movie review of i robot

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

For Parents
For Educators
Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

Get the app
Movie Reviews
Best Movie Lists
Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

Best TV Lists
Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
Common Sense Selections for TV
Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

Book Reviews
Best Book Lists
Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

Game Reviews
Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

Podcast Reviews
Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

App Reviews
Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

YouTube Channel Reviews
YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

Real-Life Heroes on YouTube for Tweens and Teens

Family Tech Planners
Digital Skills
All Articles
Latino Culture
Black Voices
Asian Stories
Native Narratives
LGBTQ+ Pride
Best of Diverse Representation List

Celebrating Black History Month

Movies and TV Shows with Arab Leads

Celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

Common sense media reviewers.

Will Smith almost redeems generic man vs. machine actioner.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Human beings have to be watchful as they develop n

Heroes come in all sizes, shapes, colors, and gend

Heavy on violent Robot versus Human action. Numero

Brief shot of naked backside.

Frequent cursing: "ass" in various forms, along wi

Obvious and frequent product placement including J

Some alcohol consumption: drinking from a bottle,

Positive Messages

Human beings have to be watchful as they develop newer and more complex technology; There is a danger inherent in letting automation take over so many aspects of our lives. The hero faces ridicule and punishment for following through on his beliefs; sometimes doing what you think is right has consequences.

Positive Role Models

Heroes come in all sizes, shapes, colors, and genders: African-American police officers and supervisors, female scientific expert, etc. Leading character begins as "robo-phobic," but learns to accept, even respect, the robotic beings.

Violence & Scariness

Heavy on violent Robot versus Human action. Numerous scenes in which robots are shot and "terminated." Robots chase and attack humans in several sequences. A particularly intense car accident results in major destruction of the robots. A little girl is shown trapped underwater in repeated visuals. A dead human body is seen on the floor with blood around the mouth. Character jumps out of window.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Frequent cursing: "ass" in various forms, along with "s--t," "goddamn," "hell," "damn," "sonofabitch," "kiss my ass," "pissed off."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Obvious and frequent product placement including JVC, Converse, Fed Ex, and Audi.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Some alcohol consumption: drinking from a bottle, social drinking, one high ball.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that though most of the violent attacks are directed at robots, the creatures (some with distinct personalities and human voices) are crushed, dismembered, exploded, shot at, and destroyed. The results of one car crash are particularly intense. Humans are also in danger: a scientist is dead and bloody on the ground having fallen from a great height; repeated flashbacks show a young girl trapped and drowning in a car; a great, military-like force of robots chase and try to kill humans. Swearing is relatively mild, but there are many instances of "ass," "s--t," "goddamn," "hell," "piss," etc. In one early scene, Will Smith is seen in the shower, naked from the back, perhaps to compare the human physical ideal with the robotic form, otherwise it seems gratuitous. Product placement is obvious and frequent. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

Parents say (16)
Kids say (67)

Based on 16 parent reviews

Undocumented f-bomb

Action-packed, violent, strong language - great film, what's the story.

Chicago, 2035. Robots are an integral part of society's daily life. On the eve of the launch of a new, advanced order of robot technology, the scientist responsible for its development ( James Cromwell ) is found dead, presumably a suicide. Police Detective Del Spooner ( Will Smith ) is called in to investigate. Spooner, who admits to an ongoing prejudice against robots, believes the scientist was murdered. His suspicions are bolstered when he confronts a renegade robot, "Sunny," who appears to have broken the accepted robot code. Spooner becomes a target himself as he pursues his theory against the wishes of the police establishment and in defiance of U.S. Robotics, a corporate giant. As Spooner gets closer to the truth, war between Man and The Machine becomes inevitable.

Is It Any Good?

On some levels, the movie works: There are lots of good special effects, imaginative settings, the requisite mayhem, destruction, and suspense. I, ROBOT is inspired by a collection of Isaac Asimov stories; in those stories, basic laws for robot behavior are set down: 1) a robot cannot harm a human or allow one to be harmed; 2) a robot must obey human instructions less those instructions conflict with Law #1; and 3) a robot must protect himself unless doing so conflicts with Laws #1 and #2. Using those basic rules, director Alex Proyas and his team set out to make an entertaining "good versus evil" action movie with hero Will Smith reliable in his likable "everyman" role. Unfortunately, very little attention has been paid to wit or originality. Even less attention has been paid to the quality of some key performances: a few characters are one-note wonders and others seem even more robotic than the automated fellows with whom they interact. Entertaining, yes; memorable, no.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about technology. What do you think the filmmakers are trying to say about the fast pace of developing technology? What are the positive effects of the changes? What are the dangers?

Do you think that movie violence is easier to watch when the object of destruction is not human? How does that compare to "cartoon" violence ?

Was the movie successful at creating the year 2035? How did the sets, visual effects, music, and costumes contribute to your experience?

Del Spooner seems to be the only person suspicious of the robot culture. What kinds of pressure does he have to face because of his beliefs? How does he change over the course of the story? How does he change others?

Movie Details

In theaters : July 16, 2004
On DVD or streaming : December 14, 2004
Cast : Bridget Moynahan , James Cromwell , Will Smith
Director : Alex Proyas
Inclusion Information : Female actors, Black actors
Studio : Twentieth Century Fox
Genre : Science Fiction
Run time : 90 minutes
MPAA rating : PG-13
MPAA explanation : intense stylized action and some brief partial nudity
Last updated : March 9, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

Our editors recommend.

Blade Runner

Want personalized picks for your kids' age and interests?

The Iron Giant

Science fiction tv, romantic fantasy books for teens.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Upcoming Movies and TV shows
Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

What's the Tomatometer®?
Login/signup

Movies in theaters

Opening this week
Top box office
Coming soon to theaters
Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

Fandango at Home
Netflix streaming
Prime Video
Most popular streaming movies
What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Link to Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Young Woman and the Sea Link to Young Woman and the Sea
Jim Henson Idea Man Link to Jim Henson Idea Man

New TV Tonight

Ren Faire: Season 1
Star Wars: The Acolyte: Season 1
Clipped: Season 1
Queenie: Season 1
Sweet Tooth: Season 3
Mayor of Kingstown: Season 3
Criminal Minds: Season 17
Becoming Karl Lagerfeld: Season 1
Power Book II: Ghost: Season 4
Erased: WW2's Heroes of Color: Season 1

I, Robot Reviews

Though the material possessed the potential for landmark genre filmmaking, the result feels like two hours of product placement, so-so-special FX, too much comic relief, and non-acting from a star sleeping through his performance.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/4 | Aug 22, 2023

A routine blockbuster for reliable entertainment.

Full Review | Mar 21, 2023

The way in which the robots acrobatically leap about, as if immune to the effects of gravity, is the main offender.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Sep 30, 2020

Some stirring action sequences and a fascinating futuristic setting keeps things entertaining, even if this loose adaptation of the Isaac Asimov doesn't always take the most original approach possible.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 19, 2020

...is it a good thing that the CGI robot was so much more interesting and believable than the (largely) human protagonist played by Will Smith? I think not. It somehow made the many shortcomings of the film seem even more apparent.

Full Review | Feb 28, 2020

The plot seemed forced to me, though average summer fare. What bothered me the most however, was the ending.

Full Review | Apr 1, 2019

I have seen the future and it s an episode of Frasier gone very wrong. The worst episode, actually. Not that I, Robot is a bad film; quite the contrary, it s a shamelessly entertaining video game of a narrative, directed with style and energy.

...it does operate with a crisp, impressive, nuts-and-bolts efficiency as its robots do their best song-and-dance to provide us with a smooth summer diversion.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 1, 2019

Leaving aside the sub-Matrix hokum about Spooner's sweet-potato-loving grandmom, the movie humiliates itself - and embarrasses us - by the amount of time it spends plugging a glamorous car...

In the end, I, Robot is just an assembly-line product of a not very advanced model.

He excels in creating alternative worlds and the one here sustains the film, with a pristine beauty that's attractive and slightly sinister.

This sci-fi action adventure, loosely based on the writing of Isaac Asimov, is impressive for Patrick Tatopoulos's production design but depressive for the juiceless story.

This may not delve as deeply as AI: Artificial Intelligence or Blade Runner, but director Alex Proyas keeps the action racing along with enough invention and thrills to make this well worth the ride.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 15, 2018

The problem with Robot is that it keeps reminding you of better, edgier flicks, notably Blade Runner, The Terminator and Minority Report, not to mention director Alex Proyas's own Dark City.

Full Review | Dec 15, 2018

It's not as dazzling or thrilling a blend between realism and fantasy as Minority Report or even Hollow Man, but it certainly is an easy film to watch and to at times get lost in.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 15, 2018

[I, Robot] somehow manages to overlook the subversive potential, and it's low on wit, coming up with a good-looking but ultimately inert movie with a feeble non-ending that gave me a pain in all the diodes down my left side.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 15, 2018

Given how hard it is to find new ideas in mainstream screen sci-fi these days, the film does a creditable job of repackaging standard speculative circuitry under a sleek new blockbuster carapace.

I, Robot is far less concerned with bellowing an Orwellian socio-political warning than with giving Will Smith enough robots to bash apart and send flying across elaborate sets.

It's much more of an action flick than either Metropolis or Blade Runner, but there's a provocative and visionary side to this free adaptation of Isaac Asimov's SF classic that puts it in the same thoughtful canon.

While the shiny props and impressive effects lend high-tech glamour, it is the fine balance of action, character, and an old-school detective story that enable Alex Proyas' impressive sci-fi movie to cross the boundaries of genre.

Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

DVD & Streaming
Action/Adventure , Drama , Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Content Caution

In Theaters

Will Smith as Del Spooner; Bridget Moynahan as Dr. Susan Calvin; James Cromwell as Dr. Alfred Lanning; Bruce Greenwood as Lawrence Robertson; Alan Tudyk as the voice of Sonny

Home Release Date

Alex Proyas

Distributor

20th Century Fox

Movie Review

Chicago police detective Del Spooner is prejudiced: He hates robots. Unfortunately for him, it’s 2035, and robots have taken over all the world’s menial jobs, including garbage collection, cooking and dog walking.

The chief inventor of the robots made by U.S. Robotics is Dr. Alfred Lanning, and he built into them three laws: Law I) Robots may not harm a human being and must prevent humans from being harmed. Law II) Robots must do whatever they’re told unless it conflicts with Law I. Law III) Robots must protect themselves unless doing so conflicts with the first two laws.

But do the laws really work? Spooner doesn’t think so. And when Dr. Lanning is found dead in the lobby of the U.S. Robotics headquarters, an apparent suicide, Spooner is suspicious.

While investigating the crime scene along with his company “minder,” Dr. Susan Calvin, Spooner discovers a new model NS-5 robot hiding in Dr. Lanning’s office. It’s no ordinary robot. It has emotions. It can dream. And it has an apparent motive to murder the good doctor. This throws U.S. Robotics into an uproar. And it comes at the absolute worst time, just before the company begins rolling out its line of NS-5 robots to an unsuspecting world.

Positive Elements

Spooner is tenacious in seeking justice and won’t allow pressure from his boss or the “conventional wisdom” to deter him from solving the crime. And despite his hatred of robots, he allows himself to be convinced to give one a chance. He also risks his life on several occasions to save others. He loves and respects his grandmother, even if he is prone to teasing her. Another character allows himself to be killed to expose the danger of the rebellious robots.

