I, Robot

Well, I watched I, Robot yesterday, and I suppose that I should review it.

I, Robot (starring Will Smith) is based on Isaac Asimov's book of the same name. Essentially it is based several decades in the future, where robots are used for many industrial and personal purposes. These robots are guided in their actions by three laws, which cannot be broken.

The movie follows Detective Spooner (played by Will Smith), a recently divorced cop who was also in a car accident. The accident forced his car and another into a river, and a robot saved him from drowning. The movie begins after the accident, and Spooner is back on the beat; however, he is suspicious of robots, and this is not helped by the development of the NS-5, the most human-like robot yet. On top of that, the Father of Robotics and writer of the "three laws" dies from an apparent suicide just before the NS-5 is released.

It is difficult to say much more without spoiling the movie, so I'll move on.

Coming from someone who has not read the book, I actually enjoyed this movie. I was skeptical after reading other reviews, but I feel that this movie was quite thought-provoking.

The movie explores the problems with robots, who operate completely out of logic. It asks, essentially, is it possible for a robot to experience consciousness? If a robot can experience consciousness, then at what point does that happen? What happens when a robot can choose whether or not to obey the three laws? Are the three laws perfect?

If you don't particularly care for such questions, there is a good bit of action in the movie, and since it involves robots, there are plenty of cool ways to finish off a foe without needing blood and gore. A fair amount of things-that-go-boom and plenty of gunfire help keep you awake while you're pondering some deep question. Let's not forget the special effects either; those robots looked pretty neat!

I, Robot also has its downfalls. It does have some language that it could have definitely done without, and I never planned on seeing Will Smith's bare posterior (it just wasn't on my to-do list).

Having not read the book, I feel that the movie did a good job. An interesting story, plenty of action, and cool special effects lead me to give this movie a 7 out of 10. If you don't mind the language, then go check it out.