Robots are ubiquitous in the world of 2035 Chicago. The largest manufacturer of robots is U.S. Robotics, a corporation co-founded by Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell). Lanning programmed Three Laws into his creations, making it impossible for any robot to harm a human being or allow one to be harmed. Shortly before the rollout of the NS-5, U.S. Robotics’ newest model, Lanning is found dead at company headquarters.

Company execs believe Lanning committed suicide, but Detective Dell Spooner (Will Smith) isn’t so sure. Spooner, who shared a close friendship with Lanning, believes someone--or something--murdered the scientist, but his fellow cops think Spooner’s judgment is being clouded by his distrust of/contempt for robots.

During the course of his investigation Spooner encounters an NS-5 named Sonny (Alan Tudyk), whose sense of self-awareness if far more advanced than that of any other robot, and becomes convinced the robot played a part in Lanning’s death.

CRITIQUE

I really wish I, Robot was only now going into production. When this movie began shooting roughly five years ago, Will Smith was still largely making Will Smith movies. You know what I mean: star vehicles that exploited his cocky, wiseass personality to the hilt. But nowadays Smith has grown up a bit and seems less worried about making a good Will Smith movie and more concerned with just making a good movie.

Take a look at I Am Legend, which could very easily have been nothing but a standard Big Willie blockbuster but instead showed a hint of ambition and didn’t always play it safe. The same cannot be said for I, Robot, which goes through the motions and plays it safe from beginning to end. 

Despite sharing a name with the famous collection of Isaac Asimov short stories, I, Robot bears almost no resemblance to anything written by the late author. (It also has nothing to do with the acclaimed script Asimov and Harlan Ellison developed years back.) This movie began life as an original script by Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within co-writer Jeff Vintar; it wasn’t until late in development that Fox acquired the rights to Asimov’s book, at which time the producers decided to play the name recognition card.

Then, fanboy punching bag Akiva Goldsman was brought in to both add some of Asimov’s material to the story and make the Spooner character more of a fit for Smith. (Insomnia scripter Hilary Seitz also performed a series of rewrites before Goldsman came aboard but received no credit.) Goldsman did make the mechanical characters bound by Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics, but this is really inconsequential, as the safety measures programmed into the robots could have been explained in any number of ways. But that’s neither here nor there.

What I have a problem with is the shaping the material to accommodate Smith bit, which involved supplying Spooner with an endless series of action hero wisecracks. I know this was supposed to make the character hip and cool, and I also realize it’s supposed to tie into his hatred of robots and the big secret he carries, but I actually think it makes him somewhat unlikable.

I honestly kept hoping someone would punch Spooner in his big, fat mouth and shut him up, which isn’t really a good quality in an action hero. Even with my other reservations about the movie, I’m sure I would have enjoyed it considerably more had Spooner been more of a normal guy and less of a tool.

The plotting is fairly standard. There are no real surprises along the way (not even Spooner’s secret or the messianic elements of the story), and the robots never seem to pose much of a threat. And the ultimate resolution always leads me to ask the following question: Why didn’t Lanning do that himself. But the movie is still fairly entertaining, and it’s certainly never dull. I think this is due in large part to the efforts of director Alex Proyas.

While not as visually inventive or exciting as The Crow or Dark City, I, Robot is often a feast for the eyes. Proyas charged his design teams with creating a teeming, bustling, plausible (to a degree) world, which they achieved in spades. Yes, the movie’s setting resembles other speculative futures, Proyas’s slick treatment combines with the outstanding visual effects work of Digital Domain to create a seamless environment; there’s never the sense this world exists on only soundstages or a backlot.

Indeed, while I suppose you could argue that such technical mastery is indicative of exactly what’s wrong with modern science fiction/action/whatever movies (if you actually believe there’s anything wrong with them, that is), if you’re going to use technology and trickery to compensate for a dearth of originality, you might as well go for broke.

On a side note, if the word on the street holds any truth, Proyas originally did have a more thematically ambitious movie in mind, but the Fox bigwigs wanted a summer blockbuster and reined him in. After he was done with his contractual obligations to promote the movie, Proyas reportedly stated he wouldn’t work at Fox again unless there was a regime change.)