Spiritual Elements

A robot inventor talks hypothetically about robots evolving. This theme comes up repeatedly. Several characters talk about the possibility of robots having souls, what one calls a “ghost in the machine.” The Stevie Wonder song “Superstition” opens the movie, setting the tone for one character.

A woman being threatened by a robot is carrying a Bible and protests, “I’m going to service.” When the robot becomes more threatening, she recites Psalm 16:8: “I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

One robot asks Spooner if “the maker” put us all on earth for a reason, and what happens to us once that reason is fulfilled. A woman, in saying that humans are limited in some ways, asks a man if he can walk on water. He says no, “but there was this one guy a long time ago …”

Sexual Content

Spooner is seen taking a shower (His backside is seen from a side view.) A later scene has a female character taking a shower, and though the glass is fogged, the outline of her body is seen from behind. Later, she wears a bathrobe that is about one string short of popping open. Spooner is seen getting out of bed wearing underwear. A couple of double entendres and sexual comments are made.

Violent Content

In a dream sequence we see a young girl drowning in a sunken car. Blood pools around the dead man’s head. (A police officer refers to him as a “jumper” who went “wham-splat.”) Spooner wrestles with a robot, and the fight quickly turns into a shootout. Spooner suffers a gash to his head in the process. In another scene Spooner “executes” a robot by shooting it pointblank in the head.

During a lengthy high-speed fight on a freeway, robots leap en masse off a transport to attack Spooner. Numerous robots are mutilated and crushed along the way, and one transport explodes in a fiery crash. Spooner’s car later crashes through a wall and smashes into an abutment. He then must fight off one last robot in hand-to-hand combat (involving a large metal club). Spooner fights off a human security guard by crushing his wrist and threatening to do the same to another.

Robots attack a police station, and even though some robots are shot, they pick up men and fling them across the room. A horde of robots later attacks citizens in the street in a similar manner. A final battle high up in a tower features mobs of attacking robots being blown apart, shot and tumbling to their “deaths.” Spooner and Dr. Calvin also face a potential long fall in an attempt to stop the robot rebellion.

The throat of a murdered man shows deep impressions from a robot’s hand. Haunted by a recurring bad dream, Spooner holds a gun to his head, but quickly pulls it down.

Crude or Profane Language

A boy trying to impress Spooner with his “street language” is told to stop cussing, not because it’s wrong, but because he’s not good at it. Spooner apparently is and often says “s—” (the word appears about a dozen times), “a–” (and several variants), “d–n” and “h—.” “A–” is used once in a sexual context. God’s name is abused a half-dozen times or so (twice it is combined with “d–n”), and Christ’s once. The terms “d–k” and “son of a b–ch” are also used.

Drug and Alcohol Content

Two police officers drink beer at a bar, and one smokes a cigarette. A man drinks liquor.

Other Negative Elements

The product placement in this movie is so pervasive it verges on the comical. Included are out-and-out plugs for Converse sneakers, FedEx, Audi and, of all things, Ovaltine.

I, Robot is a stylish thriller with a few unexpected twists and turns that addresses the classic fear toyed with in Frankenstein : the monster turning on its maker. “Can a robot write a symphony? Can it take a blank canvas and turn it into a masterpiece?” asks Spooner. They’re great questions. Part of what it means to be a human created in God’s image is the desire and ability to create. Can a machine do that? And if a man “kills” a robot, is it murder? What if a robot kills a man? Can it be “murder” if it was programmed to do it? And if so, who’s to blame, the robot or the programmer? Does a robot have enough free will to defy its programming? The anomalous robot, named Sonny, is much more than a machine. He can think. Dream. Show emotions. [ Spoiler Warning ] In fact, the turning point of the movie comes when a scientist says, “Sonny has chosen to disobey the three laws.” (Emphasis mine.)

Based loosely (very loosely) on a series of stories by sci-fi great Isaac Asimov, the film implicitly and explicitly asks many such meaningful questions. Spooner is haunted by the fact that a robot chose to save him, and not a young girl, from a sunken car because strict logic dictated that he had a greater chance of surviving and contributing to society. The larger robot rebellion is fueled by such thinking, too: The robots deduce that humans have so messed up the planet, some must be killed for everyone’s good. This is the theory called Utilitarianism, which posits that the moral thing to do is that which creates the greatest good for the greatest number.

In another sci-fi classic, Star Trek, Mr. Spock asserts, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few—or the one.” Sounds logical until you take it to its ultimate conclusion: In such a world, no one has an inherent right to life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness. In fact, an early proponent of Utilitarianism, Jeremy Bentham, called any concept of rights “nonsense on stilts.” If it would help the whole, we can kill you or take your property.

Spooner is determined to make sure that doesn’t happen in his world.

If your family decides to brave I, Robot ‘s action violence and gloss over its coarse language to witness the machines of the future battle the Will Smith of today, make sure to discuss things such as Utilitarianism and free will afterwards. We can choose to love God, or we can choose not to. God could have created robots that would always obey him, but could they truly love him?

Latest Reviews

Young Woman and the Sea

Back to Black

The Fall Guy

Godzilla Minus One

Weekly reviews straight to your inbox.

I, Robot Review

06 Aug 2004

From the early 1940s to his death in 1992, Isaac Asimov turned out a series of stories set in a future where robots were a part of everyday life, their conduct governed by his famous Three Laws Of Robotics - the first of which insists - a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. Well aware that real-life robots are designed to inflict harm on human beings, Asimov concentrated on exercises in intellectual hair-splitting whereby the laws are circumvented in order to provide a plot.

Taking a title from Asimov's first robot collection, this movie uses the author's boffin Dr. Susan Calvin as heroine and cops some wrinkles from various vintage science-fiction stories while using a critique of the imaginary robotics industry to score points off all-too-real computer combines.

It's mostly an original conspiracy screenplay, dumping the 'three laws' angle at mid-point to deliver a more film-friendly melodrama leading to a mass uprising of red-hearted robots and some large-scale mecha-carnage. Alex Proyas tones down the Gothic-noir look of his spikier earlier features, The Crow and Dark City, opting for that smooth, silvery, slightly overcast urban future seen in recent Spielberg pictures (A.I., Minority Report), with gadgets in every frame and human mess still very much in evidence.

It's hard not to feel that this has been assembled rather than created, but like a good robot it does the job it was designed for. Will Smith, although operating in slightly more sombre mood than usual, is too early-2000s a figure to be a credible future cop, though his Spooner is depicted as a nostalgic who prefers a good old-fashioned remote control to a voice-activated CD player and wakes himself up with a blast of Stevie Wonder.

His backstory, which shows why he hates robots yet also keeps prodding the audience about an ingrained connection with them, is Screenwriting 101 Driven Cop, and his Willsmithian wisecracks feel like a late-in-the-day rewrite to fit the vehicle to the star. But a running joke about Spooner's insistence that Calvin rephrase her plot explanations in language he can understand usefully grounds the picture for anyone who wants to cut to the chase.

The real star, though, is Sonny (Alan Tudyk, transformed by CGI), the sensitive robot programmed to dream and accused of the murder of his human father (James Cromwell). This plot thread is tipped in from a book by Eando Binder, a less-well-known sci-fi writer, which has confusingly also been called I, Robot. With an expressive face that looks like a semi-transparent Richard E. Grant deathmask and the patented HAL 9000 cool, inquiring voice, Sonny is a marvellous creation, all the more so for refusing to go the A.I. / Pinocchio route and aspiring to explore his own highly-evolved robot identity rather than whine about not being a real boy.

Asimov began to write his stories in reaction to the 1930s cliche of the robot who rebels Frankenstein-style against his maker - but Proyas and company eventually embrace this for an ending that provides plenty of satisfying twists and turns. It's a creaky, ancient premise, but nevertheless stirring, helped by Proyas' whirligig direction, soaring almost nauseatingly around his set-pieces in an apparent effort to resurrect the summer movie 'rollercoaster ride' cliche.

The effects, arguably the best of the year, only add to the thrill as serried ranks of evil robots swarm up a building, pile onto a speeding car or slaughter the previous generations of helpful drones. If not quite the best blockbuster of the year - though it's a worthy contender - it certainly doesn't fail on effort.

Movies | 08 09 2019

Movies | 22 05 2009

Movies | 17 02 2005

Movies | 04 08 2004

Movies | 19 07 2004

Movies | 17 06 2004

Movies | 07 05 2004

Movies | 16 04 2004

I, Robot (United States, 2004)

When all of the dust from 2004's crumbling blockbusters has settled, I, Robot will likely emerge as the strongest mainstream motion picture of the summer. The best big-budget science fiction film since Minority Report , I, Robot gets high marks not only for storytelling but for its compelling vision of 2035 Chicago. Directed by Alex Proyas, who previously imagined the strikingly noir cityscapes of The Crow and Dark City , I, Robot takes ideas (and a character) presented in Isaac Asimov's classic anthology of nine short stories and uses them as a jumping-off point for a thrilling action-adventure movie. Proper recognition goes to credited screenwriters Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman (and uncredited Hillary Seitz) for remaining faithful to the essential themes of Asimov's writing while taking the story in a different, more cinematic direction. Asimov fans take note, however: this isn't close to a faithful adaptation. In fact, it's not really an adaptation at all.

I, Robot transpires some 30 years in the future, when robots are becoming as familiar an everyday household appliance as refrigerators or vacuum cleaners. But, on the eve of the rollout of the landmark NS5 series, trouble is brewing at U.S. Robotics. Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell), the head of robot and cybernetic research, has apparently committed suicide. Technophobe cop Del Spooner (Will Smith) has been called in to investigate, and his first suspicion is that Dr. Lanning didn't kill himself - a robot did it. His prime suspect is Sonny (Alan Tudyk), a robot with personality and who seems to have found a way around the Three Laws of Robotics. Dr. Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan), a robopsychologist who works for U.S. Robotics, and CEO Lawrence Robertson (Bruce Greenwood), are suspicious of Spooner's motives for blaming a robot, and skeptical of his conclusions. But that doesn't stop Dr. Calvin from aiding the detective's investigation and Robertson, who has a lot of money on the line, from pulling out all the stops to end it.

The film's action sequences, which include chases and fights, are anything but generic. They are directed with flair, and that results in them being both tense and involving. The way the robots swarm after Spooner during one of I, Robot 's centerpiece scenes is reminiscent of the aliens' attack patterns in James Cameron's Aliens . The film carries a sense of the unpredictable; we're never sure exactly what's going to happen next, and there's no assurance that Spooner will be alive when the end credits roll. These elements, not flashes and bangs, are what make action films suspenseful.

I, Robot starts with the story, which is more intelligent and engrossing than what we have come to expect from movies in this genre. The script uses the Three Laws of Robotics (developed by Asimov and John Campbell) as its foundation. They state: (1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm, (2) A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law, and (3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. Instead of just making these precepts a throw-away aspect of the plot, they are integral to its development and success. Take away Asimov's Three Laws, and there is no movie.

