"The smallest effects are as seamless and important to the story as the big ones, from Spooner's examination of 1001 robots standing in formation to the wink of an eye." Nell Minow MOVIE MOM AT YAHOO! MOVIES "Much in the same way that Blade Runner redefined the science-fiction/ suspense genre in the 1980s, I, Robot will for a new generation." Jeffrey Lyles GAZETTE "Discerning horror fans will enjoy this futuristic science fiction actioner for its dark, sinister elements." Staci Layne Wilson HORROR.COM "A high-tech thriller that really works -- both because of its eye-popping visual feats and the ideas and humanity behind them." Michael Wilmington CHICAGO TRIBUNE "Some of the most convincing and lifelike visual effects in movie history. This is a wide-scope sci-fi thriller done right." Dustin Putman THEMOVIEBOY.COM

"'Lots of exciting action sequences, a charismatic hero, a few chuckles here and there and some top-drawer special effects work. The only thing it lacks is Isaac Asimov." Sean McBride SEAN THE MOVIE GUY "Filmmaker Alex Proyas finally finds the perfect balance between the real world and the one of his imagination, breathing humanity into a genre gleaming with artifice." Todd Gilchrist FILMSTEW.COM "While it's not in a league with Blade Runner, The Terminator or even Robocop, I, Robot is an efficiently designed, well-oiled machine." Colin Covert MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE "I, Robot is a slice of sci-fi heaven with a hearty side of bewitching visual euphoria." Emily Blunt BLUNT REVIEW "I, Robot is an engrossing sci-fi thriller with Will Smith playing a rebel with a cause in 2035 Chicago where robots are in abundance." Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat SPIRITUALITY AND HEALTH

At A Glance

"When Smith and Monaghan are interacting with Sonny the robot, you swear he’s a real person who just happens to look a bit odd." ..... Rebecca Murray ABOUT.COM

"The Three Laws of Robotics"

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

It's fair to say that when it comes to entertaining an audience, Will Smith is the man. At 35 years of age Smith is big bucks at the box office, an actor with appeal to a very broad audience. From the popular television comedy show "The Fresh Prince of Belair" to performing hit songs and appearing in films such as "Six Degrees of Seperation" or "Ali", Smith is a total entertainment package. And how much is that package worth? Heaps!! Take his film salary. It started out at $US 50000 when he appeared in the 1992 film "Where the Day Takes You". By the year 2000, when he appeared in "The Legend of Bagger Vance", Smith's earning capacity had hit the $US10 million mark. Just one year later, when he appeared in the sequal "Men In Black II" Smith would earn $US20 million plus 10% of the gross. Another year on, he appeared in the sequal "Bad Boys II" which realized him $US20 million plus 20% of the gross. So how much did it cost to get him in the lead for "I, Robot"? A cool $US28 million. Not bad for someone who had made and lost a fortune as a teenage rapper and was once in debt to the Internal Revenue Service. Willard Christopher Smith Jr has certainly come a long way, winning over a multitude of fans and my guess is "I, Robot" will continue the trend. I mean, he's so likeable, fresh and never dull. The question many will want answered is, "was he worth the 28 million"? In a word, yes! And is "I, Robot" a must see movie? Without hesitation, yes. When it comes to describing "I, Robot", Smith says, "It's a hi-tech action movie, a special effects film, a romantic drama, and a murder mystery." Well that's value for money. Four movies in one and all set in the year 2035. Now when it came to casting the lead, there are many film-makers who claim they got "the one, only and best choice to play the lead." You've heard or read it many times I'm sure, but according to producer John Davis when it came to "I, Robot" and Will Smith, it's definately true. "Will Smith was the number one person on our list, and getting him was like winning the lottery," he said. To which fellow producer Laurence Mark adds, "Because the human story here interests us as much as the robot story, thank heaven for Will Smith." That begs the question, what was it that attracted Smith to the role? "What attracted me to this film is the concept that the robots aren't the problem," says Smith. "The technology is not the problem. It's the limits of human logic that is the problem, and essentially we are our own worst enemy." Smith, who is also an executive producer of the film made a number of requests that "were music to Alex's ears and to mine, " according to Isaac Asimov fan and Academy Award winning screenwriter Akiva Goldman. It was Smith who suggested bring the talented Golbman on board to work with Jeff Vintar who had written the original 'spec' script titled "Hardwired". Vintar's work had been picked up by Twentieth Century Fox. This resulted in a two year collaboration between Australian director Alex Proyas. Laurence Marks remembers, "It started out as a rather straight forward futuristic murder mystery, and there was an ongoing effort to broaden its canvas." Alex Pyros it seems was well aware of Isaac Asimov's works. "When I was ten years old, I used to read a lot of science ficition. Asimov was one of the authors I enjoyed very much, " he said. It seems he always thought that "I, Robot" would make a good movie. "When you're young, you dream about this stuff and I wanted to make films from a pretty early age," he explained. "So, I dreamed about turning this into a movie one day." John Davis concurs with that. "We married "Hardwired" and "I, Robot" together because Fox had always wanted to do a big movie about robotics and it had always been Alex's dream to do a movie of Asimov's short stories." But how relevant are those stories from the 1940's and early 50's? "I though Asimov's ideas were still incredibly pertinent and contemporary," says Proyas. "We are getting closer and closer to the future world he wrote about, so the time is now right to tell those stories." So is this a film for the masses or just a film for sci-fi fans? Absolutely not! "I, Robot" is an eye-catching, futuristic film" and one which has broad appeal. Particularly if you're technophobic. "You don't need to be an Asimov fan or a sci-fi fan to enjoy and relate to this movie," says producer Topher Dow, "but if you are an Asimov fan, this story is a great companion piece to the I, Robot book and his great science fiction lineage." And yes, "I, Robot" does raise issues, and fears. Veteran actor James Cromwell says, "The film asks a lot of intrguing questions. What's the morality of the choices we make? What are the ramifications of intelligent machines and how humans react to them? Bruce Greenwood, who portrays Lawrence Robertson, Chairman of U.S. Robotics in the film adds, "One of the overriding themes in this movie is about artificial intelligence versus natural intelligence. When does artificial intelligence cease to become artificial and become organic? If a computer or a robot begins to think, what's artificial about that?" Crew Bytes "I, Robot" was .......
directed by Alex Proyas ["Groping", "Spineless", "The Crow", "Dark City", and "Garage Days"]; written by Jeff Vintar ["Long Hello and Short Goodbye"]and Akiva Goldsman ["The Client", "Batman Forever", "Lost in Space", "Practical Magic" and "A Beautiful Mind"]; inspired by the book of short sci-fi stories "I, Robot" written by Isaac Asimov ["The Magnificent Major" and "Target... Earth?"]; costume design by Elizabeth Keogh Palmer ["Dark City", "On The Run" and "The Dark Room"]; production design by Patrick Tatopoulos ["Pitch Black", "Stargate", "Independence Day", "Godzilla" and "Underworld"]; set decoration by Lin MacDonald ["Sirens", "The Hunted", "Mission To Mars", "Cats & Dogs" and "The Core"]; cinematograhpy by Simon Duggan ["The Interview", "Risk" and "Garage Days"]; original music by Marco Beltrami ["The Bicyclist", "Scream 1 & 2", "The Watcher", "Dracula 2000" and "Hellboy"]; produced by Topher Dow ["Garage Days"], Laurence Mark ["Jerry Maguire", "As Good As It Gets", "Hanging Up" and "Riding In Cars With Boys"] and John Davis ["Paycheck", "Garfield", "Daddy Day Care", "Dr Doolittle 2" and "Predator 1 & 2"]. Casting About "I, Robot" stars .......
Grammy Award winner Will Smith ["Bad Boys II", "Ali", "Six Degrees Of Seperation" and "Made In America"]; Bridget Moynahan ["The Recruit", "Serendipity", "Coyote Ugly" and "The Sum Of All Fears"]; Gemini Award winner Bruce Greenwood ["Thirteen Days", "Hollywood Homicide", "Double Jeopardy" and "The Core"]; James Cromwell ["Space Cowboys", "The Green Mile", "LA Confidential" and "The Sum Of All Fears"]; Chi McBride ["Paid In Full", "Narc" and "The Terminal"] and Clarence Derwent Award winner Alan Tudyk ["Patch Adams", "A Knights Tale", "28 Days" and "Hearts In Atlantis"] as Sonny. The Story

