I, Robot

Ein effektvoller und technisch perfekter Actionfilm für Mainstream-Popcorn-Zuschauer*innen, den sich aber ruhig auch ein anspruchsvolleres Publikum anschauen kann. Aber das Gerede, dass es sich um eine sehr intelligente Unterhaltung wie z. B. Minority Report handelt, ist Quatsch. Das Drehbuch des Films ist einfältig und einfach, es enthält banale Dialoge und viele Klischees. Auf das Niveau einer hochwertigen Unterhaltung hat das Drehbuch nur der Regisseur Alex Proyas gebracht. Es ist sein Verdienst, dass der Film dynamisch genug ist, um nicht zu langweilen. Sein paranoider und beunruhigender Charakter ist fesselnd. (14.09.2004)

A very solid film with flawless special effects that I believe will not become a sci-fi classic like, for instance, Blade Runner. It lacks a deeper dimension of thought for that, its ambition is only to entertain, nothing more. Which, of course, is no small feat, and it delivers without problem. The futuristic vision was very impressive, some of it really amused me, because the horizon of 30 years is not that far away, the creators really let their imagination run wild in places. Will Smith with his swagger is an advert for testosterone, some of the action sequences were outstanding (especially Smith's duel with the robots in the tunnel) and the whole thing ran like a Swiss watch without a hitch. Cool. (05.09.2004)

I hate it when a potentially thought-provoking film ends up being a simple action ride with only one goal: entertainment. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I refuse to be only entertained with such a topic. On top of that, everyone is praising the special effects, but to me that ubiquitous CGI eye pounding was terribly annoying, only surpassed by Will Smith in the main role – I hate his typical cool pose. Proyas’ excellent direction saves things a little and I, Robot is at least watchable – I even felt some tension by the end… but I’d much rather see this theme approached in another way. And only imagining how Asimov’s “Foundation” will turn out in the hands of Emmerich brings tears to my eyes. (30.06.2009)

Wenn es nicht so übertrieben cool wäre, wäre dies das größte Science-Fiction-Ereignis seit Spielbergs Minority Report. Dank der Regie von Alex Proyas verfügt der Film über eine stimmungsvolle Atmosphäre und überraschenderweise auch über eine gute (wenn auch reduzierte) Idee. Will Smith war eine Wette auf kommerziellen Erfolg, und so macht sein Del Spooner den Film ein bisschen zum Macho-Gemetzel. Die Figur als Ganzes stört mich in keiner Weise, aber manche Sätze wirken im Kontext der Geschichte so natürlich wie Zarathustra auf öffentlichen Toiletten. Dennoch muss man Proyas zugute halten, dass es ihm mit Leichtigkeit gelungen ist, den Kompromiss zwischen Actionspektakel und beeindruckendem Science-Fiction-Spektakel mit einem mahnenden Subtext auszubalancieren... Mit welcher Leichtigkeit es ihm gelang, beeindruckende Emotionen und erinnerungswürdige Sequenzen in die Adern des Films zu injizieren. Am Ende verzeiht man sogar die wenigen übermäßig effektiven "Matrix"-Szenen, und wenn man kein kompromissloser Fan von Isaac Asimov ist, kann man nicht anders, als diesen perfekt gefilmten Streifen zu genießen. Auf jeden Fall ein heißer Kandidat für den Science-Fiction-Film des Jahres. (03.09.2004)

Although this is Proyas’ worst ever picture, it is still on a high quality level. It’s proof that a “summer blockbuster" isn’t always necessarily a dumb movie that you have to switch off your brain for and suffer laboring through two hours of movie just to see a quarter hour of new generation CGI effects. I have two fundamental objections to make and neither of them is “regular". Firstly I’m unsure of what this has to do with Asimov. If you’ve read his books, you will be disappointed with it, if not, then the name will mean nothing to you. Apart from the three laws of robotics (which are ignored here anyhow), a couple of names and one pleasant nod in the factory, we get no hint of Asimov. My second objection concerns Alex himself for abandoning his habit of making cult movies not made just for the masses. The first objection just surprises me, but the second is understandable, because he wanted to film an action sci-fi that would enjoy commercial success and he succeeded in that to the maximum. (02.09.2004)

At first, I took a long time to get used to the unusual form, but the second projection confirmed a visually refined spectacle and a thought-provoking story. Proyas rocks again, Smith is in top form like never before, and Sonny is the best partner I can imagine. Over the years, Robot has also become almost a classic because there are not many action movies combined with a clever thriller side. (21.11.2005)

An effective and self-aware hit with a light philosophical undertone. In other words, one of the few smart, eye-candy popcorn movies of the new millennium. That has to be appreciated, whether the topic is your cup of tea or not. Still, it is a class lower than Minority Report. (27.12.2004)

I saw the movie as a hot novelty in the cinema in 2004 and I was absolutely thrilled by it. As a sci-fi enthusiast, I have to constantly stand by the fact that the movie has an idea and by using Asimov's laws, it only points out the classic problem associated with robots. How far can we go with artificial intelligence before it turns against us? Well, the ending is a bit shaky, but otherwise, this is an excellent action ride with a good detective plot, and considering the movie is already 10 years old, it has great special effects sequences. (20.12.2013)