I, Robot tinkers with ideas that have always fascinated science fiction fans. At what point does a personality simulation become a personality? Where is the line that divides a machine from a living being? When does consciousness occur? And at what point does an entity achieve the ability to interpret the Three Laws as it sees fit, not as they were intended? There's plenty of thought-provoking material in I, Robot - certainly enough to keep a thinking viewer attuned to the plot while never slowing down the proceedings or dulling the action. I, Robot deserves to be called "smart." It earns that distinction during nearly every frame of its 115-minute running time.

The setting - 2035 Chicago - is meticulously realized. Like in Minority Report , a great deal of thought went into imagining what the near future might look like. (Admittedly, however, I think much of what I, Robot postulates is too sophisticated for 2035. A better match to the technology evident in the film might be 2070.) Nothing in the film is outrageous. In fact, many aspects of life in 2035 aren't that different from what they are today. And there are some neat touches (watch how Spooner's car is "parked" after he arrives at U.S. Robotics). There are no phasers or lasers for weapons - the cops still use good old fashioned guns. Aside from that, the film looks stunning - but what else would one expect from the director of an eye-popping spectacle as Dark City ?

I, Robot features some of the best uses of CGI special effects ever. Put this alongside the Star Wars prequels and The Lord of the Rings as a primer for the seamless incorporation of special effects. There's a lot of computer work in I, Robot , but it's never obvious or evident. It rarely calls attention to itself, and it is not clumsily inserted . When Will Smith interacts with a special effect, we forget that it's an actor posturing with something drawn in by computer. After seeing a lot of cheap effects work that looks like it was exported from a computer game, it's refreshing to see something of such high quality.

Another thing that I, Robot does is to prove that Will Smith can carry an action/adventure film on his own. Without support from Martin Lawrence, Tommy Lee Jones, Gene Hackman, Jeff Goldblum, or Kevin Kline, he shows that he's got enough charisma and energy to hold a viewer's attention. Plus, he can deliver the mandatory one-liners with as much brio as Schwarzenegger or Willis. Despite the physicality of the role, Smith manages to connect with the audience in everyman fashion, and, although the part requires a certain amount of wit, he doesn't play it like a clown. Effective, but not outstanding, secondary work is provided by Bridget Moynahan ( The Recruit ), who plays the lead human character from Asimov's stories. Bruce Greenwood is instantly recognizable as a bad guy, because he has become one of Hollywood's favorite villains ever since he graduated from the obscurity of Atom Egoyan films (which still represent his best work to-date).

Although I, Robot isn't quite as pulse-pounding or intellectually challenging as Minority Report , it stimulates many of the same areas of the brain, and causes the body to pump nearly as much adrenaline. In almost every way imaginable, it satisfies, and that (unfortunately) has been a rare quality at the multiplexes this summer. This is a movie to restore the faith of those who had given up on science fiction after The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions . By adeptly combining action and ideas, it proves that Hollywood can still produce astonishing entertainment.

Comments Add Comment

Minority Report (2002)
Robocop (1987)
Tenet (2020)
Occupation (2018)
Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
Doom (2005)
I Am Legend (2007)
Hitch (2005)
Men in Black (1997)
Bad Boys II (2002)
After Earth (2013)
Men in Black III (2012)
(There are no more better movies of Bridget Moynahan)
Coyote Ugly (2000)
Battle Los Angeles (2011)
Serendipity (2001)
Death at a Funeral (2007)
Serenity (2005)
Dodgeball (2004)
Wish (2023)
(There are no more worst movies of Alan Tudyk)

Life & style
Environment

I, Robot Review

Your changes have been saved

Email Is sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die Review | Will Smith & Martin Lawrence Return in Top Form

George lucas says star wars changed dramatically after the sale to disney: 'i was the only one who knew what star wars was', matthew vaughn breaks his silence on argylle's harsh criticism: 'i didn't think it was offensive'.

I thought I would immensely enjoy this summer at the cinema. I thought all the dramas out at the theaters would be a welcome change of pace during the summer months which are usually filled with mindless action flicks that are more flash than feeling. But after some of the dramas didn't quite live up to expectations (See: The Terminal, King Arthur), I was actually relieved with I, Robot . This is one of the few true summer flicks this season that is actually worth watching, unlike the disappointments of Van Helsing and The Day After Tomorrow. Sure, it has its flaws like most summer flicks do, but this is one highly entertaining popcorn flick.

I, Robot is set in what's supposed to be Chicago in the year 2035. The sets are visually wonderful, in the vein of Minority Report, but it would've been nice to see some of the staples of present-day Chicago (Wrigley Field etc.) to better give us a feel for the city. The way they presented it to us, it could've been any city in 2035. Anyway, we start out the movie by seeing the 3 Laws of Robotics that rule over the robots that aide humans in almost every way imaginable. It seems that everyone has embraced this new way of life except Detective Del Spooner (Smith). We see his skepticism of these robots in an early scene where Spooner sees a robot running with a purse. He assumes this robot is a purse-snatcher and gives chase, acosting the robot only to find out the robot was getting its "master's" purse for her asthma inhaler. His skepticism starts to become valid when a friend and robotics engineer's (Cromwell) apparent suicide appears to be linked to a unique robot.

While they don't really paint the picture of Chicago in 2035 very well, they paint the picture of life in general in 2035 very well. There are a lot of subtle nuances here that give us little hints about how different life is then from now. They have all the neat technoliogical do-dads like cell phones being nothing more than an ear clip with a microphone, but they also give us other bits of information like the libraries being wiped out by the Internet, and driving "manually being deemed nearly insane. All of this is contrasted nicely by the old-school style of Spooner, who wears Converse All-Star's and occasionally drives a motorcylce, also deemed nearly insane. These parts don't mean a lot to the story, but it gives us a wonderful sense of the movie's place in time.

The acting here basically all comes down to Smith and Bridget Moynahan, who works at US Robotics and helps Spooner along the way. There are smaller roles from Bruce Greenwood, the head of US Robotics, James Cromwell, the dead engineer who's mainly shown in hologram or other video, Chi McBride, Spooner's boss and a very small role by a new favorite of mine, Shia LaBeouf. All these performances are fairly well-done, but they aren't very significant at all. Even the main robot, voiced nicely by Alan Tudyk, has more lines than probably all of these characters combined. So it almost all comes down to Big Willie Style and that chick from some recent spy movies (See: The Sum of All Fears, The Recruit).

Smith hasn't really played as pessimistic a role as this one before. He's usually loud and funny, but here he's a lot more reserved and, unfortunately, a lot less funny. His lack of humor is probably more fault to the script than him, because a lot of the "jokes" were just terrible, but I wasn't used to seeing him like this. He does pull it off rather nicely, even though he is pretty shaky in a lot of parts. It seems like he has a lot more range here than in his previous work, and it worked nicely, especially the scene where he explains his dislike for robots, which was marvelously performed.

Moynahan's role is that of the straight-laced engineer who doesn't believe in possibilities that aren't programmed, and she pulls that off nicely as well. She doesn't need a whole lot of range here for this character, she might come off as being flat on the screen, but that was what her character was supposed to come off like and it worked for me.

The script, written by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman, is where most of the problems in the movie lie, although they aren't that major. The movie takes its time in getting started, with the first 15 minutes or so seeming a lot longer than they really are. The whole movie is like this too, because the movie is just under 2 hours but it really felt a lot longer than that. The dialogue isn't that strong either, with most of the beginning laced with horrendous one-liners that won't get a single chuckle. But once the story gets going, the dialogue and even the jokes ("I'm sorry. I'm allergic to bullsh*t.") get much better. Vintar and Goldsman craft a great story that keeps throwing you twists and turns that might be a tad predictable, but ultimately are enjoyable. Even though this was "suggested by" the Issac Asimov stories, it seemed that Vintar and Goldsman were more influenced by Phillip K. Dick, because there are elements from the film versions of Dick's Minority Report and Paycheck prevalent here. Still, this is a very solid script.

Director Alex Proyas is just great at the helm here. He uses some simply amazing camera work that adds to his unique vision of this robot-filled world. He does a decent job of pulling Smith into his normally dark method of filmmaking (See: The Crow, Dark City) and his work in fight scenes and car chases is well worth noting. For a guy who usually works with miniscule budgets, it seemed he didn't let the budget get too carried away, as far as the overall feel of the film was concerned, unlike Stephen Sommers' Van Helsing. Proyas realized that the true essence of the movie is the story and characters, not how many figures are in the budget, and I really liked that.

I, Robot is a movie about what happens when Johnny 5 indeed becomes alive and kicking, in more ways than one. It gets off to a slow start and a lot of the dialogue doesn't work, but this is the perfect "summer movie" in a summer where those are lacking.

Movie and TV Reviews
I, Robot (2004)

Review by Brian Eggert February 18, 2010

Alex Proyas made I, Robot in 2004 for Twentieth Century Fox when notorious executive Tom Rothman was running things, and after watching the film, the director’s name on the credits feels like an after-the-fact courtesy. Not only does this sci-fi blockbuster play like a studio-directed project in the worst ways, it’s evident onscreen and from the director’s remarks after the film’s release that Fox executives retained complete control over the product to assure it was commercially appetizing in every way possible. Though the material possessed the potential for landmark genre filmmaking, the result feels like two hours of product placement, so-so-special FX, too much comic relief, and non-acting from a star sleeping through his performance.

Set in the Chicago of 2035, the story follows the robo-phobic Det. Spooner (Will Smith) who pieces together a mystery involving the death of leading robot designer Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell). Spooner suspects a U.S. Robotics (USR) robot is behind Lanning’s death, which the company’s billionaire head Lawrence Robertson (Bruce Greenwood) claims is a suicide. But everyone knows robots are “Three Laws Safe”—the machines follow a strict code, written by Lanning, that prevents them from harming or being taken advantage of by humans. Along with USR scientist Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan), Spooner discovers “Sonny” (Alan Tudyk), a robot created by Lanning to experience emotion and defy the Three Laws. Could Sonny have killed Lanning? Spooner thinks so, even though everyone believes his hunch is crazy.

Robots in this world are metal shells with vacant expressions, used as a servant class by everyone, except Spooner of course. He hates them ever since one ripped off his arm when it rescued him from drowning. The newfangled units, called NS-5s, look more streamlined and have semi-transparent white skin; their yellow eyes appear on blank faces. All older models will be replaced by NS-5s in an economically absurd exchange program, and when it’s over there will be 1 robot for every 5 humans, each of them more lifelike and attuned to human needs. Except, Spooner isn’t fooled, not even by Sonny’s unique blue eyes or by the feelings he seems to have. Eventually, Spooner’s attention is driven elsewhere, as it becomes apparent someone at USR is trying to have him killed for snooping into the Lanning case. But when the robots start headhunting Spooner and attacking people on the streets, the hero realizes a much larger conspiracy is unfolding before him.

Derived from Isaac Asimov’s robot-themed stories like Little Lost Robot and The Evitable Conflict and named after one such collection, the screenplay for I, Robot had been a long time coming in Hollywood. Drafts dating back to 1995 had gone through a series of renamings and revisions, culminating with a final draft credited to Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman. Vintar supplied the screen story, whereas Goldsman (of Lost in Space infamy) supplied the painful humor and cheesy action fodder needed for a Will Smith vehicle. Through it all, the story was reduced from a brainy murder investigation that never left the scene of the crime, to a sprawling, overblown actioner. Goldsman gave the mystery central to the film a lobotomy, added the necessary Will Smith-brand humor, and therein pleased the studio that wanted to twist a smart thriller into a blockbuster adventure.

