I, Robot (DVD) > Reviews (89)

THERE ARE THREE LAWS OF ROBOTICS;

Law I
A Robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

Law II
A Robot must obey orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the first law

Law III
A Robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict
With the first or second law.

With these laws in place it makes it impossible or highly improbable for robots to harm a human being.
This is our safety net .............................. we think.!

"IN THE YEAR 2035 ROBOTS ARE AN EVERYDAY HOUSEHOLD ITEM, AND EVERYONE TRUST THEM, EXCEPT ONE SLIGHTLY PARANOID DETECTIVE (WILL SMITH) INVESTIGATING WHAT HE ALONE BELIEVES IS A CRIME PERPETRATED BY A ROBOT.
THE CASE LEADS HIM TO DISCOVER A FAR MORE FRIGHTENING THREAT TO THE HUMAN RACE."

WILL SMITH AS DETECTIVE D.SPOONER STARS IN THIS SCI FI ACTION THRILLER.
SUGGESTED BY THE CLASSIC SHORT STORY COLLECTION OF ISAAC ASIMOV, WITH THE SCREEN STORY BY JEFF VINTA, AND BROUGHT TO THE BIG SCREEN BY DYNAMIC AND VISIONARY DIRECTOR ALEX PROYAS (DARK CITY, THE CROW)

ALSO STARING ;
ALAN TUDYK ...(SONNY)
BRIDGET MOOYNAHAN... (SUSAN CALVIN)
JAMES CROMWELL ... (DR ALFRED LANNING)
BRUCE GREENWOOD .... (LAWRENCE ROBERTSON)
CHI MCBRIDE ... (LT. JOHN BERGIN)
FIONA HOGAN ...( V.I.K.I)

Certificate 12A
Approx 115 mins duration

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This film starts as it means to go on and we find ourselves face to face in a not too distant future, where robots are a part of our everyday existence.
The human race seems to accept the presence of robots into their everyday life, where they are trusted and welcomed with open arms as a means to improved quality of life.

Everybody seems quite happy with the way the robots interact into the world, everybody except Detective Spooner, who is robophobic. He is not convinced that these robots are as innocent and helpful as they seem and his mistrust of them seems to be confirmed when he receives a call that finds him standing in the entrance of the head offices of US Robotics, talking to the hologram of Doctor Alfred Lanning.
Spooner and Lanning have had previous dealings and are linked in ways yet to be revealed.

Dr. Lanning has just been found dead, after falling from the top of the USR building. As far as everyone else is concerned Dr. Lanning has commited suicide but Spooner feels something just doesn't add up. Like how the doctor managed to penetrate the toughened glass of his office window and why, on the eve of the major launch of the newer NS-5 robots, would the doctor choose to die.

The plan for the launch is to replace all the older existing robots with the new NS-5's , putting one in every home. The NS5's are more intelligent robots, connected directly to USR and upgrades are downloaded to them daily.

Spooner is met by Dr Susan Calvin, a researcher at USR and a friend of Dr. Lanning.
On searching Lanning's office the pair are confronted by a robot who seems less than willing to comply with their wishes and makes a run for it when they try to contain it.

Spooner is convinced that the robot is responsible for Lanning's death, much to the amusement of his fellow officers, who think he is insane. Robots do not, cannot, harm human beings. That is what the three laws prevent and precisely why they are in place.
Spooner gets his chance to "interview" the robot after it is caught and detained, before the intervention of the USR Corporation.

This is where we welcome Sonny to the story.
He is a special robot who believes Lanning is his father . Sonny is special because he dreams, and he feels, he gets angry , sad and scared. He has emotions.
And he keeps secrets..........

Sonny is collected by Lawrence Robertson , the head of USR and after being tested by Dr Calvin it is decided that Sonny must be decomissioned.
Sonny must be destroyed.
As far as Sonny is concerned it must not be nice to die......

Elsewhere the new NS-5's are being distributed and the older robots have gone into storage, huddled together in old crates, keeping close in the dark. Deserted, rejected, no longer needed.
Sonny had dreamed of this place..........

Meanwhile poor Detective Spooner is not having such an easy time of it and it would seem that someone definately wants him out of the way. He is being hunted and attacked by NS-5's and no one believes him, no one except Dr. Calvin.

V.I.K.I
(Virtual Interactive Kenetic Intelligence)
She was Lanning's first creation and was created to design most of Chicago's protective systems. She is the central control at USR.

The new NS-5's have decided, under the guidance of V.I.K.I that humans cannot be trusted to look after themselves, so the first thing they do is impose a curfew while they take control of the city.
Humans need to be restrained, controlled and treated like children as they are more likely to hurt themselves or each other if left to their own devices. They cannot be trusted with their own care, therefore the NS-5's are taking over.

With the older protective robots being destroyed and Sonny being "sentenced to death" who is going to help?
Who is at the center of the plot for the NS-5's to take over?
Did Sonny break the laws of robotics and if not who killed Dr. Lanning?
Was it suicide?

Plenty of twists and surprises along the way , with amazing special effects .
I don't want to give any more away , if I haven't done so already..............
Definately one to go and see....
Especially as will Smith gets his kit off...........................
Enjoy..........................