Friday, July 23, 2004
I, Robot
I went and saw the new Will Smith movie this week, "I, Robot." Here's my review.
It was really good. You should go see it.
This is why I wait tables for a living instead of being the guy that Ebert picked to replace Siskel.
Seriously, it was a really fantastic piece of work. It made you turn on your brain and really think about some things, as opposed to most other summer fare which requires you to not only turn your brain off, but have it surgically removed before you enter the theatre and put in a giant glass jar outside. There are both benefits and risks involved with this procedure, as you could potentially receive the wrong brain back and become smarter or stupider or George W. Bush.
My brother and my cousin were having a discussion about science fiction films a couple of weeks ago, during which my brother stated that "Star Wars" and its many sequels were not science fiction. I didn't think much of it at the time, but after seeing "I, Robot," the answer struck me. Science Fiction films, at their core, need to have some sort of social commentary. "I, Robot" had it. "A.I." had it. "Blade Runner" had it. "Star Wars" did not. "Star Wars" just had robots and flashing lights and spaceships, but this is not what makes Science Fiction. This does not make "Star Wars" a bad film (it is still one of the greatest movies ever made), it just means it's not Sci-Fi. Because at the end of the day, "Star Wars" doesn't really have much to say about science or technology or society.
"I, Robot" has a lot to say, so go see it.
It was really good. You should go see it.
This is why I wait tables for a living instead of being the guy that Ebert picked to replace Siskel.
Seriously, it was a really fantastic piece of work. It made you turn on your brain and really think about some things, as opposed to most other summer fare which requires you to not only turn your brain off, but have it surgically removed before you enter the theatre and put in a giant glass jar outside. There are both benefits and risks involved with this procedure, as you could potentially receive the wrong brain back and become smarter or stupider or George W. Bush.
My brother and my cousin were having a discussion about science fiction films a couple of weeks ago, during which my brother stated that "Star Wars" and its many sequels were not science fiction. I didn't think much of it at the time, but after seeing "I, Robot," the answer struck me. Science Fiction films, at their core, need to have some sort of social commentary. "I, Robot" had it. "A.I." had it. "Blade Runner" had it. "Star Wars" did not. "Star Wars" just had robots and flashing lights and spaceships, but this is not what makes Science Fiction. This does not make "Star Wars" a bad film (it is still one of the greatest movies ever made), it just means it's not Sci-Fi. Because at the end of the day, "Star Wars" doesn't really have much to say about science or technology or society.
"I, Robot" has a lot to say, so go see it.
