Action, not Asimov, dominates 'I, Robot'

Science fiction fans will rejoice for the mere fact that one of the penultimate works of the 20th century has finally made it to the big screen.

What may disappoint them is the fact that “I, Robot” is credited as merely being “suggested” by the book written by Isaac Asimov, arguably the best and most influential science fiction/science fact writer of his time. Indeed, there is little that follows the book “I, Robot” – a collection of nine short stories that Asimov published in 1950 – except for the author’s famous “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.”

Asimov later amended these laws with what he called “Law Zero.”

It stated: “A robot may not injure humanity, or through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.”

The purpose of this law will become clear upon viewing Alex Proyas’ “I, Robot.”

The common thread in the book was Dr. Susan Calvin (played here by Bridget Moynahan), a “robopsychologist” who deals with these machines as a matter of course. This film version leans more towards the character of Del Spooner (Will Smith), a detective who seems to have a deep-seated prejudice against robots in general. The fact that there is one robot for every five human beings on planet Earth makes him all the more nervous.

There are too many surprises in “I, Robot” to allow for a regular review, but in brief, the plot is thus: It’s 2035, and a firm called U.S. Robotics (modem users may know this name but it’s a different company) is ready to roll out the latest upgrade to their popular robot/servant/slave line of multifunctional machines.

Before this happens, Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell), the father of robotics, commits suicide.

Or maybe not, in the opinion of Detective Spooner. Spooner thinks it’s murder by machine. The owner of USR, a character who is an obvious reference to Bill Gates, assures Spooner that – because of the laws of robotics that Dr. Lanning himself created – it is simply impossible that a robot had anything to do with this death. Dr. Calvin agrees. Spooner persists.

Smith is as affable as ever, cracking wise and keeping cool. Moynahan is savvy and sexy as Dr. Calvin, but Calvin is not the central character she was in Asimov’s book.

The special effects department at 20th Century Fox has taken state-of-the-art computer-generated effects to a new high, even at the risk of going over the top at times.

I prefer well-written plot over technical dazzle.

In the end, this version of “I, Robot” is going to appeal to action fans (and Smith fans) more than it will to lovers of classic science fiction or fans of Asimov in particular.

A brief history:

The term “robot” was first coined by Czech playwright Karel Capek and comes from the Czech word for “forced labor” or “serf.” Capek’s robots were created chemically and were flesh and blood. For many years, “robots” were reinventions of the stereotype created in Mary Shelley’s classic horror novel “Frankenstein.” Asimov can be credited with what we now think of as the “robot” when he came up with the term “robotics” in the story “Runaround,” which predates “I, Robot” by eight years.

In an interview with NPR’s Terry Gross, Asimov dutifully noted that after he invented the Three Laws, writers began taking them as given fact, and robots, at least in fiction, were governed by the laws. In real life, robots haven’t come as far as Asimov predicted, although many of his other “fantasies” (space flight, moon landings, nuclear power) have.

Harlan Ellison, himself a first-rate science fiction writer and a man who knew Asimov personally, developed a screenplay for “I, Robot” for Warner Brothers in 1978, on the heels of the “Star Wars” phenomenon. The studio balked at Ellison’s script and it is still on the shelf. It was published in an upscale illustrated form (comic book for adults) under the title “I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay,” but it is long since out of print. Try eBay.

The version of “I, Robot” that director Proyas has brought to the screen is a fine piece of work, perfect for the summer blockbuster movie crowd. But for true fans of science fiction – and of Asimov – it may prove to be a letdown.