Rating: 
Summary: Eye Candy, not Brain Candy
Review: I'm sorry. I don't believe that the Directorial Staff and writers of I, Robot really wrestled much with the purity of Asimov, Bradbury and Heinlein. When you watch the credits of a movie based on a book like, for example, Lehane's Mystic River, you'll see a reference, ' . . . from the book,' or '. . . based in part on . . . ' And then there's '
. . . from an idea . . .'
This is even more of a reach then that. Will Smith is actually a remarkable actor growing from a humble, 30-minute humorous quips (Fresh Prince) TV background. Now you can even say, 'he's the man.' And additionally, going back to the Ali days, he spends a lot of time in the gym. Because he is most assuredly, buffed.
But that's it. Not a serious examination of AI, interesting dialogue (and that's all) between Moynahan and Smith, and a Lassie like slobbering grin from the Robot Character "Sonny" that we are left to assume (yes, theologians) has a soul.
Great special effects. Boring, predictable dialogue. The usual tedious quips the writers force Mr. Smith to make instead of just letting him act. NOTHING ELSE. 3 stars. Larry Scantlebury
Rating: 
Summary: In the land of the blind...
Review: I've heard many people bashing this movie for not being as intellegent as Asimov, and for being far more violent. There is, however, something they are missing. Unfortunately, cinematic and televised science fiction live in a place where "the one eyed man is king," and quite frankly, this is usually as intellegent as it gets. It's nothing new, but it tries, and it manages to be entertaining. This "land of the blind" logic is also the reason the new "Battlestar Galactica" is considered "realistic," because it at least tries where other shows don't.
Rating:
Summary: Fun actuin movie
Review: If you want to ponder... read the stories instead. This is just a fun film, very entertaining and not meant to tax the brain... So enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Pleasantly Surprised!!
Review: Originally, when I saw the previws for this film, I thought "Great, another movie with Will Smith saving the world." then, when I saw it after my sister bought it on dvd, I was surprised at just how much I likedit. I found myself wanting to watch it again within the next couple of days. The thought of the world being so technological has always fascinated me, but I have to admit, I can't make myself believe it's ever going to be quite as technical as this movie. It's kind of scary to think that we may one day depend on robots to do so many things, but who knows. I almost hope it doesn't happen in my generation. Flying cars and things like that are just a little to much for me. But, I give this 5 stars. It still amazes me how people think so extensively about the future.
Rating:
Summary: I, Robot (Widescreen Edition)
Review: Set in a future Earth (2035 A.D.) where robots are common assistants and workers for their human owners, this is the story of "robotophobic" Chicago Police Detective John Spooner's (Smith) investigation into the murder of Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell), who works at U.S. Robotics, in which a robot, Sonny (Tudyk), appears to be implicated, even though that would mean the robot had violated the Three Laws of Robotics, which is apparently impossible. It seems impossible because.. if robots can break those laws, there's nothing to stop them from taking over the world, as humans have grown to become completely dependent upon their robots. Or maybe... they already have? Aiding Spooner in his investigation is a psychologist, Dr. Susan Calvin (Moynahan), who specializes in the psyches of robots.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting premise, but its no "Minority Report"
Review: This film intrigued me because of the interesting premise about a robot accused of murder, which is something it supposedly cannot do. That's because there are three laws that govern the internal programming of robots...one being that they cannot kill a human being, that their job is to protect human life. So, the film hooks you by an intriguing premise then reels you in until they pull a switch on you (that old "bait and switch" standby) and the film leads elsewhere, and that's where it falls apart.
The first half of the movie is well done and quite intriguing. Will Smith as Detective Spooner is investigating a strange death of the creator of these robots. The dead man happened to have fallen out of a window, so everyone thinks its suicide. Spooner suspects otherwise, because he has a history of hating robots. Everyone else "knows" that there's no way a robot could commit murder because of the three operating principles. So, we get an interesting storyline in which the robot is apprehended and interrogated. The film has the look and feel of another film set in the future (Spielberg's "Minority Report"). In fact, to watch both films as a double feature would convince you that they take place in the same time period and place as one another. I liked that about this film (because I'm a huge fan of "Minority Report").