What’s worse, somewhere along the line the film goes from being an adaptation of a classic science-fiction world into a two-hour commercial. Consider the first scene, where Smith’s Spooner wakes up and laces on his “vintage” 2004 Converse shoes, which he reflects on as “a thing of beauty”. (The only way it could be more obvious is if he looked into the audience and uttered “In stores now!”) Throughout the film, remarks are made about Spooner’s wonderful shoes, beating the audience over the head with the in-film advertisement. But let’s not forget about the rampant appearance of Audi, FedEx, and JVC within the film as well. This is the wrong way to do product placement. The right way to do product placement is as it appears in Minority Report , a sci-fi film from 2002 that cleverly uses its sponsors to incite a commentary about the dangers of futurist technology—Tom Cruise’s character in that film is made to transplant his eyes in order to avoid the ads’ incessant eye scanners, revealing product placement as a key plot device, to the extreme of the film critiquing its own sponsors.

But I, Robot is too busy flaunting its now-dull computerized effects, and being hip and funny for Will Smith’s sake, to concern itself with a social commentary. Smith is on autopilot here, indistinguishable from his characters in Bad Boys or Independence Day . The wise-crackin’ actor unloads his snarky lingo while blasting away robots in yawn-inducing, bullet-time action sequences, directed with post- The Matrix verve by Dark City helmer and Australian native Alex Proyas. The actors almost never look like they aren’t standing in front of a green screen, and the robots are about as three-dimensional looking as a cardboard standee. Even the film’s future-world design feels undeveloped, many of its elements lifted directly from Minority Report —including magnetic cars, holograms, and corporate corruption to advance new technology.

However, Proyas shouldn’t be held accountable for his directorial performance here, given the production’s sordid development history and the power struggles that occurred behind the scenes. Fox co-chairman Tom Rothman has earned himself a villainous reputation for turning potentially smart blockbusters into brainless duds (victims include the Alien , Predator , and X-Men franchises), and it’s no secret the same approach was given to this film, forcing Proyas to inject unnecessary humor (including a pointless comic relief role by Shia LaBeouf) into an otherwise thrilling setup. Proyas has since opened up and warned off fellow directors from working for Fox, saying he would “never again” subject himself to their employ after their meddling in this film. And even though I, Robot proved a financial success and demonstrated the marketability of another dumb Fox blockbuster, primarily due to the pop status of its star, the outcome borders on being unwatchably bad today.

Related Titles

a.i. artificial intelligence movie poster

The Definitives

In Theaters

Recent Reviews

Hit Man 3.5 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Short Take: Night Shift 3 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆
Young Woman and the Sea 3 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆
The Dead Don't Hurt 3.5 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
In a Violent Nature 3.5 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Handling the Undead 2.5 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆
Patreon Exclusive: The Prestige 3 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga 4 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Patreon Exclusive: The Strangers: Chapter 1 1 Star ☆
Babes 3 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆
Evil Does Not Exist 4 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Coma 3.5 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever 3.5 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
I Saw the TV Glow 3 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆
The Last Stop in Yuma County 3 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆

Find Family Movies, Movie Ratings and Movie Reviews

I, Robot Parent Guide

Living in a future world populated by human serving androids, Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) is considered paranoid. Despite the laws requiring the mechanical slaves to be hard-wired so they can't harm humans, the police officer is convinced there is a problem with the programming of some of these Robots.

Release date July 15, 2006

Run Time: 115 minutes

Get Content Details

The guide to our grades, parent movie review by rod gustafson.

Putting a human face on a robot has been a favorite sci-fi topic for years, and nearly anyone familiar with the genre would attribute this humanizing trend to Isaac Asimov’s pioneering novel I, Robot. While this film bears the same title as the famous author’s celebrated book, the best term to describe the relationship between the half-century old story and this 2004 movie is the one found in the film’s credits: “ Suggested by Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot.”

Unlike the nine interlinked stories that were penned by Asimov, this film takes on a far more traditional movie approach by having a lone protagonist named Del Spooner (Will Smith) saddled with saving the world from an upcoming distribution of what he thinks may be misguided androids. A detective for the City of Chicago, Spooner is convinced there is a problem with the ever-increasing population of robots, but no one will believe him.

But when Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell), a top robotic scientist with behemoth firm US Robotics, suddenly appears to have taken his life just hours before they introduce thousands of their latest androids, Spooner is more convinced than ever that at least one of the machines has a screw loose. Targeting Lanning’s personal robot, Sonny (Alan Tudyk), as the primary suspect, Smith faces increased opposition from scientist Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan) as he tries to investigate the facts.

Spooner’s near paranoia for the metal men is no secret to Calvin, but she and the audience are both left wondering what the backstory is that has left the cop so uneasy with the same technology the rest of the world is embracing. However, as Spooner digs deeper into the inner workings of the robot craze, even Calvin admits to the possibility of a “ghost within the machine.”

This sci-fi and mystery hybrid may at least give older teens a suitable title to see. Violence is frequent, yet with the exception of a human body seen in a pool of blood, computer generated robots are the primary target of destruction. Extended scenes of dialogue—albeit often poorly written, especially when Smith and Moynahan begin calling each other “dumb”—help to break up the action and lower the overall intensity, but expect a smattering of mild to moderate profanities.

Sexual content is limited to separate scenes of Smith and Moynahan each taking a shower (but not together). While a glass door heavily obscures the latter actress, Smith’s character hasn’t picked up a curtain for his bath yet, allowing us to see the naked actor carefully positioned from the side. While both moments are brief and no explicit nudity is in view, it’s unnecessary “eye candy.”

The other visual aspects of I,Robot are much more appealing, with automatic cars and streamlined buildings created to portray what is likely a far-fetched look at Chicago in 2035. Intermingled with present-day architecture and societal values, this film’s theme reminds us that human imperfection may be our greatest attribute.

About author

Rod Gustafson

I, robot parents' guide.

If you could purchase a capable robot, what would you want it to do? Do you think robots will ever come close to having human emotions and reactions? What do you think will always differentiate a robot from a human?

The most recent home video release of I, Robot movie is October 22, 2012. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: I, Robot 3D

Release Date: 23 October 2012

I, Robot is re-releasing to home video in a 3D Blu-ray version.

Home Video Notes: I, Robot

Release Date: 11 March 2008

Catch I, Robot on Blu-ray and you’ll also nab some hi-tech bonus materials. These include iteractive D-Box technology and Trivia Track/Pop-Up Notes. Other extras are extended and deleted scenes, high definition theatrical trailers and three audio commentaries (by director Alex Proyas and screenwriterAkiva Goldsman, screenwriter Jeff Vintar, and composer Marco Beltrami). Audio tracks are available in 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio (English) and Dolby Digital 5.1 (French and Spanish), with subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

Related news about I, Robot

What These Two Very Different Robots Can Teach Your Kids

{parents:pull_quote}

I, Robot Movie Review

I, Robot Director Alex Proyas Starring Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, and Alan Tudyk Writers Akiva Goldsberg and Jeff Vintar

I find it a little hard to describe why I like I, Robot so much. I feel drawn to the movie again and again. In a certain fashion, this is typical of the work of Alex Proyas, the director of I, Robot . Alex Proyas is probably best known for directing The Crow , with Brandon Lee, the ill-fated son of Bruce Lee. The Crow is a cult classic, loved by goths the world over, and its cachet is only increased by the untimely death of Brandon Lee during filming of the movie. Proyas also directed Dark City , a lesser cult film, but a cult film nonetheless, and also one of my favorites. Proyas apparently has a knack for this kind of thing.

I like I, Robot , even though in a certain sense I find its premise intrinsically implausible. That is because I am generally a fan of the Lucas-Penrose argument for the impossibility of creating an artificial intelligence by means of a computer algorithm (meaning a Turing machine more generally). Refutations of this argument often verge on the comical, because they are often forced to end up insisting that humans cannot reason, either. Part of the problem here is that Lucas is a philosopher, and many (most?) scientists and mathematicians haven't got any clue what he means by "reasoning". Reasoning, as he means it, simply cannot be an entirely physical phenomenon, as argued by Aristotle in De Anima . I am on record in public (admittedly a small public) as predicting that A.I. in the strong sense is impossible for precisely this reason.

Nonetheless, I have no issue with the kind of robots portrayed in I, Robot , because if machine intelligence is possible, it will be something like what you see in this movie. If you create a machine that can reason, then by necessity it will be able to choose good or evil of its own free will. You just might not like the result.

One of the few parts of I, Robot that actually conforms to Asimov's collection of short stories is the Three Laws of Robotics. Asimov created the Three Laws to break the mold of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein on artificial life stories, but Proyas' version of I, Robot restores this fear to the plot.

This fear is driven by the truth that logic, like justice, is cruel. None of us really look good in the harsh light of justice; no one can live up to their own principles. Logic is not much better; few of us can follow our principles to their logical conclusions. As Dr. Alfred Lanning says in response to question, "Is there a problem with the Three Laws?", "The Three Laws are perfect." There is only one logical conclusion, and robots, by definition, are logical. Even classical philosophies such as Stoicism would be unable to embrace that blunt conclusion.

Asimov actually toyed with this idea himself, as the Zeroth Law of Robotics: A robot may not injure humanity, or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm. This is the same logical deduction made by VIKI, the malevolent mainframe. Thus, it is not surprising that we fear logic, because logic inexorably leads to our collective perdition. The deeper reason for this is that logic itself is incomplete, especially when expressed in natural language. Any mathematics complex enough to include arithmetic must include an unprovable statement, in the sense that it cannot be deduced from within the system itself. Steve Sailer once noted that contracts are written in something like COBOL. The intent of this is to reduce uncertainty about what the contract actually means. Legalese accomplishes this goal fairly well, but you cannot reduce the uncertainty to zero, because words do not possess absolute definitions, a point made by Fr. Stanley Jaki OSB. Any time spent with a lawyer will prove this assertion to your satisfaction.

This unsuspected philosophical subtlety surprised and pleased me. Even more so because I, Robot seems like an action movie, and a fine one it is. Shooting killer robots, like shooting zombies, never really gets old.

The Long View: Constitution of the Ecumenical Empire

The long view: warrior politics, the long view 2002-07-25: an unexpected abyss.

