A robot could have scripted this

I, Robot

Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 5)
Director: Alex Proyas
Running time: 115 minutes
Language: English
Opens Sept. 18

When was the last time you were enthralled by a big-budget sci-fi flick?

In a post-"Bladerunner" / "Matrix" world, it all seems so been-there-done-that and big-studio manufactured sci-fi has practically become the movie world equivalent of Microsoft: a stinking rich, Evil Empire that just encourages you to pitch those tomatoes; but at the end of the day, they continue to rule the world.

Take the case of "I, Robot": Every frame attests to hundreds of hours of marketing meetings, thousands more hours put in by studio serfs at SFX programs and millions of dollars thrown into set and robotics design and action sequences. And the result? Well, it's probably a good thing Dr. Isaac Asimov, the original author of "I, Robot," has passed away, because this would have given him convulsions. Fox Pictures politely states on the title credits that the story "is suggested" by Asimov and not actually based on his book (they just happen to have the same title, that's all!). To think that in the 1970s, Asimov had plans to adapt "I, Robot" for the big screen with aspirations for a "really adult, worthwhile science-fiction movie."