The Mod Squad: 2035

The conventional wisdom has it that in movie math Will Smith + special effects + July = cha-ching! I, Robot should be another successful entry in Smith’s string of summer blockbusters, and deservedly so because it’s a fun and exciting popcorn movie whose biggest flaw is that it could have been more if it had tried a little harder. (But then, who among us can’t say that?)

Smith stars as Del Spooner, a detective in 2035 Chicago. Robots are commonplace and do all the things we don’t want to do ourselves, like carry boxes and bake sweet potato pie. Spooner, just returning to work from a medical leave, seems to nurse a deep distrust of our positronic pals. (That’s robots to those of you less geeky than me.) He’s just waiting for the day a robot steps out of line and breaks one of the Three Laws of Robotics, the most of important of which is that a robot shall never harm a human or, through inaction, allow a human to come to harm. Coincidentally, on Del’s first day back on the job he’s called to the scene of an apparent suicide at U.S. Robotics, and it doesn’t take him long to conclude that someone has found a loophole in the three laws.

"Hi, I'm Shia LaBeouf, I'll be your comic relief this evening."

I, Robot is “suggested by” the works of Isaac Asimov, and any Asimov purists out there should pay close attention to that phrase. This is a big summer action movie; my guess is that Asimov’s stories went in a different direction. And, since I haven’t read them, I am free to say, “I don’t care!” (Well, mostly, but I’ll get to that in a minute.) Director Alex Proyas stages some thrilling action scenes while managing to keep a solid grasp on the emotional moments. His futuristic Chicago is stylishly rendered without being distractingly different from the here and now. While I, Robot is less directorly and more star driven than his Dark City, there’s still artistry and vision at work, with some striking visuals and a nearly pitch-perfect sense of pacing and tone.

The script, by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman, could have used a little work. (You know, Goldsman’s Oscar for A Beautiful Mind is starting to seem more and more like a fluke.) Sure, I may say I don’t care that they strayed from the source material, but I reckon Asimov gave readers a little more to think about than the movie does. I like a good action movie, which this is, but I LOVE a good action movie that also challenges me to use my brain, which this one doesn’t, much. Also, some of those quips? Come on, Will Smith deserves better

"I can fly! I can fly! I can . . . " Thud.

Speaking of, do you like Will Smith? Sure you do. He’s a likeable guy, and he’s fine here, playing basically the same role he’s done in Men in Black and Independence Day. I’ve got no problem with that, especially since DAMN, he’s looking good. Worked out a bit to play Muhammad Ali, you know, and thank you, Alex Proyas, for that shot of him in the shower, which was NOT gratuitous at all, no sir, it was absolutely essential to show us that he’s conscientious about hygiene but too poor to afford a shower curtain, or something like that. (What? I told you there were some striking visuals.)

But the standout in the cast for me was the unseen Alan Tudyk, who provides the voice of Sonny, the robot murder suspect. Yes, it’s a robot voice, all mild and even, but Tudyk turns Sonny into a real boy, so to speak, and the most sympathetic, identifiable character in the piece. Tudyk’s going to be a star, mark my words.

I, Robot may not be particularly thoughtful or even memorable, but it’s a good, well-crafted sci-fi thriller with more going for it than you might expect. It’s worth checking out if all you need is two hours worth of entertainment. But if you’re hungry for a little more, on the way home from the theater swing by the video place and grab Dark City. You won’t be disappointed.

Gorilla Pants rating: 3 out of 4 bananas