"I, Robot is the best kind of adventure movie, one that engages your heart, your sense of humor and your ache for a good yarn." ... Chris Hewitt ST PAUL PIONEER PRESS

It's 2035 and robots are commonplace. They are a trusted member of society programmed to serve, protect and never harm a human being. Trusted by everyone except robophobic Chicago Detective Del Spooner. He lives in the past, surrounded by a technology long obsolete. His latest misadventure, accusing a robot of bagsnatching has made him the laughing stock of his colleges, after the so-called thief was found to be retrieving much needed medicine for its owner. Then Det Spooner is called to U.S Robotics where his long time friend Dr Alfred Lanning has apparently suicided. Dr Lanning has left Spooner clues which convince him that the genius behind U.S Robotics was murdered. While discussing the case with robot psychologist Dr Susan Calvin, Spooner discovers a robot in hiding. But this robot is different, it doesn't want to be captured. Spooner is convinced the robot, named Sonny, has murdered Dr Lanning. Unfortunately no-one wants to believe him. They'll soon wish they had. By then it may be too late. The Verdict "Eyepopping special effects! Robots that are too real for comfort! Just a part of the exciting mixture that makes "I, Robot" a film with massive appeal. "I, Robot" is more than hi-tech robotics. This is a film with a dark message. How far can we afford to go in the race to embrace the new world order. An order where human kind may become slaves to their robot servants. Chilling, thrilling sci-fi adventure with a dash of humour only Will Smith could pull off." The Cast

Will Smith Bridget Moynahan Alan Tudyk James Cromwell Bruce Greenwood Adrian L Ricard Chi McBride Jerry Wasserman Fiona Hogan Peter Shinkoda Terry Chen David Haysom Scott Heindl Sharon Wilkins Craig March Kyanna Cox Darren Moore Aaron Douglas Michael St John Smith Shayla Dyson Bobby L Stewart Nicola Crosbie Emily Tennant Shia LaBeouf

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Del Spooner Susan Calvin Sonny Dr Alfred Lanning Lawrence Robertson Granny Lt John Bergin Baldez V.I.K.I Chin Chin NS4 Robots NS5 Robots Woman Detective Girl Homeless Man USR Attorney #1 USR Attorney #2 Laughing Girl Girl's Dad TV Anchor Person Young Girl Farber

The Crew Directed by Alex Proyas Screen Story by Jeff Vintar Screenplay by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman Produced by John Davis/Topher Dow/Laurence Mark Original Music by Marco Beltrami Cinematography by Simon Duggan Production Design by Patrick Tatopoulos Art Direction by Chris August and Helen Jarvis Set Decoration by Lin MacDonald Run Time 114 minutes Rated M15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - 20th Century Fox - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2004 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved