Technophobe Detective Del Spooner lives in a near future where robots are as common as kettles. But when Alfred Lanning, the father of robotics apparently commits suicide, Spooner believes he has been murdered and that the murderer may be a robot named Sonny, who has somehow managed to break his programming. Spooner’s biggest problem is how to get anyone else to believe him. Especially as mega-corporation US Robotics is about to release its latest robot; the NS-5, whose introduction will increase the number of robots to one for every five humans.

It seems a long time ago, but there was a time when Will Smith’s summer movies were guaranteed blockbusters and this could be the film to put him back on track. He plays Spooner as a strong man troubled by his memories and the feeling of being different to everyone else. He is the archetypal hard-bitten cynical cop, but he makes the standard character his own. The once skinny Fresh Prince has bulked up considerably (as we can all see in the gratuitous nudie shot of him in the shower) and now looks more convincing as a full-on action hero. He carries himself and his weapons like a man who shouldn’t be messed with and looks at home whether he’s delivering lines or punches and kicks. That’s not to say he’s another meat-headed macho man because he can act too. He has developed since “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and he can display a wealth of emotions believably. He is also comfortable enough in his action hero persona to allow himself to come off worst in many of the fights, getting badly mashed on more than one occasion.

Of all the actors, Alan Tudyk has the hardest job. He is the man behind Sonny, the NS-5 robot accused of murder. He gives a really good performance as the robot that is invested with more humanity than the rest of the “real” cast. What makes his performance all the more remarkable is that we don’t see him on screen. He provides the voice and movement for Sonny, but what we see is a an Apple iMac influenced android, who is only capable of basic facial movement and has a metal skeleton, rather than a full body. I feel kind of sorry for Tudyk, not only because he spent months wearing nothing but a blue leotard covered in sensors, but also because people won’t know his face, despite his great performance.

Futuristic films can live or die by their special effects and “I, Robot” is no exception. Where so many of the extras are computer-generated androids, it is testament to the technology and its use that they are photo-realistic and it is very difficult to distinguish between what is real and what isn’t really there. Some thought has gone into the design of the robots, with older models looking like extras from “Star Wars”, whilst the new NS-5s look like a natural progression of the design, with a few more bells and whistles. Their semi-transparent carapaces are reminiscent of current design favourite; the Apple iMac. They move in believable and consistent manner and appear to have weight and mass. There are a few moments when what you can see is plainly CGI because it’s ALL CGI (such as during the mid-movie car chase) but that doesn’t stop them being impressive. However, Proyas has allowed himself to be seduced into adding a few unnecessary effects shots just because he can. For example, in the final battle, there are a few impossible spinning camera shots that aren’t do-able without CG that will make you dizzy.

I am somewhat bemused by costume designers’ insistence that in the future we will all be clad in black leather. Whatever happened to the conviction that the fabrics of tomorrow would be bacofoil and silver lame? I know it looks cool, but it’s so uncomfortable to wear in a temperate climate, especially with global warming on the rise. Aren’t we more likely to end up wearing linen or cotton (or raincoats and galoshes if the recent rains are anything to go by)? But this is a minor gripe, that doesn’t detract from the film overall.