Film: 
DVD: 
Written by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman, suggested by the novel by Isaac Asimov
Directed by Alex Proyas
Starring Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Alan Tudyk, James Cromwell, Bruce Greenwood, Shia LeBouf, David Haysom, and Scott Heindl
Features:
- Running audio commentary with director Proyas and scribe Goldsman
- The Making of I, Robot
Released by: Fox Home Entertainment
Rating: PG-13
Region: 1
Anamorphic: Yes.
My Advice: At the very least, rent it.
[ad#longpost]Detective Del Spooner (Smith) is a maverick. He lives in a world where humans are aided by robots created by US Robotics. These robots are completely safe thanks to USR’s Three Laws, which were created by Dr. Alfred Lanning (Cromwell). The problem is that Lanning went and got himself dead. The further problem is that USR is on the brink of releasing the newest version of its robots, the NS5. Lanning’s own personal NS5 is unusual in that he seems to have developed a personality and more human emotions and behaviors. His name is Sonny (Tudyk). Spooner is convinced that Sonny is guilty of the murder, regardless of the Three Laws. Spooner has to prove to the world that there is something sinister going on within USR that could potentially lead to the end of mankind.
I’m going to confess that I have never read the novel that this movie was based on. I have hardcore sci-fi friends who have read the book who were horribly disappointed with this movie. But honestly, I’ve got to tell you that I enjoyed the hell out of it. It was paced well, was an intriguing story and was acted well. Not only that, but the CGI animation of the robots and the world of the story is hauntingly beautiful. Smith is not only believable, but his performance was not like the typical Smith performances we’ve seen, say, in Men in Black or Independence Day. He and Tudyk created an amazing relationship that has a great journey throughout the course of the movie. The action sequences are exciting without being overbearing and they emerge organically from the story rather than the story being constructed around the action sequences. It also borders on being a character study of both Spooner and Sonny.
The DVD is not that great, unfortunately. There are basically only two special features. Thankfully, there is a feature-length commentary track; and it’s well done. Proyas and Goldsman have a firm grasp on how to keep a track moving without becoming completely boring and mindnumbing, nor without feeling like they have to jump through hoops or bring out the dancing girls to force it to be entertaining. I wouldn’t claim it as the best commentary track I’ve seen, but it is definitely not the worst, either. The only other bit of bonus material is the obligatory “making of” featurette. There is nothing spectactular about this one. There is an equal amount of smoke up skirts and real, honest information about the making of the movie, so it’s worth watching once, I guess.
So, if you somehow missed this one, I would suggest renting it. If you are a fan of good sci-fi movies, you might want to buy it.