Colin's Review

Music, Movies, TV & More

“I, Robot” (2004)

I, Robot is like the little brother to much more mature, cerebral and celebrated sci-fi films such as Blade Runner , Terminator 2 , The Matrix , A.I. and Minority Report — it’s oh-so-close to being good but, due to a somewhat contrived storyline and a few half-baked ideas, only manages to be “ average .” A few more notes on I, Robot :

Directing – Alex Proyas directed Dark City , one of the most original and thought-provoking science fiction films ever made, but that’s both a blessing and a curse — none of his following endeavors have ever lived up to it. Nevertheless, I, Robot isn’t a failure by any means. Even though the setting isn’t all that imaginative (features of Chicago in 2035: hovercars, dried-up Lake Michigan and, of course, crudely designed robots), the clean and bright mise en scène is reminiscent of Steven Spielberg. And the action sequences are well put together.
Acting – Will Smith is one-note as Detective Spooner (I’d originally theorized that he was going to be a robot himself) but brings a much-needed charisma and swagger to the film (Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard is an obvious influence). But the best character is Sonny the robot, voiced by Alan Tudyk (of Steve “The Pirate” fame), who imbues real emotion into a soulless hunk of metal.
Writing – Based on the works of Isaac Asimov, I, Robot touches on themes of freewill and the nature of humanity but never delves deep enough. That’s a shame, as I was hoping the film would explore these philosophical questions instead of focusing on its manufactured murder mystery. The film lacks feeling, which means the characters aren’t relatable, which in turn means the mystery is rendered moot.
Music – Marco Beltrami’s orchestral score — full of fast-paced ostinatos and pulsating brass blasts — fits in well with the chase scenes and choreographed fights. It’s a good soundtrack that underlies what I, Robot unfortunately is: an action movie masquerading as an intellectual one.
Ending (SPOILERS) – I had trouble following the murder mystery storyline at times, so I had to rewatch a couple scenes until I fully understood what was going on. What I gathered was this: I, Robot is a film with no “real” antagonist; the Operating System itself was the actual “bad guy.” In a sense, this removes all stakes from the film and most of its rewatch value. At least the final shot of Sonny standing on a hill, filled with purpose, is quite poetic. It implies that he is more than just a robot, and he deserves it for sure, as he’s the only character with a heart.
Quote: “Technically I was never alive, but I appreciate your concern.” – Sonny

"Playing God and Man"

What You Need To Know:

(B, CC, ACap, H, PC, Ev, LL, VV, N, A, M) Attempt at moral worldview, with mention of church, Bible, and a scriptural prayer, diminished by ambivalent references to predestination and free will which perpetuate a misunderstanding of predestination, and marred by some anti-capitalist elements, humanist ending, political correctness, and evolutionary comments; 15 obscenities and five profanities, but teenager is rebuked several times for cursing; lots of action violence with man spitting blood, blows to the head, car crashes, fall from great heights, crushed skull, strangled man, beatings, drownings, and many other violent situations and threats of violence; no sex; upper male nudity of man getting out of bed, full side male nudity of man in shower, and a scene much later with female nudity of woman in shower, with both shower scenes obscured by glass shower doors; drinking to excess; no smoking; and, deception.

GENRE: Science Fiction

More Detail:

Aside from the brilliant SPIDER-MAN 2, 2004 has seen a dearth of good action-adventures. I, ROBOT almost reaches the pantheon of worthwhile action movies but falls apart at the very end in an illogical, senseless scene of politically correct silliness. This script failure places it between three and four star quality, with the entertaining action pushing it toward four stars.

I, ROBOT combines two Isaac Asimov short stories into the story of Detective Del Spooner, played by Will Smith, who lives in the year 2035, when robots do everything for mankind. Det. Spooner does not like robots, however. He has a feeling that they’re going to go bad, and, of course, he’s right. The problem is that no one believes him because he has cried “wolf” several times before. In fact, he chases down a robot running with a purse, only to find that the robot was taking the purse to its owner who needed her inhaler.

When Dr. Lanning, the scientist who developed all of these semi-intelligent robots, including the latest model NS-5, is found splattered on the floor of an indoor atrium at the U.S. Robotics Company in an apparent suicide, Det. Spooner immediately thinks that it’s a robot who did it. He demonstrates that Dr. Lanning could not have pushed out the safety glass and had no reason to commit suicide, but no one wants to listen.

However, one robot, named Sonny, specially developed by Dr. Lanning, has become particularly intelligent and even dreams at night. When Det. Spooner is searching Dr. Lanning’s laboratory with Dr. Susan Calvin, another scientist at U.S. Robotics Company, Sonny jumps up and tries to fight with and then escape from Det. Spooner. The police detain Sonny, but Lawrence Robertson, the head of U.S. Robotics, gets a court order to force the police to release Sonny. Protecting his company’s product – robots – Lawrence says that robots are perfectly safe because they must obey Asimov’s three basic laws, that is: 1) they may not harm or injure a human being; 2) they must obey human beings except where it conflicts with the first law; and, 3) they must protect themselves as long as it doesn’t conflict with the first two laws.

The police let the robot go. Soon thereafter, however, Det. Spooner is attacked by a whole regiment of robots, but when the police arrive the robots have disappeared and no one believes Det. Spooner. Soon, however, the robots revolt, and it’s a race against time as Det. Spooner tries to figure out the mystery to solve the murders and stop the revolt.

I, ROBOT moves along nicely with a few dull places in the initial set up. At the end, however, instead of fulfilling the logic of the premise, there is a scene of forgiveness which says that only humans can murder humans. That statement is ridiculous. In the Bible, which is mentioned in the movie but not consulted on this matter, murder is the intentional killing of a human whether by the adversary, demons, powers, or principalities, and there is always a penalty for murder. As it is, the murderer gets off scot-free, and there is an ambiguous ending, which indicates that the plot problem has not been solved.

This movie has a good look to it, and the look shows through in the trailer. In fact, aside from Will Smith’s atrocious costumes, the set design and other costumes are intriguing, the robots are wonderfully crafted, and the photography and CGI are very good. After a spotty opening, Will Smith settles well into his part, and the other acting is serviceable.

Regrettably, the movie features lots of intense action violence and some brief nudity. There is also some foul language, which is rebuked several times. There is an attempt at a moral worldview, with mention of church, Bible, and a Scripture prayer, diminished by ambivalent references to predestination and free will that perpetuate a misunderstanding of predestination, and marred by some anti-capitalist elements, a humanist ending, political correctness, and evolutionary comments

I, ROBOT is a B-movie with some exciting moments. If it had carried the premise out to its logical conclusion, it would have been one of the better action-adventure movies of the year. As it is, it may just come to your local theater, do relatively well, and then hasten off to the video bin.

Rent or buy
Categories Categories
Getting Started

Customers also watched

Cast and Crew

Other formats

11447 global ratings

How are ratings calculated? Toggle Expand Toggle Expand

Amazon Newsletter
About Amazon
Accessibility
Sustainability
Press Center
Investor Relations
Amazon Devices
Amazon Science
Sell on Amazon
Sell apps on Amazon
Supply to Amazon
Protect & Build Your Brand
Become an Affiliate
Become a Delivery Driver
Start a Package Delivery Business
Advertise Your Products
Self-Publish with Us
Become an Amazon Hub Partner
› See More Ways to Make Money
Amazon Visa
Amazon Store Card
Amazon Secured Card
Amazon Business Card
Shop with Points
Credit Card Marketplace
Reload Your Balance
Amazon Currency Converter
Your Account
Your Orders
Shipping Rates & Policies
Amazon Prime
Returns & Replacements
Manage Your Content and Devices
Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
Conditions of Use
Privacy Notice
Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
Your Ads Privacy Choices

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, robot dreams.

Now streaming on:

Pablo Berger ’s “Robot Dreams” is a lovely fable about partnership and imagination, a movie that uses the form of animated cinema to tell a story in a way that couldn’t be possible in any other medium. Without a word of dialogue, the director of “ Blancanieves ” casts a spell, crafting a film that is often truly lyrical, a creative exploration of relatable emotion that transports viewers to a world where robots dream of much more than electric sheep. It’s a film that feels at times like it’s not quite substantial enough to support a feature-length runtime, but every time it threatens to lose viewers completely, the sheer creativity of the project brings it back together. Animation has long been a medium that conveys the power of dreams like no other, and Berger’s film continues that legacy of art that has been freed from the constraints of traditional storytelling.

There are two central characters in “Robot Dreams,” but the backdrop of 1984 New York is practically a third. Berger and his team have devised a version of the Big Apple that feels like a love letter to a city that’s always humming and moving. It’s not just the regular shots of things like the World Trade Center or the Empire State Building but the vibrant creatures that give this film a backdrop, from the finger-flipping punks to the vibrant breakdancers. The city is alive.

Against this backdrop unfolds the story of a character known only as Dog. With his kind eyes and sideways smile, Dog is a likable animated creation right from the beginning of the movie, as he seeks a way to shake his loneliness in a city where everyone feels like they have a partner. Dog decides to order one through the mail, bringing Robot into his life. The two are instant BFFs, walking around Manhattan and dancing to the classic Earth, Wind & Fire song “ September ”—its well-known phrase “Do you remember?” feels like a theme of a film that’s about lost friendship and even a lost time in a great American city.

At the end of the summer, Dog and Robot go to the beach, but the lovable metal man’s joints rust after playing in the water, forcing Dog to leave him there. When he returns, the gates are locked, meaning that Robot ends up stuck on that beach in that position for months. And he dreams. Dog goes about his life, doing some dreaming of his own, but “Robot Dreams” is a film about a strong connection that’s severed and how that shapes the imagination of the two halves of the broken partnership. It might sound ridiculous, but it’s kind of like “ Past Lives ” meets “ Zootopia .”

Believe it or not, it works, largely because of Berger’s boundless creativity within a story he adapts from a comic of the same name by Sara Varon . There are no rules in a film about dreaming robots, after all. Why not have a snowman bowl with his head? Why not have birds who have nested in Robot’s body whistle “Danny Boy”? Why not have a movie-stealing Busby Berkeley-esque dance number set along the Yellow Brick Road? Of course, Dog and Robot love “ The Wizard of Oz .” After all, Toto had a metal friend too.

To be fair, there’s a bit of wheel-spinning after that amazing number wherein one starts to feel the length of “Robot Dreams,” a movie that could have either been tighter or explored more ideas in its second half. Even if it falls short of greatness within its potential and artistry, it’s a good, generous, tender movie that’s almost impossible to truly dislike. It’s too sweet to hate while somehow also never feeling overly saccharine or manipulative.

"Robot Dreams" asks us if we remember the relationships that formed us, the ones that may not have lasted our entire lives but shaped us nonetheless. The ones we think about every now and then, the ones that come back to us in our dreams, the ones that don't need words.

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

Now playing

The Dead Don't Hurt

Matt zoller seitz.

Handling the Undead

A Man in Full

Rendy jones.

Glenn Kenny

Nowhere Special

Film Credits

Robot Dreams (2024)

102 minutes

Ivan Labanda as Dog / Robot / Various (voice)

Tito Trifol as Various (voice)

Rafa Calvo as Various (voice)

José García Tos as Various (voice)

José Luis Mediavilla as Various (voice)

Graciela Molina as Duck / Various (voice)

Esther Solans as Various (voice)

Pablo Berger

Latest blog posts

Chi Film Fest's 60th Anniversary Cinema Soirée

The Acolyte Sends Star Wars Into a Galaxy Far, Far In the Past

Short Films in Focus: The Year of Staring at Noses

Animation Is Slow Motion: Pablo Berger on Robot Dreams

Election 2024
Entertainment
Newsletters
Photography
Personal Finance
AP Investigations
AP Buyline Personal Finance
AP Buyline Shopping
Press Releases
Israel-Hamas War
Russia-Ukraine War
Global elections
Asia Pacific
Latin America
Middle East
Election Results
Delegate Tracker
AP & Elections
Auto Racing
2024 Paris Olympic Games
Movie reviews
Book reviews
Personal finance
Financial Markets
Business Highlights
Financial wellness
Artificial Intelligence
Social Media

Review: ‘Robot Dreams’ is more profound than it has any right to be

This image released by Neon shows a scene from the animated film “Robot Dreams.” (Neon via AP)

Copy Link copied

It’s one of those strange but immutable truths of the movies that a song like Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” can play in roughly a thousand films before a movie about a dog and a robot comes along and blows them all out of the water.

