I, Robot is a movie released in the year 2004, starring Will Smith and Bridget Moynahan. The movie's plot is loosely based on the series of short stories written by Isaac Asimov (and covered elsewhere in this node.)
Review written by myself
I must admit, it's not the most brilliant, thought-provoking movie to come out this year, but it requires more brain power than your typical "watch the big explosions and dead people and blood" movie. While the original I, Robot provides subtle social commentary, this one is more of an exploration of... well... what would happen if robots got minds of their own. It really doesn't try to make any big points or anything, it's just a thought-provoking movie. I really enjoyed that the script was co-written by Akiva Goldsman, of A Beautiful Mind, one of my favorite movies of all time. She seems to have a talent for writing well on movies that otherwise would have fallen flat (admittedly, the biopic of a mathematician doesn't really spark people's interest all the time.)
The CG in the movie was wonderful; the robots have two very distinct styles, the scenes where Will Smith is walking around town fill the city with equal parts robots and humans, with the entire thing looking as if someone had moved into the future to film it. The robots, when fighting, move very nimbly and quickly, and the movie trades explosions for some sweet fast-motion scenes on cars and bikes.
The movie has a good deal of wit, with some fun jokes that you wouldn't really expect from a movie... well, except one with Will Smith in it. Smith delivers his lines with a great deal of bravado and honesty, and it really feels like he's found a home in the year 2035. His costar is kind of forgettable, however. She shows emotion well, but I think partially due to the nature of her character, she just seems to fall into the background a lot of the time. She does have some memorable moments, however, a few of which are showcased in the numerous commercials and trailers for it.
The most amazing feat, however, is the lifelikeness of the robot Sonny, and his kin. It seemed like he could have been C-3PO, with the slightly monotone delivery and intelligent demeanor, except for the fact that he is more lifelike than any other "robot" in film that I've seen. He has lips, a nose, his entire body moves human-like, and it really engrosses you into this universe where robots are the norm.
The movie does have shortcomings, such as an ending that seems to be attempting to foreshadow a sequel, even though there isn't room for one (not to mention that the ending in general is a headscratcher), and a couple of questions that are asked, but never fully answered. Also, one scene involving a cat seems a little too wacky for my tastes.
The humor is sharp (for the most part), the story is excellent (for the most part), and the CG is awesome. For the most part, this is an excellent movie that anyone with the willpower to think during action sequences is going to enjoy.
The one thing I am not sure of is how much liberties the movie takes with the short stories. I haven't read them, but I've heard that it was basically borrowing a couple of concepts from them and then running with them. The credits at the end even read "SUGGESTED BY the stories by Isaac Asimov", instead of the usual "BASED ON". Not sure what that means, but I'm assuming it means that they didn't keep enough of the original stories in there to be based on them.
belgand sent me a msg explaining the title and relation to Asimov more clearly:
The movie was not really based on the book, it was originally developed and titled "Hardwired" with the title "I, Robot" allegedly only coming in late in the production. Given how many other films have used Asimov's now classic ideas this seems quite a bit more likely. Fox probably merely added in a few changes in names and such once they changed the title.