I, Robot

I went into "I, Robot" with lower-than-standard expectations and came away somewhat satisfied. For being classified as a "sci-fi thriller" there was a lot of sci-fi with very few thrills.
 
Will Smith stars as detective Del Spooner, a man with a past that haunts him and that powers his complete hatred of robots. Robots you ask? "I, Robot" is set in 2035 Chicago, which suggests that we are about to make huge leaps in technology, and that Chicago is going to manage some pretty impressive road projects in only a few short years. Megacorporation US Robotics has created the NS4, a walking, talking robot that is as common on the street as a dog or cat. Just they prepare to release the upgraded NS5, their creator commits suicide. Or is it murder? Del suspects that a new NS5, Sonny, has actually broken one of the robot laws that keep them from injuring humans. Everyone else simply thinks Spooner is crazy.

Therein lies one of my major hang-ups with the story. This becomes the stereotypical tale of one guy trying to tell the world that something diabolical is about to happen, yet not a single person will believe him. Think back to Smith's other July hit of "Independence Day" and Jeff Goldblum's character suggesting that the aliens aren't going to be friendly. The only human that he finds help from is robot psychologist Dr. Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan). Sonny the robot is more human than Moynahan is here.

While the story may be the weakness, the special effects are pretty cool, with some incredible camera shots during the final climactic robot battle scenes. Alas, good cinematography doesn't justify paying full price at a movie theater. Wait for this one on video.

I give it a B-.

"I, Robot" is rated PG-13 with a running time of 113 minutes.