The animated “Robot Dreams” is wordless, so the songs play an outsized influence in conjuring its whimsical and gently existential tone. But Pablo Berger’s “Robot Dreams,” a 1980s New York-set fable about loved ones who come and go, doesn’t just use “September” for a scene or even two. It’s the soundtrack to the friendship between Dog and Robot (yes, those are the protagonists’ names in this disarmingly simple film), and its melody returns in various forms whenever they’re reminded of each other.

To a remarkable degree, “Robot Dreams” has fully imbibed all the melancholy and joy of Earth, Wind & Fire’s disco classic. Just as the song asks “Do you remember?” so too does “Robot Dreams,” a sweetly wistful little movie that, like a good pop song, expresses something profound without wasting a word.

Remembering is also helpful when it comes to the film, itself. I first saw “Robot Dreams” over a year ago at the Cannes Film Festival . Its release comes months after “Robot Dreams” was Oscar nominated for best animated film . But for whatever reason, the film is only arriving in North American theaters this Friday.

This image released by Max shows Dakota Johnson in a scene from "Am I Ok?" (James Clark/Max via AP)

It’s an unconventional release pattern for an unconventional film. “Robot Dreams,” adapted from Sara Varon’s 2007 graphic novel, is likewise an all-ages movie in a curious way. It’s very much for kids, but it’s also so mature in its depictions of relationships that older generations may swoon hardest for it.

“Robot Dreams” begins in the East Village where Dog lives a rather lonely life. Before he sits down to eat a microwave dinner, he notices his solitary reflection in the TV screen. An ad, though, sparks Dog to order the Amica 2000. A few days later, a box arrives, Dog assembles its contents and soon a friendly robot is smiling back at him.

Together, they have a grand old time around a New York colorfully rendered with pointillist detail. They jump the subway turnstiles, visit Woolworths and rollerblade in Central Park (with “September” playing on the boombox). But after an outing to Playland (which looks much more like Coney Island), Robot’s enthusiasm gets him into some trouble. After frolicking in the water, he lies down on the beach and later finds he can’t move. This may be a movie about a Dog who rollerblades and a Robot who eats hot dogs, but the scientific reality of rust is one suspense of disbelief too far for “Robot Dreams.”

Despite all of Dog’s efforts, Robot is stuck, and, this being September, the beach is soon closed for the off-season. Much of “Robot Dreams” passes through the seasons while Robot dreamily sleeps through the winter and Dog is forced to go on with his life, and maybe try to meet someone new.

The dreams of each can be surreal; Dog has a bowling alley visit with a snowman who bowls his own head, while Robot imagines a “Wizard of Oz”-like fantasy. But both are consumed by fears of their friend’s abandonment while progressively finding new experiences and friends. New characters enter, with their own New Yorks (kite-flying in the park, rooftop barbeques) and their own soundtracks. “Robot Dreams” movingly turns into a story about moving on while still cherishing the good times you once shared with someone — a valuable lesson to young and old, in friendship and romance.

And even this sense of memory runs deeper in “Robot Dreams” than you might be prepared for. Berger, the Spanish filmmaker whose movies include the 2012 black-and-white silent “Blancanieves,” has filled his movie with countless bits of a bygone past, from Atari to Tab soda. The name Amica 2000 could be a pun for the Amiga 500, the early computer and harbinger of our digital present. Even more dramatic, though, is the way the Twin Towers often loom in the background in a film so connected to the month of September. There, too, is a poignant symbol of companions, friends and family members who vanished, but whose memories still stir within us.

This is, you might be thinking, a lot for a cartoon about a dog and a robot to evoke. And yet “Robot Dreams” does so, beautifully. And it will leave you curiously lifted by the spirit and lyrics of one of the most-played wedding songs of all time: “Only blue talk and love, remember/ The true love we share today.”

“Robot Dreams,” a Neon release, is unrated by the Motion Picture Association but intended for all audiences. Running time: 102 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.

No Movie This Year Will Make You Cry Like ‘Robot Dreams’

DREAM COME TRUE

Nominated at this year’s Oscars for Best Animated Feature, this gorgeous film finally hits theaters—and it's the best movie of the summer so far.

Coleman Spilde

Entertainment Critic

If you heard the film Robot Dreams be called among the five Best Animated Feature nominees at this year’s Oscars ceremony and said, “What the hell is that?” you are not alone. This intrepid little movie, directed by Spanish filmmaker Pablo Berger, has taken its sweet time making its way to the United States. After premiering to raves at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Robot Dreams slowly trickled down through a few other festivals and had a brief, under-the-radar Oscar-qualifying run in the US. But the film’s distributor, Neon, didn’t get it widely in front of stateside eyes before the Oscars, leaving many to question its release strategy and go so far as to claim it bungled the movie’s momentum entirely.

While there’s merit to wondering whether the film might have been bigger with a different approach to its release, such questions fall away once you’re seated in front of Robot Dreams , which draws you in from its opening shots of a vividly illustrated 1980s New York City. Here, a bipedal canine named Dog languishes inside his apartment, channel surfing between playing rounds of Pong. The glow of his television distracts him from his window, where he can glimpse other animal couples and friends enjoying their time together. When Dog spots a TV ad for a mail-order mechanical friend named Robot, he jumps at the chance for some companionship, and Robot Dreams ’ sweet story takes off.

Where this dialogue-free animated film can take you in just 102 minutes is nothing short of masterful. The movie is a feat of sight and sound, with delightful foley work and a beautifully composed score keeping its pacing at a pleasant stroll. It’s because the movie has no dialogue that it’s even more potent. Robot Dreams aims for your soul with a story that transcends language; its hard-hitting emotional moments don’t come from words but from actions. It may be trite to say that love is the one tongue everyone can understand, but that doesn’t make it any less true, and the film finds splendid new ways to illustrate this. And while it’s not all cheerful, Robot Dreams ’ sadder moments make this whimsical friendship story all the more real.

For its first 20 minutes, Robot Dreams brims with the sweet, sunny vitality of a hot summer day in the city. After Robot arrives, Dog assembles his purchase and finds that, although Robot needs a little guidance when it comes to assimilating with the public, this was money well spent. The two are fast friends, sipping Tab together as they stroll down the street past laundromats, bakeries, barber shops, and electronics stores, each filled with their own unique furry characters. A trip to Central Park introduces the film’s narrative centerpiece when Robot and Dog hold hands while searching for a spot to rollerskate. Seeing the two friends killing it on their skates, a nearby lion breaks out a boombox, and the pair skate-dance to Earth, Wind, and Fire’s “September.”

A production still from Robot Dreams .

This needle drop is a critical part of Robot Dreams that will find its way back into the story again and again, somehow never tiring the viewer despite “September” being a great yet classically overplayed song. (I’m not hearing arguments otherwise!) A lovely piano cover of the tune pops up in the next scene, when Dog and Robot take a trip to Coney Island to relax at the beach. Putting a robot in water seems like a risky move, and even though this advanced piece of technology can swim and dive, Robot still needs some oil to be able to move after coming into contact with the ocean. It’s a misstep that Dog doesn’t realize, and when the beach closes and Robot can’t get up to leave with him, Dog tries to no avail to help his friend before tucking him in and leaving home overnight, returning in the morning with some oil to bring him home.

There’s just one problem: That day was the end of the season, and the beach is now closed until next summer. And though Dog tries everything in his power—legal or otherwise—to get down to the beach to save his friend, he runs into problems every time. Suddenly, this cheerful little movie becomes terribly gloomy, but Berger and co-writer Sara Varon handle this twist with careful hands and realism. We’re reminded that occasional cracks in a friendship can sometimes be no one’s fault, but that doesn’t make them hurt any less. And as the seasons change—and Dog watches the calendar, waiting for the beach to reopen—both Dog and Robot realize that finding someone who you’re genuinely close to is much harder than they ever could’ve realized.

Though this is a seemingly straightforward sentiment, Robot Dreams repeatedly affirms it with magnificently animated vignettes, giving audiences a little taste of what each character is up to. Dog tries his best to make a new pal while he waits for his best buddy to be accessible to him again, but in the isolating world of New York City, it proves difficult to connect. Robot, however, has a somewhat simpler time, becoming a helpful staple to the creatures who frequent the beach in its off-season. Other times, Berger and Varon will let us peer inside Robot’s programming, where he imagines fantastical scenarios where he and Dog are together again that will leave you grinning ear to ear until we’re thrust back into a colder reality.

Robot Dreams ’ deft balance of its world’s warmth with its chilly indifference is one of the film’s greatest strengths. Though the movie’s vision of 1980s New York might be filled with animals and not humans, it’s no different than the one we understand as our own. That’s one of the movie’s clever tricks: depicting how companionship is an interspecies phenomenon that isn’t unique to mankind. Love and connection stretch beyond what a human mind can comprehend, and trickle down to the animal instincts of dogs, ducks, cats, giraffes, raccoons, and more.

Of course, Dog eventually returns to the beach when it reopens. But the reunion does not go as he or Robot had hoped, with its final act taking you on an intense ride—one that not even the stoniest of viewers will be able to withstand. It’s a melancholic denouement, but undeniably authentic. Sometimes, we drift and lose touch with people we love. It’s a natural phenomenon that no human can avoid. But affection remains steadfast and comes racing back when you see that old friend again. Berger and Varon don’t make it quite that simple, but nothing about this movie—that has such a handle on the human condition—is simple. Robot Dreams will cradle your heart before breaking it, only to tape it back together again, a little scarred but still functioning. See it with a friend who would handle yours with the same care.

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here .

READ THIS LIST

Why is Christian Science in our name?

Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that.

The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we’ve aimed “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind,” as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.

Here, you’ll find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences – a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope.

Your subscription makes our work possible.

We want to bridge divides to reach everyone.

Deepen your worldview with Monitor Highlights.

Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads .

Select free newsletters:

A thoughtfully curated selection of our most popular news stories and podcasts.

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Hear about special editorial projects, new product information, and upcoming events.

An update on major political events, candidates, and parties twice a week.

Twice a Week

Stay informed about the latest scientific discoveries & breakthroughs.

Every Tuesday

A weekly digest of Monitor views and insightful commentary on major events.

Every Thursday

Latest book reviews, author interviews, and reading trends.

Every Friday

A weekly update on music, movies, cultural trends, and education solutions.

The three most recent Christian Science articles with a spiritual perspective.

Every Monday

‘Robot Dreams’ review: This animated delight explores friendship and loss

By Peter Rainer Contributor

May 29, 2024

Animated movies are the ultimate conjuring act. We are drawn into a world of graphic stylization that, at its best, carries the same emotional impact and allurement as any nonanimated drama.

Pablo Berger’s whimsical “Robot Dreams,” a tribute to the beauty and frailty of friendship, certainly fits this description. Set in a 1980s New York City almost entirely populated by animals, and with virtually no spoken dialogue, the film affected me in much the same way as last year’s “Past Lives,” which was also about the fragility of the ties that bind.

