  This film's got plenty of 'intelligence' Supposedly,  this movie is based on the classic science- fiction short story of the same name by Isaac Asimov. nbsp;  In reality,  there aren't many similarities between the two. nbsp;  But I don't think anyone really cares.  & nbsp;  The movie takes place in Chicago in the year 2035. nbsp;
 Robots,  all manufactured by the corporate giant U. S.  Robotics ( USR)  have become integrated into every part of humans' daily lives.
nbsp;
 Robots are seen walking dogs,  working as trash collectors,  FedEx deliverymen,  bartenders,  and a host of other occupations.
nbsp;
 The robots were&
nbsp;
initially&
nbsp;
designed by&
nbsp;
the brilliant scientist Dr.  Alfred Lanning ( James Cromwell)  who also laid out the 3 Laws of Robotics,  which are,  in shortened form:  1)  Robots must not harm human beings,  2)  Robots&
nbsp;
must obey humans,  except when it violates the first law and 3)  Robots must protect themselves,  unless doing so would violate the the first two laws.
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 These three laws are hardwired into every USR robot's positronic brain,  and at the opening of the&
nbsp;
movie,  no robot anywhere in the world has ever committed a crime.
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 Perfect system,  right?
 & nbsp;
 Yeah,  you can see where this is going.
 & nbsp;
 Will Smith plays Del Spooner,  a lonely and&
nbsp;
somewhat egotistical&
nbsp;
Chicago Police detective who has never liked robots.
nbsp;
 He is uneasy around,  and has an inherent distrust of robots,  a feeling whose roots are discovered later in the film.
nbsp;
 The movie begins with Spooner being called to the scene of an apparent suicide -  that of the illustrious Dr.  Lanning,  who supposedly jumped out of his office window at USR headquarters and fell to his death 30 stories below,  just a few short days before USR is supposed to deploy their new NS- 5 robot -  the largest robotic distribution in history.
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 The viewer learns that Smith knows Dr.  Lanning from somwhere ( also explained later in the film)  and that Lanning had left instructions for Spooner to be called in the event of his death.
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 Of course,  Spooner&
nbsp;
is not&
nbsp;
buying the theory that&
nbsp;
Lanning's death was a suicide,  and is convinced that robots were responsible,  to the annoyance of the stiff,  cold USR psychiatrist and robot expert Dr.  Susan Calvin ( Bridget Moynahan)  and the distant,  arrogant USR CEO Lawrence Robertson ( Bruce Greenwood)  who insist robots " could never do such a thing.
 & nbsp;
 Spooner,
 however,  is proven right when a unique&
nbsp;
robot named Sonny attacks him in Dr.  Lanning's office and attempts to escape,
 much to the horrified disbelief of Dr.  Calvin,  who witnesses the " malfunction,  as she calls it.
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 Sonny is now sure that he has been right all along about the robots,  and eventually learns that something is horribly wrong with the NS- 5s.
nbsp;
 And time is running out -  the robots are set to fulfill Dr.  Lanning's lifelong dream -  after the&
nbsp;
impending robot distribution,  a robot&
nbsp;
will be in every home.
nbsp;  & nbsp;
 First of all,  the special effects in this movie are second to none.
nbsp;
 The film seamlessly flows between live action and computer- generated scenes with ease.
nbsp;
 The robots,  of course,  are the best&
nbsp;
of the latter aspect,  and this is only enhanced by their amazingly cool fight sequences ( the robots know some pretty neat martial arts,  too)
nbsp;
 There are some sweet- looking&
nbsp;
cars and guns,  too.
 & nbsp;
 Also,  the movie never becomes dark or foreboding,  but manages to be exciting,  heart- pounding,  and just downright fun.
nbsp;
 The movie never takes itself too seriously,
 but that's not to say it doesn't leave you with&
nbsp;
plenty to think about.
nbsp; nbsp;
The question&
nbsp;
what does it means to be human?  is&
nbsp;
an issue Sonny struggles with throughout the movie.
nbsp;
 Other themes -  free will ( a big one)  as well as the&
nbsp;
line between artificial intelligence and&
nbsp;
personhood&
nbsp;
 are excellently written into the script.
nbsp;
 In other words -
 the movie isn't all brawn and no brains.
nbsp;  & nbsp;
 Admittedly,  there are some cliche,  cheesy characters -  Spooner's boss ( Chi McBride)  is a the stereotypical police supervisor who buys the official 'suicide'&
nbsp;
story and keeps telling Spooner to knock off the pesky investigating stuff.
nbsp;
 The movie could have done without Spooner's annoying&
nbsp;
teenage street- punk&
nbsp;
friend Farber ( Shia LaBoeuf)
 (
I was almost hoping one of the rogue NS- 5s would,  ahem,  put him out of his misery)
nbsp;
 and his overly- sugary- sweet&
nbsp;
grandmother ( Adrian Ricard)
 -
 I left the theatre asking myself why the heck they were even in the movie at all.
 & nbsp;
 Overall,  though,  I,  Robot is definitely a standout in the summer entourage of mostly forgettable movies.  Definitely worth seeing.  Grade:  B 
