Limes with Orange

I finally got around to watching I, Robot. I've long been a fan of Isaac Asimov's short stories and essays (though I've yet to read any of his novels, something I'd like to remedy), so part of me was eager to see this movie. But the trailers made it look very slick and Hollywood which made me nervous. And the fact that it starred Will Smith didn't allay those fears. I was finally convinced to see it when I learned that it was directed by Alex Proyas who wrote and directed Dark City, a sci-fi vision that really captured my imagination.

My reaction to the movie was interestingly the same as my reaction to a performance of The Two Gentlemen of Verona that I attended just two nights previously: by eschewing complexity for easy laughs, the production was entertaining but not memorable. In the case of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, I blame the director; in the case of I, Robot, I blame Will Smith.

I'm not saying his acting was bad, just lacking depth. A depth that could have made this movie a sort of modern day Blade Runner. And it was made more frustrating by the fact that I saw moments of the tortured hero in his performance, but every one-liner he delivered destroyed that persona and ended up sounding like the Fresh Prince. Maybe Smith is simply incapable of a darker, edgy humour. Pity.

But this viewing experience has made me interested in reading I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay, featuring the script for I, Robot that Harlan Ellison wrote. A screenplay that Asimov felt would be "The first really adult, complex, worthwhile science fiction movie ever made." A screenplay dubbed "The greatest science fiction movie never made." And if anyone ever manages to get this version of Asimov's story cycle made, please don't let it star Will Smith.

Labels: film, pop culture