Of course, “Robot Dreams,” a fantasia about a dog and a robot, is a very different sort of film. But it earns its tears just as honestly. Why should this be a surprise? If we can be transported by the power of a great painting, why should a great animated movie afford us any less of an experience?

Why We Wrote This

When an animated film is invested with the full range of feeling, the result is “Robot Dreams.” The movie is a tribute to the beauty and frailty of friendship, our critic writes.

We first encounter Dog in his depressingly sparse third-story apartment on the Lower East Side. Watching TV while downing his microwaved TV dinner, he takes note of a commercial for a do-it-yourself robot kit that asks, “Are You Alone?” Dog may be a loner, but he’s industrious. Soon he and Robot, his mail-order buddy, are inseparable.

The scenes of them jaunting around their neighborhood are elating. The blocks are teeming with rhinos, giraffes, ostriches, pigs, ponies, raccoons, and sundry other critters. The Spanish-born Berger lived in New York for 10 years and has said in interviews that “Robot Dreams” is his “love letter” to the city. It shows. His cityscapes are a multiethnic menagerie spilling over with the rough bustle of street life. The anthropomorphism on display is anything but cutesy.

Waiting for the First Avenue subway, Dog and Robot are loudly serenaded by an octopus knocking out a drum solo, sticks flying high in the air. The pair skate through Central Park, boogying to the beat of their favorite song, Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September.” A day at Coney Island is bliss until it becomes clear that the seawater has rusted Robot’s joints. Immobile, lying face up on the sand, he awaits Dog’s rescue mission. But unbeknownst to them both, the beach season has just ended. Dog’s frantic nighttime attempts to break through the fencing and save Robot leads to his arrest. A snowy winter awaits.

The source material for “Robot Dreams” is the eponymous 2007 graphic novel by the esteemed Sara Varon, whose books also include “Bake Sale,” about the friendship between a cupcake and an eggplant. Along with his art director José Luis Ágreda and animation director Benoît Féroumont, Berger has not so much reimagined as intensified Varon’s storybook vision. His dramatized dream sequences for both Dog and Robot, as they imagine their reunion, have the effect of heartbreaking wish-fulfillment fantasies. The byways of hope all lead to rude awakenings.

Besides Varon, Berger was clearly inspired by “The Wizard of Oz” and such popular artists as Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Busby Berkeley, and Jacques Tati. Above all, the look and feel of the film is a nod to the graphics of Hergé’s “Tintin” books, which Berger has described as a “visual punch” – clear lines, limited shadows, flat colors. The unfussy design of “Robot Dreams” should not be mistaken for a lack of complexity. On the contrary, the clean graphics summon us straight into the story’s emotional heart.

I greatly admire the voluptuous, free-form lyricism of animators like Hayao Miyazaki, but what Berger does here, in its own scaled-down way, is just about as robust. He’s a voluptuary of the everyday. This is his first animated movie, having directed three previous live-action features. He honors the animation medium by investing it with a full range of feeling – just as if he were making a movie with real people.

This is another way of saying that “Robot Dreams” is a film for adults perhaps even more than for children. It’s a movie about overcoming loss, and that is an emotion that can certainly resonate across generations.

Peter Rainer is the Monitor’s film critic. “Robot Dreams” is unrated.

Help fund Monitor journalism for $11/ month

Already a subscriber? Login

Monitor journalism changes lives because we open that too-small box that most people think they live in. We believe news can and should expand a sense of identity and possibility beyond narrow conventional expectations.

Our work isn't possible without your support.

Unlimited digital access $11/month.

Digital subscription includes:

Unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.
CSMonitor.com archive.
The Monitor Daily email.
No advertising.
Cancel anytime.

Give us your feedback

We want to hear, did we miss an angle we should have covered? Should we come back to this topic? Or just give us a rating for this story. We want to hear from you.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

Subscription expired

Your subscription to The Christian Science Monitor has expired. You can renew your subscription or continue to use the site without a subscription.

Return to the free version of the site

If you have questions about your account, please contact customer service or call us at 1-617-450-2300 .

This message will appear once per week unless you renew or log out.

Session expired

Your session to The Christian Science Monitor has expired. We logged you out.

No subscription

You don’t have a Christian Science Monitor subscription yet.

Supported by

Critic’s Pick

‘Robot Dreams’ Review: A Friendship That Is Far From Mechanical

This animated film from Pablo Berger is a silent wonder that says everything about love.

Share full article

In a photo booth, a dog smiles with his tongue out and puts rabbit ears over the head of the robot sitting next to him, looking at him.

By Amy Nicholson

Decades after Philip K. Dick asked if androids dreamed of electric sheep, we have an answer. This android — one of two nameless leads in the Oscar-nominated charmer “Robot Dreams” — envisions a small, lonely dog in his third-floor walk-up, microwaving a depressing dinner for one. Set in 1980s Manhattan, Pablo Berger’s all-ages, wordless wonder of a cartoon kicks into gear when the mutt assembles a self-aware, spaghetti-limbed robot companion ordered from an infomercial. You might be thinking that sentient artificial intelligence didn’t exist 40 years ago, and you’d be right. But dogs don’t rent apartments, either.

This fanciful vision of New York is populated by animals: sporty ducks, punk rock monkeys, buffalo mail carriers, penguins shouldering boomboxes, and a disproportionate number of llamas. Mechanical beings are sparse and some creatures consider them lower in status, a brutal development when our robot’s relationship with his dog begins to break down. But Berger isn’t interested in science fiction. He’s made a buddy film that’s as relatable as two friends bonding over slices of pizza (but the robot eats the plate, too).

Berger, who also adapted the screenplay, expands Sara Varon’s short graphic novel of the same name into a minor epic. To describe the plot — a dog and a robot are best friends, until they aren’t — the film sounds pitifully small. But the world inside it feels huge, a sprawling landscape of joy and heartbreak and mixed emotions and stinging dead ends.

It’s hard to make out the dog and robot’s attachment. Is it platonic? Romantic? Does the dog consider himself the robot’s partner or his owner? The leads remain resolutely mute. In their silence, we fill their relationship with our own memories of loved ones, present and past: partners, best friends, siblings, even long-lost pets. The music steers the mood, a mix of Alfonso de Vilallonga’s jazzy score and a track by Earth, Wind & Fire that’s heard in endless permutations from the full original to a stripped-down, jaunty whistle, like that gag about a butcher who uses everything but the oink.

The film is structured as a series of vignettes. Some are designed to break your heart; others exist just because. In a low moment, the robot imagines himself taking the place of the Tin Man in “The Wizard of Oz,” which he and the dog rented on VHS from Kim’s Video . His dreamscape, however, squeezes the Empire State Building and the twin towers into Emerald City’s skyline, and on his yellow brick stroll there, he’s engulfed by giant, dancing flowers who stomp their stems at him in choreography that’s Busby Berkeley by way of Riverdance.

These tiny stories are microscopic examinations of personal connection: fledgling, fleeting, confounding, awkward, idealistic, forced. Even at the dog and robot’s happiest, things are never perfect. (The dog gets annoyed that the robot always beats him at Pong.) Mostly, though, Berger illustrates shades of intimacy that transcend dialogue, say when the dog introduces the robot to the subway and seems to appreciate his station’s regular street performer — a drumming octopus — for the first time through his new friend’s eyes.

It’s marvelous how the film is able to sketch so much soul from such simple lines. The characters are drawn bluntly, just as they are in the book. Yet Berger, directing his first animated feature (but not his first silent film ), already boasts the creativity of a master. He frames images from inside a grimy microwave, or looking up from the bottom of a candy bowl as it’s being filled with jelly beans. One dizzying shot comes from the point of view of a snowman who’s popped off his own head and hurled it like a bowling ball. I was even more impressed by Berger’s finesse, particularly his playful use of glass. We see the dog’s reflection in everything from TV screens and bus windows to the inside of a crystal ball as the mutt obliviously pads past a tarot reader’s shop — a delightful flourish drawn only for us.

“Robot Dreams” leaves us to ponder what its voiceless leads leave unspoken: Is opening our lives to others worth the pain? There will be blubbering and, at the ending, a surge of feelings that can’t be expressed in words. And they don’t have to be. It’s all said in a tentative tail wag.

Robot Dreams Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 42 minutes. In theaters.

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

Leslye Headland’s new “Star Wars” show, The Acolyte,” is a dream come true, but she knows it carries enormous expectations .

Once relegated to supporting roles, the comedian Michelle Buteau is a star of the film “Babes” and is moving to a bigger stage, Radio City Music Hall, for her new special.

American audiences used to balk at subtitles. But recent hits like “Shogun” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” show how much that has changed .

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime and Hulu to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

'Atlas' review: Jennifer Lopez befriends an AI in her scrappy new Netflix space movie

Just when you think you’ve seen everything, here comes a movie where Jennifer Lopez tries to out-sass a computer program.

Jenny from the Block is in her Iron Man era with “Atlas” (★★½ out of four; rated PG-13; streaming now on Netflix ), a sci-fi action thriller directed by Brad Peyton ( “San Andreas” ) that pairs two hot commodities: a pop-culture superstar and artificial intelligence.

The movie shares aspects with a bevy of films like “Blade Runner,” “The Terminator,” "The Iron Giant" and “Pacific Rim,” and it’s best to not think too hard about the science involved. Yet there’s a scrappiness to “Atlas” that pairs well with a human/machine bonding narrative and a fish-out-of-water Lopez trying to figure out how to work a super cool, high-tech armored suit and not die spectacularly.

Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox

But “Atlas” doesn’t have the best start, beginning with the mother of exposition dumps: In the future, AI has evolved to a dangerous degree and a robotic terrorist named Harlan (a charmless Simu Liu) has turned genocidal, wanting to wipe out most of mankind. He’s defeated and retreats into space, vowing to return, and in the ensuing 28 years, counterterrorism analyst Atlas Shepherd – whose mother invented Harlan and made him part of their family before he went bad – has been trying to find him.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

She’s distrustful of Al and also most humans: The antisocial Atlas’ only true love is coffee but she’s also crazy smart, and she figures out the galaxy where Harlan’s hiding. Atlas forces herself on a military space mission run by a no-nonsense colonel (Sterling K. Brown) to track down Harlan, but amid a sneak attack by cyborg bad guys, Atlas has to hop in a mech suit to survive. The caveat: to run the thing, she has to create a neural link with an onboard AI named Smith (voiced by Gregory James Cohan).

Streaming preview: 15 new movies you'll want to watch this summer, from 'Atlas' to 'Beverly Hills Cop 4'

Obviously, there’s a climactic throwdown with Harlan – you don’t need ChatGPT to figure out the predictable plot – and there are plenty of action scenes with spotty visual effects. But “Atlas” cooks most when it’s just Atlas and Smith, sniping and snarking at each other: He fixes her broken leg, her cursing expands his vocabulary, and slowly they figure out a way to coexist and become a formidable fighting unit.

Lopez does well with the buddy comedy vibe as well as her whole "Atlas" character arc. The fact that she starts as a misanthropic hot mess – even her hair is unruly, though still movie star-ready – makes her an appealing character, one you root for as she becomes besties with a computer and finds herself in mortal danger every five minutes.

