will Smith didn't fill me with enthusiasm. But I was wrong.

This is a great movie, and not only that, but it was realligned my perception of Will Smith as an actor. The pacing, plot and vision are all top notch, helping to carry the film along at a cracking pace, and Will Smith is excellent as the cynical future cop, engulfed by his paranoia towards the robots that populate society. His trademark quips help to bring some much needed humour to the proceedings, and his physical prowess makes some of the more extreme actions that he undertakes more believable. Special mention also has to be given to Alan Tudyk, who gives an incredibly dynamic performance as Sonny, the lead robot, creating a unique combination of human curiosity and robotic precision.

As has been mentioned, the special effects are great, maybe except for some of the occasionally artificial looking cityscapes, and the NS5 robot designs are fantastic. The action, whilst a tad extreme is nontheless highly enjoyable, breaking up the lengthy dialogue-heavy scenes. The plot, whilst obviously not as complex as the Asimov book, is still competant enough to hold its own against other recent Sci-Fi films such as 'Minority Report'.

So overall, 'i, Robot' gets a big thumbs up in my oppinion, firstly as a great movie and secondly as the first movie I've seen to be better than it's trailer. The only thing I can't understand is why the certificate has been bumped up from a 12 to a 15, as in my view it's suitable for all the family.

Excellent entertainment
The story in summary: It's the year 2035 and robots are an everyday household item, everyone trusts and relies on them except one paranoid detective (Will Smith) who is investigating what he believes is a crime committed by a robot; this is unheard of as robots aren't built to be allowed to harm humans. Smith has difficulty turning anyone to his way of thinking and finds himself being drawn into something far more sinister. The film is amazingly shot, beautiful vast city skylines reminiscent of Blade Runner set the scene and mood brilliantly, visually it's stunning. The robots themselves are fantastic and don't seem out of place walking down the street with humans, a fine achievement as this can so often let a film down. The graphics people have done a great job with the robots themselves they look good and move beautifully, Sunny the star robot really has a human edge but still reminded me a little of Casper the ghost. Whilst there probably is a moral buried in here somewhere, it's not immediate and the film is just huge entertainment and action the whole way through - the car scene is fantastic. This is a big budget production and there's the now familiar product placement, JVC, Audi & Converse All Star all feature this time around, but that's the norm these days. Will Smith is excellent as the cynical lead and plays his part to perfection. Great escapism, and you don't have to be a sci-fi fan to enjoy it.

Asimov fans will probably hate this film, but it's not bad
There are many films which some people love and other people hate. It is less common for the same person to both love and hate a film, but I felt that way about "I, Robot."

If you are a big fan of Isaac Asimov, and particularly of his robot stories such as the original book "I, Robot" there is a strong possibility that you will be absolutely infuriated by this film.

Firstly, this is because most of Asimov's robot books were works of absolute genius both for the time they were written and even by comparison with events and things which have been written since. Asimov's depictions of robots and computers are far closer to the reality of computers and machines which surround us today than were the mechanical frankenstein monsters which every previous author who wrote about robots created. To be in the same league as Asimov's books the film would have had to be brilliant, and it isn't.

Secondly, the scriptwriters have used the name of one of Asimov's books, the names of two of his characters, and his three "laws of robotics" to produce a film which at first sight appears dangerously close to being exactly the type of robot story which Asimov detested and was trying to get away from.

As Asimov explained himself, he wanted to move on from the cliche in which every film or book about robots retold the story of Frankenstein with robots as the monster, repeating a cycle in which "robots were created and destroyed their creators; robots were created and destroyed their creators."

Some Asimov fans will see the film "I Robot" as falling into exactly that pattern and will loathe it for this reason. The character Susan Calvin in the film, despite some good acting by Bridget Moynahan, is also a disappointing shadow of the much more human person created in Asimov's books.

Having said all that, even from the viewpoint of an Asimov purist there are some good things about the film. During the first half of the film, Will Smith as Del Spooner, a paranoid detective who is something equivalent to an anti-robot racist, is the only person who suspects that anything might be wrong with the robots. During this part of the story, all the robots, except one apparent rogue, act exactly as Asimov predicted that his "three laws of robotics" could be used to make them support human society. Some robots continue to do so throughout the book and are effectively sympathetic characters rather than demons.

Other good things in the film - there is some excellent acting, particularly from Smith, Moynahan, and James Cromwell who plays the father of robotics, Dr Alfred Lanning. The robot character Sonny was created using CGI based on the movements of actor Alan Tudyk (who played the pilot Wash in Serenity / Firefly) in the same way that Gollum was created for the "Lord of the Rings" films. This was particularly well done, but special effects were spectacularly good throughout the film.

Dramatic tension was well managed and you are made to care about most of the characters. There is some excellent humour in the film. Overall I didn't think it was a bad film.

If you like science fiction films and have not read any of Asimov's robot novels, give this a try and you will very probably enjoy it. If you have read and enjoyed the original novels, and are willing to accept that a film inspired by them does not have to rigidly follow all of Asimov's ideas, then the same will apply.

If however you are a huge Asimov fan and are likely to be offended by people who are not quite up to his level of genius taking liberties with his work, you should probably leave this film alone.