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In the year 2035, technology and robots are a trusted part of everyday life. But that trust is broken when a scientist is found dead and a skeptical detective (Will Smith) believes that a robot is responsible. Bridget Moynahan co-stars in this high-tech action thriller that questions whether technology will ultimately lead to mankind's salvation... or annihilation. What is UMDTM?
UMD, Universal Media Disc, is a brand-new and groundbreaking optical storage medium, designed for the high speed and efficient delivery of digital entertainment content that can store up to 1.8 GB of digital data on a 60mm disc -- or an entire feature film on a single UMD video. All UMD DVDs are produced in Widescreen and encoded using advanced AVC compression. UMD for PSP will play on the new PlayStation Portable handheld entertainment system.
Specifications
Diameter: 60 mmMaximum Capacity: 1.8GB (Single-sided, dual layer)Laser wavelength: 660nm (Red laser)
"...will likely emerge as the strongest mainstream motion picture of the summer." James Berardinelli's ReelViews
"...sprinkles Asimov's ideas like seasoning on a giant bucket of popcorn. The morsels are occasionally tasty..." Scott Tobias, The Onion
Editor's Note
Loosely based on the novel from Isaac Asimov, I, ROBOT is an action-packed, CGI-laden thrill ride from director Alex Proyas (THE CROW). Set in 2035, Will Smith stars as Chicago law enforcer Detective Del Spooner. Called upon to investigate the mysterious suicide of scientist Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell), Spooner deduces that Lanning didn't kill himself but was, in fact, murdered. Lanning worked for the US Robotics headquarters, where he constructed friendly robots designed to help humans with mundane tasks. Lanning's creations are prevalent all over the city, and have been fully integrated into the culture. They are allegedly programmed not to harm humans, but as Spooner digs deeper, his investigations lead him to a new type of robot that Lanning was working on before his death, and one of these models--the highly charismatic Sonny--becomes the prime suspect in the case. Spooner bears a grudge against robots due to an unfortunate incident, so his case against Sonny is met with shrugs of indifference from colleagues who know his prejudices all too well. Fortunately he meets an ally, and a romantic interest, in Dr. Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan), who agrees to help him. As Sonny is cured of his violent tendencies, the other robots amass across the city, working on the assumption that they need to control humanity in order to safeguard its future.Director Proyas unleashes a fearsome arsenal of special effects, while Spooner and Calvin chase the errant robots all over the city. Sonny's facial features and voice are digitally manipulated from the actor Alan Tudyk, lending an unnerving element of humanity to the character. Smith and Moynahan give convincing performances throughout, and as the action races towards a nail-biting conclusion, the message of the movie suggests that technologies built to help mankind could also provide its downfall.
| Features | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital Stereo | | DVD Quality Picture | | Full Length Movie | | Interactive Menus | | Previews | | Scene Selection |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Foxvideo |
| Release Date: 4/4/2006 |
| Running Time: 115 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2004 | | Catalog ID: 2229730 | | UPC: 00024543197300 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: French | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1 |
| Cast & Crew | Alan Tudyk | | Bridget Moynahan | | James Cromwell | | Will Smith | | Akiva Goldsman - Screenplay | | Alex Proyas - Director | | Isaac Asimov - Based On Novel By | | James Lassiter - Executive Producer | | Jeff Vintar - Screenplay | | John Davis - Producer | | Marco Beltrami - Musical Score | | Patrick Tatopoulos - Production Designer | | Simon Duggan - Cinematographer | | Steve Barton - Musical Score | | William Hoy - Editor |
| Awards |
Oscar (2005) | | | John Nelson, et. al., Nominee, Best Achievement in Visual Effects |
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
"[I]t has some nifty choreographed scenes of leaping malevolent droids on the attack." 07/23/2004 p.54-5Uncut
"[T]his is state-of-the-art sci-fi, slick and silvery....It's intelligent..." 09/01/2004 p.130 James Berardinelli's ReelViews 8 of 10
When all of the dust from 2004's crumbling blockbusters has settled, I, Robot will likely emerge as the strongest mainstream motion picture of the summer. The best big-budget science fiction film since Minority Report, I, Robot gets high marks not only for storytelling but for its compelling vision of 2035 Chicago. Directed by Alex Proyas, who previously imagined the strikingly noir cityscapes of The Crow and Dark City, I, Robot takes ideas (and a character) presented in Isaac Asimov's classic anthology of nine short stories and uses them as a jumping-off point for a thrilling action-adventure movie. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 4 of 10
The plot I will not detail, except to note that you already know from the ads that the robots are up to no good, and Spooner could write a lot of tickets for Three Laws violations. The plot is simple-minded and disappointing, and the chase and action scenes are pretty much routine for movies in the sci-fi CGI genre. The robots never seem to have the heft and weight of actual metallic machines, and make boring villains. - Roger Ebert
The Onion A.V. Club 3 of 10
"Suggested by" Isaac Asimov's robot stories--two stops removed from "based on" and "inspired by," the credit implies something scribbled on a bar napkin--Alex Proyas' science-fiction thriller I, Robot sprinkles Asimov's ideas like seasoning on a giant bucket of popcorn. The morsels are occasionally tasty: Rarely does an excuse for big-budget, gun-blazing mayhem have anything to do with a thoughtful treatise on the limits of rationality and law. But with Will Smith chewing scenery in his patented wisecracking-cop role, poor Asimov never had much of a chance, and the result is a cluttered, awkward blockbuster that's just smart enough to get itself into trouble. - Scott Tobias
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