Hey, you! Robot!

Karen and I watched I, Robot on DVD today. We hadn't seen it in the movies; frankly, the trailer turned me off. It was one of those tell-all trailers that left me with the sense that I had (A) seen the movie, and (B) hadn't liked it. Technophobic blather, I thought. Well, I was only partly right. I don't think I'm being too much of a spoiler* to say that there are some baaaad robots in this film. But to dismiss I, Robot as neo-Luddite claptrap would be an oversimplification. Sure, the bots are bad and the AI is evil, but it's the nature of that evil that is interesting. Yes, yes, there's the usual SF trope that humans, with all their foibles, have 'heart', and that is what makes us superior to machine logic. That's the overt message, and it's trite as hell. But there's another message, too -- a philosophy the movie condemns: in order to protect us, we must be deprived of our freedoms. If a few people are harmed along the way, well, tough noogies. Commentary on contemporary US politics in I, Robot: am I reading too deep? It is better to live with the risk of violence than be deprived of our personal liberties. Is that sentiment so controversial we have to bury it in a Will Smith flick? Aside from the fact I, Robot and I have the same politics, here's what's really cool about the movie: it has the same take on entertainment as I do. I can't think of another film that has I, Robot's balance of humor, poignancy, action, and creepiness. That's what I strive for in my writing, and that's what I, Robot delivers. Here's who we have to thank: Will Smith, who makes the most of a superb script. ("You are the dumbest smart person I have ever met." It's a cute line, but in Smith's hands, it's a corker.) Aside from starring, he also gets an exec prod credit for the film. Director Alex Proyas, who milks Smith for all he's worth and who makes the sentient robot, Sonny, touching without being maudlin (you listening, Spielberg? Naw. Didn't think so). Screenwriters Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman. Vintar, who also wrote the screen story, is perhaps best known for Final Fantasy. Goldsman has lots of fine credits but deserves a great big HUH? for Lost in Space. Well, Karen wants to look at kitchen cabinets at the hardware store. Gotta run. D. *One nice thing about reviewing a year-old film: I'll bet those of you who would watch a movie like I, Robot have already seen it.