I, robot commentary

From a_film_by egroups archive:

hotlove666:

>superb article

Thanks!

> Let's hope this compromised success buys
> Proyas some much-
> needed clout. I don't see him going the way of Jan
> de Bont -- he'll
> use the success to do something personal.

Of the newer effects-heavy filmmakers, he seems the most promising. Prefer him over Emmerich, or even Lucas.

Elizabeth Nolan:

>I know Asimov's name but haven't
> read any
> sci-fiction

Asimov I'd say, forget it; but if you're at all interested in dipping your toes, I'd recommend Philip Dick, JG Ballard, John Sladek, Thomas Disch among others.

> I think a robot filled world of 2035
> would look like a
> Robert Estes painting: clean, crisp, but melocholic.

I'm second-guessing the filmmakers and your notion sounds fantastic, but I think that emotionless,undistinctive cityscape is their point. And Asimov's (unfortunately) vision.

> The cgi images of the cityscape included graffiti,
> which
> made no sense to me

Didn't think of that. Anti-anti-graffiti paint, perhaps? Still if they're showing graffiti you'd think they'd want to make a quick sociological point by showing the graffiti artists, how and why they're doing it.

> Further, I found the use of a badge in the wallet in
> the
> his pocket as the requirement for identification
> rather
> unimaginable.

Could be his retro inclinations (again, it would have been better if they actually made a point of this, maybe in a scene or line of dialogue).

> I, ROBOT did not seem to have have any technological
> applications beyond the human size robots... it's
> like the
> minute and ubiquitous computer applications never
> made
> it to 2035...

This, surprisingly, is a detail actually faithful to Asimov. He completely missed out on the development of the computer.

> (I think it is a sweet potato pie; yesterday
> for the first time I had sweet potato chips in place
> of the
> plain potato chips; probably healthy with less
> salt.)

Terra chips which are a mix of sweet potato, taro and other exotic tubers is quite good.

hotlove666:

> (Dark City is a Gnostic film preceding Matrix by a
> few years, and
> much better.)

Hah. I happen to agree with this. Tho the best SF I've seen onscreen in recent years is, I think, Cowboy Bebop.