When I was reading 'Magnus, Robot Fighter' comics back in the Sixties, I could never understand how robots might ever get to a place where they were more intelligent than humans. Or how, through some process of mechanical evolution they could wind up as creatures of free will. Well, that future is rapidly approaching, and with all it's inherent dangers, it looks like robots will be a part of every day life not too long from now. Will humanity be ready for a 'lesser of two evils' outcome in situations where robots are the principals? Let's say two 'intelligent' vehicles are about to collide in an unavoidable crash. You're riding in one and the other contains a family of five. With infinitesimal speed and calculation, the two robotic vehicles must decide an outcome with the least possible harm, similar to Del Spooner's accident scenario. Guess what, you're a goner.

I guess I'm a spooner too. Fuddy duddy might be another name for it. I'm all for advances in science that make life more productive and enjoyable, but concepts like cloning, selective reproduction and drones of all kinds lead to all sorts of ethical and moral questions that humanity will have to deal with, usually after the fact and after grave harm has already been done. "I, Robot" does a pretty good job of drawing out some of those considerations, and does it in a creative way. I haven't read enough Azimov to offer a critique from that perspective, but I found Spooner's dilemma of ferreting out a robot killer to be creatively done. As one would expect, the special effects are grand, and downright scary when you think about robots produced on the kind of scale needed to proportion one to every five humans. So overall I enjoyed the film while pausing the action every now and then to consider the thought provoking issues being presented.

However there was one element in the story that just didn't make sense to me, and it was mentioned specifically twice. The service areas of the U.S. Robotics building were not installed with surveillance equipment!?!? That just seemed like too much of a plot hole to me, because after all, one could do a lot of damage by infiltrating those areas to get close to VIKI, which Spooner and Dr. Calvin (Bridget Moynahan) eventually did. Seems to me an intelligence like VIKI should have figured that out. Then when VIKI was destroyed placing all the rogue robots off line, there was no explanation of what would happen to all the properly functioning NS-5's now that the uplink was gone. Maybe we weren't supposed to think about that.

The first big-budget adaptation of sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov's work isn't particularly faithful to the book; rather, it is "suggested" by the original stories to be found in Asimov's collection I, ROBOT. The main elements which recur are the three laws of robotics and the character of Susan Calvin. Whilst other events are taken straight from Asimov's fiction, for the most part this is a typical Hollywood blockbuster with a brainy idea grafted onto it.

I have to admit, when I first saw the casting for this film, I was less than impressed. Comedy man Will Smith in a serious, go-it-alone science fiction movie? He's no Tom Cruise, now is he? But, despite occasional unwanted touches of humour and dumbness, Smith's character is plot driven and focused, and Smith doesn't lark around too much or become too overbearing. The sub-plot of the detective investigation is certainly clichéd, with yet another cop who nobody believes and who has his badge taken back, but there are a few bionic surprises to keep viewers interested.

The whole story of the robots, however, is very well handled. It was always a difficult and rather deep concept to grasp, and whilst I, ROBOT only skims the surface, it does so with some skill. One of the main characters is a robot named Sonny, brought to life using the same technology as Gollum, and whilst not quite as sympathetic, he proves to be a unique and engaging character. The best thing to say about the effects is that you forget Sonny wasn't really "there" on set, filming; CGI characters have now become the norm and blend in perfectly with the actors. The rest of the effects, from futuristic cityscapes to huge ball-wheeled robot lorries, are generally impressive, with only the introduction of the 'robot army' looking like something out of STAR WARS.

Director Alex Proyas (DARK CITY) always goes for interesting material and this film is no exception. Not only does it raise interesting questions about the humanity of robots, but it also provides the thrills and spills essential to any Hollywood blockbuster. There's an OTT car chase with robots attacking Smith's vehicle, which is cartoonish but cool; and some fun robot destruction towards the end of the movie. Moynahan, as female lead Calvin, is surprisingly wooden and her character seems frail, whereas I think a wily, intelligent heroine would have suited the character better. Otherwise we get Bruce Greenwood chewing it up as the stock corporate baddie and James Cromwell doing another of his intelligent old man personas. Although not always successful, I, ROBOT proves to be a watchable movie with potential for future viewings.

It's 2035, robots are everywhere in people's lives. Chicago Police Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) is not a fan of robots due to something that happened in the past. He's sent to investigate the murder of Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell) the top robot scientist at U.S. Robotics. Spooner believes that a new NS-5 robot killed him, but the three laws of robotics make it impossible. Company scientist Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan) can't believe him until all heck breaks loose.

This is a movie derived from Isaac Asimov ideas, but turned into little more than a popcorn summer flick. It's yet another Will Smith blockbuster but it could have been so much more. The three laws were never introduced properly. They were just listed like so many assembly instructions. This is a big disservice because it's integral to the twist ending. The action and the CG are fun and impressive. I just wish this was more than a simple mechanical thriller.