I, Robot

[ThePickleMan]

After watching the trailer, and reading about the premise, this looks like a pretty good action/popcorn flick. www.apple.com/trailers/fox/i_robot/video_medium.html

[Magill]

I'm rather dubious about it. It seems like it's going to be a standard Will Smith action movie. I read a screenplay adaptation that Harlan Ellison wrote. It was very much an homage to Citizen Kane. I liked it quite a bit--he transformed a book that was basically a collection of logic puzzles into a much more powerful story. That adaptation will never get made, as Ellison insulted the then-head of the studio that held the rights, saying something like "you have the intelligence of an artichoke" (He wrote it in the late 70s, and the studio exec kept trying to turn it into another Star Wars, with a beautiful heroine and cute robots). Anyway, Ellison's screenplay was published in paperback form, and I highly recommend you check it out. I liked it better than the source material (and that doesn't happen often).

[jenfrazer]

Alex Proyas.

WOOHOO!

[Landatauron]

I'd rather watch Gigli....or maybe even Brazil.

[FiveMileSmile]

There are so many books I never want to see Hollywood make into films in the sure and certain knowledge that they will make a complete mess of it and get me all angry, and the doctors will be forced to give me those pills again.

This is just one of those movies.

Please Hollywood, find some scriptwriters with original and interesting ideas; stop tearing down my childhood influences.

I can't take it any more.

- Rich

[DARTHMADLER]

After seeing the trailer I'm sure Asimov would be rolling over in his grave. By the looks of it it runs completely counter to how he was trying to portray robots. He always wrote about the "Frankenstein Complex" people had about machines and tried to make stories where the robots were entirely benevolent. This is apparently too complicated an idea for Hollywood to grasp.
Off the top of my head I can only think of Bishop from Aliens as being a good Robot/Android/Non-Human Thingy. Can anyone think of friendly robots (that didn't start off as human)?

[PoolMan]

Hm...

- VINCENT from Black Hole
- Gir? He's friendly in a homicidally insane way!
- the robot from Lost in Space
- the Bit in Tron (not really a robot, but a relatively friendly AI)

Help me out peoples, this is tough!

[Magill]

here's a few more:

-Robby from Forbidden Planet. Hey, that would be a good movie to review. It's The Tempest in space! It's got Leslie Nielsen in a non-comedic role.

-The T-101 (or whatever the number is) in Terminator 2. Though it was evil in the first movie, so I don't think that counts.

-None of the robots in A.I. seemed particularly menacing. Okay, David freaked out a bit in the end, but that was it.

-Andrew (was that his name) in Bicentennial Man (I've never seen the movie).

-R2D2 and C3PO. I can't believe I was the first to think of it.

-Data from Star Trek

[jenfrazer]

Bicentennial Man was based on an Asimov story. And look how that turned out.

But as I said earlier in the thread, I put my trust in Proyas. As much as Kyle hates Dark City, I love it. And there will always be a soft spot in my heart for The Crow. If anyone can make this not horrible, it'll be him.

[dajaymann]

PoolMan said:

- VINCENT from Black Hole

VINCENT was da bomb. Just wanted to holla my luv for Da Black Hole.

[Deleted]

I always hate robot movies. The movies are either incredibly sad, with the robots being the victims, and at the end you just feel so depressed you want to kill yourself (A.I,) or the robots are bad and want to kill people, and then the movies are normally boring.

God A.I was depressing. I am never ever going to see that again. It was actually close to "The Fox and The Hound" on levels of "how sad it makes me."

[Uber]

I've got to agree with Rich on this one. Generally speaking, the quality of writing in Hollywood has gone in the toilet. I find most of the good comedic writers have abandoned films and are now working in Television (especially in animation). Action/Adventure movies are turning up to be all remakes or adaptations. This is why I find it so important to support good movies with original ideas. But enough of this stump speech.

And the thing I found most depressing in A.I. was the ending that Spielberg tacked on. Goodness knows we have to have that heartwarming ending on every movie. Bleh.

[Head Mutant]

Uber said:

Generally speaking, the quality of writing in Hollywood has gone in the toilet.

When was it NOT in the toilet? The 70s? Blaxsploitation?

[Vorlina]

Dammit, I was going to say Data..


Orac? Is sarcastic and superior classified as unfriendly? Cos then I am in an entirely separate world of trouble.

Kryten! Ha, got it

[HRCC04]

Though id be inclined to agree...id have to say that after seeing this preview, i felt that ever so fresh "Summer Movie Fever" that comes at the same time every year when the big budget studios throw their money makers at you...and honestly, for a hot georgia sunday afternoon, i imagine i wouldnt mind sitting down with a big cold coke in the air conditioning watching this movie, even if its everything that makes people hate robot movies...

Guess you just gotta kinda remember why you go to the movies sometimes, sure...pick apart some movies, and spit them out as they should be...but then sometimes just kinda sit back, watch it and enjoy an action sequence or humorous line or 2...and think to yourself "This $5-$10 could be spent on worse things...like clogging arteries with McDonalds..." (even more so now that they are gonna start accepting credit cards like everywhere else...yikes.