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Enter the world of robots. The year is 2035, the place Chicago where robots are an everyday household item, they do the laundry, fly our aeroplanes and watch our kids. But then, suddenly one of them is suspected of committing murder and this unveils a diabolic plot against humans in I, Robot, an absorbing futuristic drama of the age-old phenomenon known as the Frankensteinian monster. Based on an Isaac Asimov novel I, Robot is a thinking man’s science fiction in the best tradition of The Andromeda Strain, Seconds and A-I — Artificial Intelligence. The robots have three laws meant to protect us humans from them...but laws, they say, are made to be broken. So when robotics expert Dr Alfred Lenning (James Cromwell) is murdered detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) is called in to investigate. It is an arduous task, entering that giant robotics centre replete with a plethora of gadgets and personnel. There’s robot psychologist, Dr Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan), who doesn’t like his smart alecy quips but in good time they manage to forge an understanding of sorts. Then there’s Sonny, the super robot, one of the most realistic three-dimensional computer-generated characters created on celluloid. He also claims to have emotions and that is most unrobot-like. It is around Sonny that the real problem exists. US robotics chief (Bruce Greenwood) is the one who has to pay the price for these developments. Anticipating problems, Dr Lenning has left behind holograms, which will help Spooner to unravel the mystery in the same way as bread crumbs helped Hansel and Gretel in the fairytale. It is an unusually graphic scenario, sleek futuristic limousines, amazing parking facilities and the state of the arts equipment but with all this focus on form, there is an equal attention to content. That Will Smith is cast in the lead role also helps. With the aid of some choice one-liners he is able to keep the film going in the earlier stages. By then, the plot is unfolded and Bridget Moynahan is a good foil in bringing to the fore the psychological overtures. The robots too are well structures and their movement almost natural, thanks to visual effects supervisor John Nelson of Gladiator fame. Like the war scenes in Troy the action sequences are brilliantly handled. That director Alex Proyas
was since a very young age obsessed with Assimov stories probably
helped. He is able to infuse the film with the right ambience to weave
out an absolutely absorbing sci fi drama in which the culmination is not
a moment too late or too soon. In fact I, Robot is the ideal sci
fi thriller. Don’t miss it.
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