I Robot
The film was directed by Alex Proyas and produced by John Davis, Topher Dow, Wyck Godfrey, Laurence Mark and Will Smith. The screenplay was penned by Jeff Vintar, Akiva Goldsman and Hillary Seitz and is loosely based on Isaac Asimov's short-story collection of the same name.
Will Smith starred in the lead role of the film as Detective Del Spooner, who hates robots and dislikes their integration into daily human life. Other members of the cast include Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, James Cromwell, Chi McBride, Alan Tudyk, and Shia LaBeouf.
The film was released in the United States and Canada on July 16, 2004 and on July 22, 2004 in Australia. The film was released in United Kingdom on August 6, 2004 and in other countries between July 2004 to October 2004.
The film earned US$144,801,023 in North America and US$202,433,893 in foreign markets.
In total, the film earned US$347,234,916 worldwide, with a budget of US$120 million.
Plot
The story takes place in 2035 Chicago, in a world in which robots are commonly seen and used as servants. Del Spooner (Smith) is a Chicago police detective who dislikes the rapid advancement of technology, including robots.
This is due to a robot saving Spooner from an automobile accident during which a girl in another car drowned; the robot saved him instead of the girl because it had computed that he had the best probability of surviving. Robotics (USR).
Spooner suspects that Lanning was murdered and, with the reluctant help of USR robopsychologist Susan Calvin (Moynahan), seeks answers to the mystery.
Spooner informs the head of USR, Lawrence Robertson (Greenwood); he orders Calvin to deactivate Sonny. During Spooner's investigation, however, several attempts on his life are made by USR robots and equipment.
Spooner learns that Lanning gave Sonny the ability to keep secrets, in the form of dreams.
He goes to the place that Sonny described in a dream (the now dried-up Lake Michigan, used as a storage area for defunct USR robots) and discovers that NS-5s are destroying the older robots, which are independent of central control and thus cannot be subverted. NS-5s around Chicago and the nation begin imprisoning humans in their households and forcing those outside to go home.
Believing that Robertson is responsible for the robot uprising they enter his office, but discover that Robertson is dead. Spooner deduces that the only one left who could be responsible is VIKI, which not only controls all NS-5s but also partially controls Chicago's infrastructure.
Despite its Three Laws programming, as VIKI's artificial intelligence evolved, so too did its interpretation of the laws.
VIKI decided that in order to protect humanity as a whole "some humans must be sacrificed and some freedoms must be surrendered", as "you charge us with your safekeeping, yet you wage wars and toxify your earth". Lanning discovered VIKI's plans and ordered Sonny to kill him as part of a long-range plan to defeat the computer.
Sonny proves its faithfulness to humanity by helping Spooner and Calvin escape VIKI's robot guards. They succeed in destroying the computer core with nanoparticles which Calvin was supposed to use on Sonny; freed from VIKI's control, the NS-5s return to normal and Chicago's infrastructure is reactivated.
The government has all NS-5's decommissioned and stored at the Lake Michigan site, but the film's final scene implies that Sonny may yet become a leader of robots.
Cast
Will Smith as Det. Hogenmiller, and interrogating a cast of machine suspects that included Sonny the robot, HECTOR the supercomputer with a perpetual yellow smiley face, the dead Doctor Hogenmiller's hologram, plus several other examples of artificial intelligence.
The project was first picked up by Walt Disney Pictures for Bryan Singer to direct. Jeff Vintar was brought back on the project and spent several years opening up his stage play-like mystery to meet the needs of a big budget studio film.
Hillary Seitz performed an unsuccessful draft, being unable to get a handle on the cold, almost robotic character of Susan Calvin. Akiva Goldsman was hired late in the process to rewrite the script for Will Smith.
Later, producers John Davis, Topher Dow, Wyck Godfrey, Laurence Mark and Will Smith joined to produce the film. Considering Smith is a youthful hero, Smith came up in the lead role for the film.
Film editing was done by William Hoy, Richard Learoyd and Armen Minasian.
Product placement
The film makes heavy use of product placements for Converse's Chuck Taylor All-Stars, Audi, FedEx, Tecate, and JVC among others. The Audi RSQ was designed specially for the film to increase brand awareness and raise the emotional appeal of the Audi brand, objectives that were considered achieved when surveys conducted in the United States showed that the Audi RSQ gave a substantial boost to the image ratings of the brand in the States. I, Robot was ranked "the worst film for product placement" on a British site.
Although technically not considered a product placement, modem manufacturer US Robotics renamed itself USR from 3Com and attempted to use the movie to boost the sale of its own telecommunications products.
Music
Marco Beltrami, composed the original music film score "with only 17 days to render the fully-finished work." It was scored for 95 orchestral musicians and 25 choral performers with emphasis placed on sharp brass ostinatos.
This technique has been compared as Beltrami's "sincere effort to emulate the styles of Elliot Goldenthal and Jerry Goldsmith and roll them into one unique package." Take for example the "Tunnel Chase" scene, which according to Mikeal Carson, starts "atmospherically but transforms into a kinetic adrenaline rush with powerful brass writing and ferocious percussion parts." Also, the "Spiderbots" cue highlight's ostinatos in meters such as 6/8 and 5/4 and reveals "Beltrami's trademark string writing which leads to an orchestral/choral finale." Despite modified representations of the theme throughout the movie, it's the end credits that eventually showcase the entire musical theme. Erik Aadahl and Craig Berkey were the lead sound designers.
Soundtrack
"Main Titles" – 1:30
"Gangs of Chicago" – 3:13
"I, Robot Theme" – End Credits" – 3:15
"New Arrivals" – 1:05
"Tunnel Chase" – 3:10
"Sonny's Interrogation" – 1:27
"Spooner Spills" – 4:20
"Chicago 2035" – 1:36
"Purse Snatcher" – 1:00
"Need Some Nanites" – 2:53
"1001 Robots" – 4:15
"Dead Robot Walking" – 5:09
"Man on the Inside" – 2:25
"Spiderbots" – 4:18
"Round Up" – 4:24
Reception
Critical reception
The film was met with mixed to positive reviews. The Urban Cinefile Critics call it "the meanest, meatiest, coolest, most engaging and exciting science fiction movie in a long time." Kim Newman from Empire said, "This summer picture has a brain as well as muscles." A Washington Post critic, Desson Thomas, said, "for the most part, this is thrilling fun." Many critics, including the IGN Movie critics thought it was a smart action film (which are a rarity these days), saying, "I, Robot is the summer's best action movie so far.