Asimov would be violently convulsing in his grave, had he seen the new I, Robot movie that is supposedly based on his work. With Will Smith as the mighty tasty consumerist god in the lead role - how could this become anything but a complete and utter disaster?
Although somehow, it didn't.Let me start this article by quoting the words of a man far wiser than myself, namely Maddox, of "The greatest page in the world" fame:
I don't know why, but after the movie I came out of the theater wanting to buy a pair of Converse shoes (vintage 2004), have them delivered to my local FedEx station, drive my MV Augusta SPR motorcycle to pick them up, stop by the shop to have my new JVC CD player installed in my Audi, pick up a couple of Dos Equis on my way home, wash it down with an Ovaltine and then invest what money I have left into a mutual fund with Prudential Life Insurance.
(read his whole article titled I, Robot in a nutshell here: http://maddox.xmission.com/c.cgi?u=i_robot)
And right he is. The entire movie is a huge commercial banner for the mentioned companies - especially Audi, although the 2048-version of their cars is, indeed, mighty mighty tasty. The thorough and complete saturation of product placement becomes particularly blatent when it is obvious that the filmmakers didn't manage to secure a deal: In a scene where Smith and one of his buddies are having a few beers, the beer brand Dos Equis (two crosses) is prominently displayed on the back wall of the bar, but when they are drinking, they are holding the labels away from the camera so consistently that it has to be a kick to the groin to some beer company or another. Ridiculous.
Oh, the film. Well, I have to say I was mighty disappointed, in that I understood the majority of the plot within the first five minutes. You see; We are presented with three laws that robots HAVE to follow. Knowing Asimov (although this is a stylistic familiarity, not that Asimov would come up with something this trite), I thought it blatently obvious that the three laws would themselves be the pitfall of the film, and the robots would find a loophole.
Apart from guessing the ending before the film began, it was actually quite an enjoyable ride. The camerawork and CGI work was absolutely outstanding, with all the qualities of a rollercoaster-ride. The story itself could have been far worse, and the execution of it was just about flawless, without regressing into infinite soppyness.
All in all, you could do a lot worse for killing a couple of hours than watching this film. Oh, it isn't as heartfelt as AI, and the futuristic genious falls a mile short of 2001: a space oddyssey, but it is one of those flicks that gives you a few sad moments, a few giggles, and just enough time to munch your popcorn. Which is more than you can say about many other films out there.