# I, Robot **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 16, 2004, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379 "2004-07-16T06:20:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/41 "2004-07-19T04:10:46Z")
For all the complaining about this not being true to i,robots, it was very Asmovian. The characters were very much so. None of them had any messy personality details that did not pertain directly to the plot. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/42 "2004-07-19T12:18:54Z")
Can anyone explain his remark to the cat about getting hurt? ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/43 "2004-07-19T13:43:29Z")
> [@lee](#): > > What ticked me off it the movie title sequence capitalized the “i” in the title. tsk, tsk. > > What pleased me was the Dr. Calvin was not as out of character as I expected, though she is damn good looking for someone that old. > > Good pacing, and the trailer did not give away the best parts. > > The plot reminded me of Asimov’s mysteries and detective stories. Everything was there for you to figure out, if only you can see it in time. > > Second biggest disappointment though was:The shower scene. Was I the only one asking him to turn just a bit? It _was_ a wonderful scene, but: Why didn’t he have a shower curtain? While I was admiring the view, I was also worrying about all the water on the floor! I know, I’m weird. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/44 "2004-07-19T14:21:18Z")
One question about the movies: We know VIKI was the bad guy all along, but how complicit was Lawrence Robertson (CEO of USR)? It seemed as if he ordered the tunnel attack on Del Spooner, not VIKI. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/45 "2004-07-19T14:29:03Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > One question about the movies: > > We know VIKI was the bad guy all along, but how complicit was Lawrence Robertson (CEO of USR)? It seemed as if he ordered the tunnel attack on Del Spooner, not VIKI. I don’t think that Robertson ordered the attack; I think VIKI did that. _But_ I do think that Robertson suspected something was wrong, but didn’t want to admit it, because he didn’t want to see him empire come tumbling down (and his fortune with it). All that, of course, is just MHO. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/46 "2004-07-19T14:47:06Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > I don’t think that Robertson ordered the attack; I think VIKI did that. _But_ I do think that Robertson suspected something was wrong, but didn’t want to admit it, because he didn’t want to see him empire come tumbling down (and his fortune with it). > > All that, of course, is just MHO. That was entirely my understanding as well. VIKI became the obvious culprit because, unless the movie strayed into total self-conflict (which it almost did on several occasions), only a" malfunctioning" robot/AI could violate the Three Laws. Robertson wouldn’t have the ability to do it on his own, and would jeopardize his own fortune if he tried. Hence, he had no motivation to be the real villain, and didn’t make for a beguiling red herring, I’m afraid. He did, however, have a motivation to keep any and all problems under wraps if possible, which is villainous enough: Greed. He’s obviously some kind of analagous Bill Gates. ---
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/47 "2004-07-19T14:50:05Z")
> [@](#): > > We know VIKI was the bad guy all along, but how complicit was Lawrence Robertson (CEO of USR)? It seemed as if he ordered the tunnel attack on Del Spooner, not VIKI. I got the impression that it was a fake-out for the audience… they showed Robertson being all pissed off at Spooner and then picking up the phone, but VIKI was present in the scene and was the one who ordered the attack. Robertson was probably just calling his lawyers again or something. I had a strange reaction to the film, actually. I went in to the theater expecting to hate the movie itself but to like Will Smith, whose movies I always enjoy, even Wild Wild West. I walked out of the theater thinking that the movie itself wasn’t half bad, but hating the Spooner character with a burning passion. [SPOILER]The fact that he was sorta-kinda-not-really right about the eeeevil robots didn’t excuse his annoying, irrational rants for three quarters of the film. One of his friends should have told him right out that he needed a psychiatrist. And then he just… got over it. [/SPOILER] I will say, however, that the best part of the whole movie was the first couple of minutes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![NothingMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b77776/32.png) [@NothingMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NothingMan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/48 "2004-07-20T13:22:14Z")
