I, Robot (2004)
Well now really, who would? On the Eve of Christmas, I watched I, Robot, starring Will Smith & the awesomely gorgeous Bridget Moynahan. Based on a story, or thought, or nerve impulse of Isaac Asimov, it's a chilling tale of a future gone mad... with commercialism!
That's not entirely true, but when in the opening ten minutes you have the main character acting like a walking billboard for Converse, you have a LOT to make up for the rest of the movie. I was kinda prepared for the disgusting amount of schilling in the movie, thanks to this guy, but the Cons bugged me the most. See, it's the year 2035, & Will Smith's character, Del Spooner of all names, is excited to have just bought a pair of vintage 2004 Converse All Stars. Nice tie-in that made me want to immediately turn off the movie & go back to playing SSX3.
But, true to my form, I stuck it out. The director, Alex Proyas, hasn't steered me wrong in the past movies of his I've seen (The Crow & Dark City) so I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. However, I was a bit disappointed with his reliance on CGI & related effects. Just because you can whip a camera around a scene, or make it look like U2's Even Better Than the Real Thing video, doesn't mean you should. A little restraint would be nice.
Despite those two downfalls, the movie isn't a complete washout. Smith is charming & completely believable as a cop that doesn't trust robots. Moynahan shows she's more than just a pretty face, with a convincing sci-fi action attitude to go along with all her scientist book smarts.
The two have some chemistry, & if the movie would've sucked, you would've found yourself watching them suck face at the end of the movie. Sorry to spoil that for you, but no Jungle Fever in this flick.
Despite the overwhelming creepiness of androgynous looking humanoid robots, this movie seems more like a believable future than The Running Man ever did. I don't know why I chose that pseudo-futuristic movie to bash right then, I just went with my heart. The movie made up for the disgusting marketing decisions early on & won me back. Still, minus a point for trying to take more of my money. Not that I'd buy vintage 2004 Converse All Stars anyways. 4 outta 5, & Merry Christmas movie house!
Roger Ebert's review of I, Robot (2004)