Lifeless Robot

I, Robot, “suggested” by the stories of Isaac Asimov, has the plot outline but none of the paranoia | Andrew Coffin

There’s great paranoia potential for a movie about a society in which robots have become fully integrated, their ubiquity masking the threat that they might turn on their creators. I, Robot, “suggested” by the stories of Isaac Asimov, has the plot outline but none of the paranoia. Instead it’s a bland retread of sci-fi and summer-action-movie conventions, produced with enough skill to be sometimes entertaining but lacking the courage and intellect to be anything more.

I, Robot (rated PG-13 for intense stylized action and some brief partial nudity) is based on Asimov in that it picks up a few characters and concepts from several of his short stories. But the Asimov references are really just one of several layers on a standard studio vehicle, pulled on like a coat to give the film the appearance of being different from so many more before it.