While “Atlas” doesn’t top the J. Lo movie canon – that’s rarefied air for the likes of “Out of Sight” and “Hustlers” – it’s certainly more interesting than a lot of her rom-com output . Her action-oriented vehicles such as this and the assassin thriller “The Mother,” plus B-movie “Anaconda” and sci-fi film “The Cell” back in the day, show a willing gameness to venture outside her A-list box.

It also helps when she finds the right dance partner – in this case, a wily AI. And in “Atlas,” that unlikely friendship forgives the bigger glitches.

Looking for reliable options to stream "Atlas" on Netflix? Check out USA TODAY Home Internet for broadband service plans in your area.

Cast & crew

The Wild Robot

After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island's animals and cares for an orphaned baby ... Read all After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island's animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose. After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island's animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose.

Chris Sanders
Peter Brown
Lupita Nyong'o
Pedro Pascal
Catherine O'Hara

All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Technical specs

Dolby Digital
IMAX 6-Track

More to explore

IMAGES

‎I, Robot (2004) directed by Alex Proyas • Reviews, film + cast
I, Robot wiki, synopsis, reviews, watch and download
‎I, Robot (2004) directed by Alex Proyas • Reviews, film + cast
Watch I, Robot
I, Robot (2004) Retro Review
I, Robot (2004) Retro Review

VIDEO

"I, Robot" සිංහල Movie Review
I, Robot Full Movie Facts & Review in English / Will Smith / Bridget Moynahan
I, Robot: VHS UK (2004)
"Robot Dreams" Is A Masterpiece (Movie Review)
ROBOT DREAMS
I, Robot Full Movie Facts And Review

COMMENTS

I, Robot movie review & film summary (2004)
Roger Ebert July 16, 2004. Tweet. :Spooner (Will Smith) is a Chicago Police Department detective with a deep mistrust of robots in "I, Robot." Now streaming on: Powered by JustWatch. 1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2.
I, Robot
In 2035, highly intelligent robots fill public service positions throughout the world, operating under three rules to keep humans safe. Despite his dark history with robotics, Detective Del ...
I, Robot Movie Review
Our review: Parents say ( 16 ): Kids say ( 67 ): On some levels, the movie works: There are lots of good special effects, imaginative settings, the requisite mayhem, destruction, and suspense. I, ROBOT is inspired by a collection of Isaac Asimov stories; in those stories, basic laws for robot behavior are set down: 1) a robot cannot harm a ...
I, Robot (2004)
Permalink. 8/10. Rock'em Sock'em Robo-fun. Dkish 15 July 2004. Director Alex Proyas, helmer of such cult favorites as 'Dark City' and 'The Crow', steps into the Hollywood limelight with his first attempt at a mainstream Hollywood blockbuster. 'I, Robot' chronicles the life of Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) who has a techno-phobic view of ...
I, Robot
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 15, 2018. [I, Robot] somehow manages to overlook the subversive potential, and it's low on wit, coming up with a good-looking but ultimately inert movie ...
I, Robot (2004)
I, Robot: Directed by Alex Proyas. With Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Alan Tudyk, James Cromwell. In 2035, a technophobic cop investigates a crime that may have been perpetrated by a robot, which leads to a larger threat to humanity.
I, Robot (film)
I, Robot (stylized as i, Robot) is a 2004 American science fiction action film directed by Alex Proyas.The screenplay by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman is from a screen story by Vintar, based on his original screenplay Hardwired, and named after Isaac Asimov's 1950 short-story collection.The film stars Will Smith in the main role, Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, James Cromwell, Chi McBride ...
I, Robot
Del Spooner, a brooding, wise-cracking homicide detective played with weary action-hero bravado by Will Smith, shows no such sensitivity. He is, in fact, a raging anti-robot bigot, harboring a grudge against the helpful, polite machines that shuffle around the city running errands and doing menial work.
I, Robot
Movie Review. Chicago police detective Del Spooner is prejudiced: He hates robots. Unfortunately for him, it's 2035, and robots have taken over all the world's menial jobs, including garbage collection, cooking and dog walking. ... Robot is a stylish thriller with a few unexpected twists and turns that addresses the classic fear toyed with ...
BBC
Updated 05 August 2004. Contains moderate violence. A science fiction blockbuster with brains and brawn, I, Robot stars Will Smith as a technophobic detective investigating an apparent suicide in ...
I, Robot Review
I, Robot Review. In 2035, robots are commonplace, governed by three laws which prevent them from harming humans. Robophobic cop Del Spooner (Will Smith) investigates the death of a robotics ...
I, Robot [Reviews]
All Reviews Editor's Choice Game Reviews Movie Reviews TV Show Reviews Tech Reviews. Discover. Videos. ... Robot Blu-Ray Review. Mar 11, 2008 - How does the future look in Blu? I Robot
I, Robot
A movie review by James Berardinelli. When all of the dust from 2004's crumbling blockbusters has settled, I, Robot will likely emerge as the strongest mainstream motion picture of the summer. The best big-budget science fiction film since Minority Report, I, Robot gets high marks not only for storytelling but for its compelling vision of 2035 ...
I, Robot
I, Robot. A can of WD40 is urgently required for this creaking, clanking thriller about robots, starring a gym-built Will Smith and set in a future state imagined with the traditional saucer-eyed ...
I, Robot (2004)
Then comes a robot rumble that brings the action to a crashing halt. A routine Will Smith cop-on-the-hunt thriller at heart, I, Robot lacks imaginative excitement. Proyas merely assembles a mess of spare parts from better movies. Performances, plot and pacing are as mechanical as the hard-wired cast.
I, Robot Review
I, Robot is a movie about what happens when Johnny 5 indeed becomes alive and kicking, in more ways than one. It gets off to a slow start and a lot of the dialogue doesn't work, but this is the ...
I, Robot
Alex Proyas made I, Robot in 2004 for Twentieth Century Fox when notorious executive Tom Rothman was running things, and after watching the film, the director's name on the credits feels like an after-the-fact courtesy. Not only does this sci-fi blockbuster play like a studio-directed project in the worst ways, it's evident onscreen and from the director's remarks after the film's ...
I, Robot Movie Review for Parents
Putting a human face on a robot has been a favorite sci-fi topic for years, and nearly anyone familiar with the genre would attribute this humanizing trend to Isaac Asimov's pioneering novel I, Robot. While this film bears the same title as the famous author's celebrated book, the best term to describe the relationship between the half-century old story and this 2004 movie is the one found ...
I, Robot Movie Review
Movies. I, Robot. Director Alex Proyas. Starring Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, and Alan Tudyk. Writers Akiva Goldsberg and Jeff Vintar. I find it a little hard to describe why I like I, Robot so much. I feel drawn to the movie again and again. In a certain fashion, this is typical of the work of Alex Proyas, the director of I, Robot.
I, Robot
I, Robot Grade: B. I, Robot is like the little brother to much more mature, cerebral and celebrated sci-fi films such as Blade Runner, Terminator 2, The Matrix, A.I. and Minority Report — it's oh-so-close to being good but, due to a somewhat contrived storyline and a few half-baked ideas, only manages to be "average."A few more notes on I, Robot:
I, ROBOT
I, ROBOT moves along nicely with a few dull places in the initial set up. At the end, however, instead of fulfilling the logic of the premise, there is a scene of forgiveness which says that only humans can murder humans. That statement is ridiculous. In the Bible, which is mentioned in the movie but not consulted on this matter, murder is the ...
Watch I, Robot
I, Robot. Will Smith plays a technology-averse cop in the near-future who becomes convinced that a robot is responsible for a scientist's murder. 11,445 IMDb 7.1 1 h 46 min 2004. X-Ray PG-13. Science Fiction · Action · Dark · Futuristic.
Robot Dreams movie review & film summary (2024)
Pablo Berger's "Robot Dreams" is a lovely fable about partnership and imagination, a movie that uses the form of animated cinema to tell a story in a way that couldn't be possible in any other medium.Without a word of dialogue, the director of "Blancanieves" casts a spell, crafting a film that is often truly lyrical, a creative exploration of relatable emotion that transports ...
I, Robot (2004)
Set in a future Earth (2035 A.D.) where robots are common assistants and workers for their human owners, this is the story of "robotophobic" Chicago Police Detective Del Spooner's investigation into the murder of Dr. Alfred Lanning, who works at U.S. Robotics, in which a robot, Sonny , appears to be implicated, even though that would mean the robot had violated the Three Laws of Robotics ...
'Robot Dreams' review: A sweetly wistful friendship tale for all ages
Review: 'Robot Dreams' is more profound than it has any right to be. It's one of those strange but immutable truths of the movies that a song like Earth, Wind & Fire's "September" can play in roughly a thousand films before a movie about a dog and a robot comes along and blows them all out of the water. The animated "Robot Dreams ...
'Robot Dreams' Review: Surprise Oscar Nominee Is Summer's Must-See Movie
Robot Dreams' deft balance of its world's warmth with its chilly indifference is one of the film's greatest strengths. Though the movie's vision of 1980s New York might be filled with ...
'Robot Dreams' review: This animated delight explores friendship and
The movie is a tribute to the beauty and frailty of friendship, our critic writes. When an animated film is invested with the full range of feeling, the result is "Robot Dreams."
'Robot Dreams' Review: A Friendship That Is Far From Mechanical
This android — one of two nameless leads in the Oscar-nominated charmer "Robot Dreams" — envisions a small, lonely dog in his third-floor walk-up, microwaving a depressing dinner for one ...
'Atlas' movie review: J.Lo battles space robots in new Netflix film
Jenny from the Block is in her Iron Man era with "Atlas" (★★½ out of four; rated PG-13; streaming now on Netflix ), a sci-fi action thriller directed by Brad Peyton ( "San Andreas ...
The Wild Robot (2024)
The Wild Robot: Directed by Chris Sanders. With Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Catherine O'Hara, Bill Nighy. After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island's animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose.

Or browse by category:

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

Common Sense Selections for Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

Real-Life Heroes on YouTube for Tweens and Teens

Celebrating Black History Month

Movies and TV Shows with Arab Leads

Celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

A Lot or a Little?

Positive Messages

Positive Role Models

Violence & Scariness

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Products & Purchases

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Parents Need to Know

Where to Watch

Community Reviews

Undocumented f-bomb

Is It Any Good?

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Suggest an Update

Blade Runner

The Iron Giant

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Email not verified

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Movies / TV

I, Robot Reviews

Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

Content Caution

In Theaters

Home Release Date

Distributor

Movie Review

Positive Elements

Spiritual Elements

Sexual Content

Violent Content

Crude or Profane Language

Drug and Alcohol Content

Other Negative Elements

Latest Reviews

Young Woman and the Sea

Back to Black

The Fall Guy

Godzilla Minus One

I, Robot Review

Related Articles

I, Robot (United States, 2004)

Comments Add Comment

I, Robot Review

Bad Boys: Ride or Die Review | Will Smith & Martin Lawrence Return in Top Form

Review by Brian Eggert February 18, 2010

Related Titles

The Definitives

Recent Reviews

Recent Articles

Find Family Movies, Movie Ratings and Movie Reviews

I, Robot Parent Guide

Get Content Details

About author

Rod Gustafson

The most recent home video release of I, Robot movie is October 22, 2012. Here are some details…

Related home video titles:

Related news about I, Robot