Honestly I think that your frame of mind going into the movie will affect how much you enjoy (or don’t enjoy) the film. As I had heard many mediocre reviews I went mainly to check out the CGI and not much else. So because I didn’t expect much - I really liked the flick. It is simply a great summer action sci-fi movie. Nope its not deep or revolutionary or award-worthy…but I did feel it was worth my $7.50. Couple things: Yeah the product placement was almost distracting at times. Did anyone else notice the “Ovaltine Cafe”? I can understand Audi spending big bucks to be a part of this summer blockbuster - but freakin’ ovaltine?? Was this just a coincidence? Chi McBride kicks ass. Chi McBride kicking robot ass with a shotgun kicks even more ass. There are several great scenes that I think are better off experienced in the theater. The tunnel sequence (which is all CGI save the inside of the car), the house demolition scene and of course the finale on top of the girders. I can’t imagine these being nearly as satisfying on a TV screen. I recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/49 "2004-07-20T17:48:25Z")
Anyone have any theories as to [spoiler]What the point of the last scene was? How can Sonny lead the other robots to freedom? They’re bound by the three laws again, and humans are ordering them to go stand in dumpsters forever… Or was Sonny dreaming? [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/50 "2004-07-20T18:16:48Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > Anyone have any theories as to > > [spoiler]What the point of the last scene was? > > How can Sonny lead the other robots to freedom? They’re bound by the three laws again, and humans are ordering them to go stand in dumpsters forever… > > Or was Sonny dreaming? > [/spoiler] One word: Sequel. Bet on it. ---
**Author:** ![Scupper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Scupper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scupper)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/51 "2004-07-22T19:23:45Z")
Sitting through this unbelievably lazy and self-contradictory movie made me squirm and writhe in pain. Here’s what’s wrong with this movie, purely on a screenplay basis: The “murder mystery” is completely illogical. The only way the doc could get a message to the outside world is to have the robot kill him? Just a few how-abouts: [ul] [li]“Break the window, then go down to the police station with this recording of me spilling the beans on the whole thing”[/li][li]“Break the window, then carry me safely down to the ground so I can talk to my buddy Will Smith”[/li][li]“Break the window, jump out, run to the robot destructo lab, get some nanojuice, and torch VIKI yourself, you unstoppable little iBot. And bring me some coffee on your way back.”[/li][/ul] Nope, for some reason those are all no good. Better have yourself thrown to your death. Well, then, why not at least tell the robot, when it meets Will Smith, to say “Hey, VIKI is going to turn the NS5 series into an army of killing machines because she’s gone bonkers”? Or at least put a frigging .TXT file in Sonny’s hard drive saying “UNPLUG VIKI!” Nope, the only way to be sure of success is to: [ul] [li]Have Sonny kill me.[/li][li]Leave an extremely vague hologram epitaph for myself.[/li][li]Let Will figure it all out for myself, even though VIKI will put an army of killer robots on his tail.[/li][/ul] The tried-and-true cop cliches were all trotted out, with the notable exception of “partner must be avenged” (because he had no partner): [ul] [li]Ascerbic but generally good street punk who the cop feels responsible for.[/li][li]Mayor/commissioner/DA puts pressure on the boss to keep the cop away from the case.[/li][li]“There is no case!”[/li][li]It was obviously a suicide, despite the massive amount of evidence to the contrary.[/li][li]Give me your badge, you loose cannon, you![/li][/ul] Numerous inexplicable plot holes and contradictions: [ul] [li]If the doc was a prisoner in his lab, who was feeding his cat? No domestic robots were in evidence.[/li][li]Assuming that, as the movie stated, the modified processor was what allowed VIKI to order the NS5s to harm humans, how did the demolition robot not trip over the First Law when wrecking the house that it was well aware contained a human being?[/li][li]Since Sonny is known (or, at least, believed) to be dangerous to humans, why is he almost never restrained in any way? Why don’t they just disconnect his arms and legs?[/li][li]Why do they make the point of the man on the hill being Will in Sonny’s dream when it turns out to be Sonny after all? Why does Sonny dream of Will at all, having never met him? Was he programmed to by the Doc? Why, then was he not programmed to do something useful about it?[/li][/ul] The fact that they couldn’t really use the Three Laws to come up with an intelligent reason for the robots malfunctioning and had to result to “Eh, they’ve been secretly designed to not give a crap about the three laws,” is indicative of how little thought was put into this story. Criminally lazy screenwriting. And that’s to say nothing of the moronic John Woo motorcycle and catwalk acrobatics that peppered the third act with groan-inducing pockets of stupidity. And the blatant and annoying product placements for Audi, JVC, and (especially grating) Converse. Overall, I didn’t much care for it. Can you tell? ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/52 "2004-07-22T20:13:50Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > One word: Sequel. Bet on it. Do you think the sequel will be titled _II, Robot_? ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/53 "2004-07-22T20:32:54Z")
