Arizona Daily Wildcat Online
sections
Front Page
News
Sports
Opinions
Arts & Entertainment
Police Beat
Calendar
Crossword
Photo Spreads
Special Sections
Classifieds
The Wildcat
Letter to the Editor
Wildcat staff
Search
Archives
Job Openings
Advertising Info
Student Media
Arizona Student Media info
UATV - student TV
KAMP - student radio
The Desert Yearbook
Daily Wildcat staff alumni

News
Smith bears arms, ass


Photo
Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox
On the hunt for a murderer, Will Smith takes a close look at one of several thousand suspects.
By Kylee Dawson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Print this

Centuries ago, God gave humans 10 laws to obey. In the future, humans give robots three.

Naturally, we all know what happens when humans disobey laws. So what happens when robots begin to think and act like humans?

"I, Robot" attempts to answer this theoretical question and, surprisingly, succeeds with incredible special effects, excellent directing, great humor and a lil' nudity.

In the year 2035, the need for actual libraries has been eradicated due to the advancements of the Internet. Likewise, the need for human labor in factories and other lines of work has also been replaced by machine labor, namely robots.

Supposedly, all robots, which must be "3 Laws Safe," are hard-wired to do everything they are commanded as long as no command requires them to harm any humans.

These three laws are called into question when an advanced model, the NS5, is set to replace the older NS4 robots.

I, Robot

4 out of 5 stars

20th Century Fox

Rated: PG-13

115 min.

Now Playing

Visit the official website

Del Spooner (Will Smith), a Chicago detective, is one of very few humans who believes that robots are not only inadequate, but also a threat to humanity.

It is this bias that creates conflict for Spooner when the first robot in history, an NS5 named Sonny (Alan Tudyk), is charged with the murder of a human being. Spooner is the only man who believes many attacks will follow. And as you no doubt saw from the previews, his premonition comes true.

During his investigation, Spooner buddies up with Dr. Susan Calvin, an ice queen of a psychologist who seems to have more affinity for robots than for her fellow human beings.

Played by Bridget Moynahan ("The Recruit"), Dr. Calvin is a sign that in the future, all psychologists will most likely be insane or robot-like or both.

Dr. Calvin's chilliness is balanced with the antics of Farber, a punk kid played by that adorable little Shia LeBeouf ("Even Stevens"), whose comic relief is minimal but effective. If only he had been in the film more.

Will Smith plays, well, the Will Smith we've seen in all of his big-budget action flicks. But this time, he harbors a prejudiced animosity and a peculiar secret.

Also, Smith carries the weight of being the star of the film without the presence of a Tommy Lee Jones, a Martin Lawrence, or any other heavy-hitting actor.

Most importantly, if you ever thought Will Smith wasn't sexy enough before, just wait until you see his first nude scene!

Even without Smith's luscious booty, "I, Robot" really has a substantial plot that imitates the social observations Isaac Asimov no doubt intended to point out when he wrote the book of short stories on which the film is based.

Racism, totalitarianism and now, robotism are all addressed in this film, but these serious messages don't change the hilariousness and merit of "I, Robot."

Yeah, there are plenty of good jokes too. Some are knee-slappers and some just plain stupid ... but still funny, nonetheless.

Directed by, Alex Proyas ("The Crow"), "I, Robot" is a combination of "A.I." and "Minority Report," only it's a lot funnier and a lot easier to watch.

The CGI is awesome, the action scenes are tense and the jokes will definitely crack you up.



Write a Letter to the Editor
articles
Lost in translation
divider
Lamb on the lam
divider
Smith bears arms, ass
divider
Housing Guide
Restaurant and Bar guide
Search for:
advanced search Archives

CAMPUS NEWS | SPORTS | OPINIONS
CLASSIFIEDS | ARCHIVES | CONTACT US | SEARCH



Webmaster - webmaster@wildcat.arizona.edu
© Copyright 2004 - The Arizona Daily Wildcat - Arizona Student Media