My review of the I, Robot movie

[willpittenger]

I just watched <i>I, Robot</i> last night. It was interesting.<br /><li>Cool moment: Dectective Spooner offering to sign the cast of the guard<li>Where is the bridge? In the movie, the wreckage of a bridge features prominently. However, Chicago does not have a bridge that big. I also doubt that it will ever have a bridge over Lake Michigan as a tunnel would be cheaper. (The lake is too deep for the supports.) So where did they come up with that bridge?<li>Alternate causes of Lanning's death: the NS-5's could have been fooled into thinking they were saving lives when they were actually killing. Also, Sonny could punch a hole in the window and allow Lanning to jump as everyone but Spooner thought all along.<li>Suprise: A common plot element would have Spooner sleeping with Calvin at the end of the movie. Why? The hero always seems to fall in love with his or her antagonist. I don't like all the sex in modern movies, but as I said, it is a common element.<br /><br />Ratings:<li>Overall -- B+<li>Special Effects -- A<li>Plot -- B+<li>Character development -- B+<li>Actor/Actress selection -- B+<li>Beginning -- B-<li>FX DVD on TV -- D (Not enough special features. I would rather have the DVD. They tried to encourage you to buy the DVD, but why?)</li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[Leovinus]

Now you're asking the right question. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[5stone10]

That's about the size of it. I haven't wasted my time except to watch bits and pieces when it shows up on the old boob tube.

 

[yevaud]

Yet another Novel raped into conformity with Hollywood Pap. What a shame. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>

 

[derekmcd]

Fun movie to watch. Horrible adaption. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div><br /><div><span style="color:#0000ff" class="Apple-style-span">"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</span></div> </div>

 

[willpittenger]

Why Robertson cooperated with VIKI or why VIKI killed Robertson? Neither makes any sense. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[docm]

<font color="yellow">Where is the bridge? In the movie, the wreckage of a bridge features prominently. However, Chicago does not have a bridge that big.</font><br /><br />The 99 year-old North Avenue bridge over the Chicago River is being replaced with a suspension/cable-stay design similar to the Golden Gate Bridge, though nowhere near as big. <br /><br />The bridge in the film looks to be a photo-chopped Mackinac Bridge, the 19,247.7 foot/5,866.7 meter bridge between Michigans upper/lower peninsulas, but mis-placed by 400+ miles south <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /><br /><br />Pic... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[bdewoody]

Maybe by then Chicago has grown to cover the entire state of Michigan. I also wondered about the bridge. I thought at first the movie was taking place in either New York or San Francisco. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em><font size="2">Bob DeWoody</font></em> </div>

 

[hracctsold]

Eddie,<br /><br />What are you TALKING about? That story was a short story, and had to be expanded upon to fill in the gaps. I don't think HE would have been too upset about it. Criton's,(Jur. Park), books were some difference from the movie, and that only set them apart and good in their own right.<br /><br />If you want to look at awful, or really totally wretched, try viewing what they did to another of Criton's(?) books, SPHERE, and see how bad that was. Or see how they destroyed War of the Worlds. Now that is beyond bad.

 

[willpittenger]

Which one?<br />1. 1953 film?<br />2. 1988 TV series (actually a sequel to the film)?<br />3. Or one of the three (!!!!) 2005 versions listed by Wikipedia, each with a different director? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[Mee_n_Mac]

The above pretty much summarizes my thoughts as well. See the other thread on TDTESS and what bothers me is all the "re-imagining" going on. The remake of the <i>Planet of the Apes</i> was awful, that of <i>War of the Worlds</i> somewhat less so. I fear for the future of good SF at the hands of Hollywood. Hollywood might be able to pull off something on the <i>Lensmen</i> series or <i>Stainless Steel Rat</i> books though. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>-----------------------------------------------------</p><p><font color="#ff0000">Ask not what your Forum Software can do do on you,</font></p><p><font color="#ff0000">Ask it to, please for the love of all that's Holy, <strong>STOP</strong> !</font></p> </div>

 

[spacefire]

I thought Bicentennial Man, the movie, far surpassed the book.<br />that was one GOOD Hollywood adaptation, except for the very end where<br /><br /><br />SPOILER<br /><br />************<br />************<br /><br /><br />That robot chick euthanizes a human.<br />Cannot happen, forbidden by the three laws of robotics methinks.<br /><br /><br /><br />***************<br />***************<br /><br />/Spoiler<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[willpittenger]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>I hated the rape of Azimov, however. Very little of his work survived this effort, and I can't for the life of me figure out why the adaptation had to do this. It is why I am fearful of other great works by the old sci-fi masters being had at by Hollywood. Hollywood will almost always disappoint when it comes to sci-fi unless it is mostly mindless whiz-bang and/or gore fests.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br />Unfortunately, that is what Hollywood claims sell shows -- both on TV and the big screen. Ditto for sex and nudity. Some movies and shows are more like Penthouse on the big screen. (Remember <i>NYPD: Blue</i>. I figure many religious NYPD officers were very offended by that show.) <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[willpittenger]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>SPOILER<br /><br />************<br />************<br /><br /><br />That robot chick euthanizes a human.<br />Cannot happen, forbidden by the three laws of robotics methinks.<br /><br /><br /><br />***************<br />***************<br /><br />/Spoiler<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br />Not by VIKI's reasoning. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[PistolPete]

I think that the reason that scifi has been getting progressively dumber and dumber in Hollywood is because Hollywood doesn't view scifi all by itself to be much of a moneymaker. Because of the fiscal success of big budget action films with name brand stars, the view in Hollywood is that scifi films, which usually take place in exotic locals (ie. the future, outer space, ect.), should also be action films because if the production company is going to be spending millions of dollars on on special effects then the science content should be watered down and the action and starpower should be ramped up to draw in as many people as they can.<br /><br />I find it interesting to note that some of the financially successful scifi/fantasy films that have actually been good have also been filmed outside of Hollywood (and for the most part, outside of the US altogether). <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><em>So, again we are defeated. This victory belongs to the farmers, not us.</em></p><p><strong>-Kambei Shimada from the movie Seven Samurai</strong></p> </div>

 

[willpittenger]

I should also note that many Hollywood people are confused as to what many people call Science Fiction. <i>Star Wars</i> fits more into Science Fantasy thanks to the Force. Star Trek is SciFi in many regards, but has never focused on the science (other than, as I noted in a thread in another forum, the new book <i>A Buried Age</i>).<br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>I find it interesting to note that some of the financially successful scifi/fantasy films that have actually been good have also been filmed outside of Hollywood (and for the most part, outside of the US altogether).<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br />What about <i>2001</i>? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[PistolPete]

Oops! I meant to put "that have been made recently" somewhere in that sentance. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><em>So, again we are defeated. This victory belongs to the farmers, not us.</em></p><p><strong>-Kambei Shimada from the movie Seven Samurai</strong></p> </div>