> [@Scupper](#): > > The “murder mystery” is completely illogical. The only way the doc could get a message to the outside world is to have the robot kill him? > > Just a few how-abouts: > > [ul] > [li]“Break the window, then go down to the police station with this recording of me spilling the beans on the whole thing”[/li][li]“Break the window, then carry me safely down to the ground so I can talk to my buddy Will Smith”[/li][li]“Break the window, jump out, run to the robot destructo lab, get some nanojuice, and torch VIKI yourself, you unstoppable little iBot. And bring me some coffee on your way back.”[/li][/ul] > > Nope, for some reason those are all no good. Better have yourself thrown to your death. This I agree with entirely. I _hate_ the cliche of “someone knows all the answers, and wants them to be found out, but instead of telling the heroes, leaves them enigmatic clues of various sorts”. However, it’s such an accepted device at this point that I’ve gotten somewhat inured to it. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/54 "2004-07-22T20:59:06Z")
> [@Neidhart](#): > > Also I don’t want anything in my house which might take a dislike to me. Then don’t have a teenage son! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/55 "2004-07-22T21:39:53Z")
> [@JeffB](#): > > Do you think the sequel will be titled _II, Robot_? No, no. _Et 2, Robot?_. It’s about the leaders of the US Robotics company, and the faithful robots who eventually turn against them. ---
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/56 "2004-07-22T21:47:33Z")
[spoiler\*\*I, too, never understood why Sonny was allowed to leave. EVERYONE saw him not obeying orders to stop running. The female doctor saw Sonny throw Will into a wall. There was video of Sonny grabbing Will’s gun. What more proof do they need that something was wrong with the robots? ---
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/57 "2004-07-22T21:52:05Z")
Erm, could someone close that tag? ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/58 "2004-07-22T22:33:07Z")
> [@SPOOFE](#): > > Heh. You can bet that when _my_ novels get made into movies, it’ll be ME that writes the script and directs it! SPOOFE, y’r missin’ the point. Sure, you could do a job and a half on your own work. Who knows it better, after all? But, as the author and creator, you are entirely too likely to be _attached_ to it, to NOT want to screw it up just because the producer thinks it would be better with dinosaurs and race cars in it, you know? There’s an author out there, one Orson Scott Card, who has several novels optioned right now by Hollywood, notably Ender’s Game. The books have been in development hell for years now, largely because Card refuses to let go of final approval rights. His attitude is that he will not permit his carefully crafted creations to be butchered and bastardized and then go out with the same title as his lovely novel, much less his name spread across them. I can’t blame him. But you know what? We’re still waiting for any movie based on an Orson Scott Card novel. Until he allows the lords of Hollywood to pee on his creations, they will not become movies. It’s a tradeoff. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/59 "2004-07-23T00:06:54Z")
> [@Scupper](#): > > The fact that they couldn’t really use the Three Laws to come up with an intelligent reason for the robots malfunctioning and had to result to “Eh, they’ve been secretly designed to not give a crap about the three laws,” is indicative of how little thought was put into this story. I thought VIKI’s logic (basically the zeroth law) was evolved, as Cromwell’s character said, not ‘secretly designed’. All the stuff about how robots gather together in an empty space, etc… I’m not sure if you weren’t watching, or you gave up on it because it was too moronic for your tastes or if I missed the point completely. ---
**Author:** ![gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gentle)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379/60 "2004-07-23T03:13:21Z")
The film sucked. It also had a (for me, as far as I have consciously noticed) record number of annoyingly gratuitous product placements. During the first couple of minutes of the film: [ul] [li] Camera zooms in on Will Smith’s JVC CD player.[/li] [li] Steve Wonder hit starts playing.[/li] [li] Will Smith picks up branded shopping bag (though I didn’t recognize the store name).[/li] [li] Will Smith pulls out brand new pair of Converse All Star sneakers. Camera zooms in on brand name while Will murmurs admiringly: “Thing of beauty…”[/li] [li] Will Smith exits apartment and is met by a delivery robot with a large FedEx logo on its chest.[/li][/ul] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-robot/255379.md?page=4)