Once the twist happens, the film goes into a different tangent and it all goes downhill from there. Its a gimmick that I'm growing tired of...the old switcheroo. Movie audiences are so sophiscated these days that Hollywood seems like they have to continually pull fast ones on moviegoers by making unexpected twists in the story just to throw people off from predicting the ending. But by the end of this movie, who really cared? The trailers sold it as one thing, the film resolves to something else entirely, and I couldn't help but feel ripped off and cheated. This film wasn't so much a murder mystery, exploring the paradox of the three rules in regards to how a robot could commit murder, as it is a cautionary tale about the militarization of the country as it moves towards totalitarianism by use of artificial intelligence to do the dirty deed of preventing people from rising up against the corporate takeover of our government. If that's what the film was about, they should have sold it as such, but don't string people along thinking its about a robot accused of murder, making it look guilty, then pulling a switcheroo to where the robot is actually a savior. Lame. I expected much better. See "Minority Report" instead. Its a more profound film.
Rating:
Summary: Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto.
Review: When I saw the first previews for I, Robot, I was interested. When I found out Alex Proyas, director of The Crow and Dark City, was directing, I was VERY interested. And the verdict? Proyas delivers in what is probably the most fun I have had at the movies in a very long time.Fans of Isaac Asimov's collection of short stories will feel short-changed by the movie's misleading title. The only real thing the film has in common with the literature is the inclusion of Asimov's Three Laws Of Robotics, and I believe the characters Alfred Lanning (played by James Cromwell) and Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan) appear in one of Asimov's stories, but I haven't read them, so I'm not sure. Either way, Proyas' I, Robot is in no way shape or form Asimov's. But maybe that's a good thing, because between the strong story by Jeff Vintar (who manages to redeem himself after his atrocious screenplay for the Final Fantasy movie) and script by Vintar and Akiva Goldsman and Proyas' great direction, this flick is great fun. Will Smith plays Del Spooner, a detective with an unfortunate name and an even more unfortunate past. Called in to deal with the apparent suicide of Alfred Lanning, the top designer at US Robotics, he begins to suspect something more sinister is lurking beneath the surface of USR, and believes the impossible: That a robot, a top of the line NS-5, actually killed the good doctor. The story itself is relatively straight-forward, but has enough small twists and turns to make it interesting. Smith essentially plays his July hero role, so those familiar with the original Men In Black or Bad Boys films will instantly recognize his smart-mouthed swagger. Still, Smith and his supporting cast, including Bruce Greenwood (Thirteen Days) as the menacing USR CEO, Bridget Moynahan (The Recruit, Serendipity) as the super-smart, super-hot scientist Susan Calvin, Alan Tudyk as the voice of Sonny, and Chi McBride as Spooner's commanding lieutenant all do well in their roles. Composer Marco Beltrami confirms his status as a up-and-coming talent in movie scores with a great little soundtrack. Proyas, proving himself again an under-rated talent in movies, plays his cards smartly. The first half of the film is surprisingly slow and careful, which allows for us to be fully immersed in Chicago in the year 2035. While this pacing seems odd for a "summer blockbuster," it actually works exceedingly well. Proyas baits us with a few small action pieces, but is really building up the tension and anticipation for the film's conclusion. And what a finale. Action fans can rest assured, because when Proyas finally does let loose the dogs of war, it's worth the wait. With so many directors abusing and over-using slow-motion these days, it almost seems like that's all Hollywood can do. We're saved, though, because Alex Proyas has officially made slow-motion cool again, with some wild-eyed and creative timing and camera angles. And when the robots, those awesome looking CG perfect robots, themselves start kicking-@ss, it's so worth the price of admission. Watching their super-human aerobatic mix of kung-fu and insanity is nothing short of magical, and a great reminder of what a summer movie is supposed to be: magic. I, Robot isn't perfect. The vision of 2035 Chicago isn't as immersive and life-like as the images of Washington, DC in Steven Spielberg's Minority Report, or Los Angeles in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. The hyper-commercial over-exposure of the Audi rings, the JVC CD player and Smith's Converse shoes gets old. I, Robot's script isn't going to win any awards, but it has enough intelligence not to insult you, and enough action to entertain you. At heart, it is a summer popcorn flick. If you're looking for a more cerebral look at robotics and the philosophy behind them, I recommend Mamoru Oshii's Ghost In The Shell, which stands as more of a thinking-person's action film. Like Spider-Man 2, I, Robot is a FUN summer movie that leaps through its paces with grace and jaw-dropping visuals. And that's enough for me.
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