THE VIDEO

The 2.35:1/1080p transfer is, simply put, stunning. One of the best next-gen transfers of a live action film to hit the market so far, it exhibits an exceptional film-like quality throughout, a level of detail that is staggering, and a sense of depth that is almost unparalleled. It’s rare that a transfer is so good I can forget just how ordinary a movie is and get lost in the quality of the presentation, but this is one of those of occasions. I could go on and on about it, but I’ll just leave it at this: If you’re looking for new demo material, look no further.

THE AUDIO

Not to repeat myself, but the DTS-HD Lossless Maser Audio 5.1 track is, simply put, stunning. Wonderfully active and immersive from beginning to end, this is (and here I go repeating myself again) perfect demo material. Bullets fly, robots leap, water rushes into a submerged car, the Chicago of tomorrow bustles with the sounds of humanity and its automated lifestyle. It’s simply amazing.

Dialogue is always crystal clear and perfectly balanced in the mix. And if you’re looking for the sort of low end action that will push your subwoofer halfway across the floor, you’ve definitely come to the right place (just bump the movie up to the scene where the robots attack Smith’s car in the tunnel and enjoy). French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are also included. English, Spanish, Cantonese, and Korean subtitles are available.

THE EXTRAS

I, Robot was released twice on standard-def DVD, first in a single-disc edition in late 2004 and then in a two-disc set about six months later. Most--but not all--of the bonus material from those releases is included here.

You know those four color-coded buttons on your Blu-ray remote, the ones that seem to serve no purpose whatsoever? Good news: they do actually serve a purpose, and the extras here make use of them. The bonus material is divided into four categories, one for each button, and you can use the buttons to select which route you want to take. 

The green button will take you to the Commentary Guide, where you’ll be able to select from the following:

The commentary by director Alex Proyas and co-writer Akiva Goldsman makes for a good listen. Goldsman discusses the evolution of the script and points out what elements of the source material made it into the final version, while Proyas touches on just about every topic you can imagine.

The commentary by co-writer Jeff Vintar, Production Designer Patrick Tatopoulos, Editor Richard Learoyd, Visual Effects Supervisor John Nelson, Associate Producer John Kilkenny, Digital Domain Animation Supervisor Andrew Jones, and Digital Domain Visual Effects Supervisor Erik Nash, which is full of jargon and technobabble, will likely appeal only to technophiles and effects nuts.  

The commentary by composer Marco Beltrami, as you might expect, centers on the composer’s creative process in general and how it applied to I, Robot more specifically.

The red button will allow you to access the Behind the Camera section, which contains the following:

Days Out of Days--Production Diaries (75 minutes) is an excellent behind-the-scenes documentary, compiled from footage recorded during every stage of the movie’s production.

CGI and Design featurettes (25 minutes) looks at the conceptual/design work that went into creating the movie’s environments and robotic characters. Numerous pieces of concept art (sketches, paintings, etc.) are showcased alongside early animatics and unfinished footage from the movie itself.  

Sentient Machines--Robotic Behavior (35 minutes) is a serious exploration of the history, current state, and possibilities of robotics and artificial intelligence. 

The Filmmakers’ Toolbox--VFX How-To Clips (9 minutes) offers breakdowns of effects-heavy scenes, starting with the raw film footage and layering in the effects until the finished version is revealed.

The deleted scenes and an alternate ending (7 minutes) are all throw-away bits, adding nothing and significantly altering nothing. (Note: the alternate ending wasn’t actually filmed, so it’s presented here in animatic form.)

The blue button activates the Search Index, which is a lengthy list of topics related to the movie. Select any given topic and you’ll be taken to a scene dealing with that topic.

Lastly, the yellow button takes you to what been dubbed the Annotated Guide, where you’ll find another of Fox’s trivia tracks. The pop-up factoids in this one feature a mixture of production info and facts regarding the plausibility of the movie’s science. 

And for those with compatible equipment, the disc is enhanced for playback with D-Box Motion Control Systems.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I, Robot is an uneven movie, but this disc makes a perfect showcase for the benefits of the Blu-ray format, and this is one of those instances where that more than makes up for the deficiencies of the movie itself. Buy it and be wowed.