I have to admit I liked this film and I have been watching it on television lately. I know it follows the whole "man vs. machine" plot line but I think the film gives a fresh perspective on the subject. That and Will Smith doesn't really act like Will Smith in the movie which is refreshing. How do you folks feel about this film?
I think it's an enjoyable action movie, but at the same time Isaac Asimov is rolling in his grave. It's based on his work literally in name only.
Quote from: The DarkSider on August 03, 2007, 10:57:27 AM
I have to admit I liked this film and I have been watching it on television lately. I know it follows the whole "man vs. machine" plot line but I think the film gives a fresh perspective on the subject. That and Will Smith doesn't really act like Will Smith in the movie which is refreshing. How do you folks feel about this film?
Actually I thought that Will Smith did act like Will Smith which was my only problem with this movie. The other actors in the film were making a serious sci-fi thriller like
Minority Report. Will Smith played his role as if he was making Men in Black 3. It just wasn't a good fit for me. Wesley Snipes would have been a much better choice to play that role.
Quote from: Him on August 03, 2007, 01:02:09 PM
Actually I thought that Will Smith did act like Will Smith which was my only problem with this movie. The other actors in the film were making a serious sci-fi thriller like Minority Report. Will Smith played his role as if he was making Men in Black 3. It just wasn't a good fit for me. Wesley Snipes would have been a much better choice to play that role.
Yup it was the "Awww, hell naw!" that kills it for me. I hope that he doesn't do anything like that in "I Am Legend".
Quote from: trekgeezer on August 03, 2007, 11:03:56 AM
I think it's an enjoyable action movie, but at the same time Isaac Asimov is rolling in his grave. It's based on his work literally in name only.
yeah the actual I Robot book was a collection of several short stories as told by Susan Calvin who in the book was an old woman. It would have been interesting to see a more faithful depiction of the book. There was one story set on Mercury that would have been interesting to see.
Quote from: Oldskool138 on August 03, 2007, 01:07:22 PM
Quote from: Him on August 03, 2007, 01:02:09 PM
Actually I thought that Will Smith did act like Will Smith which was my only problem with this movie. The other actors in the film were making a serious sci-fi thriller like Minority Report. Will Smith played his role as if he was making Men in Black 3. It just wasn't a good fit for me. Wesley Snipes would have been a much better choice to play that role.
Yup it was the "Awww, hell naw!" that kills it for me. I hope that he doesn't do anything like that in "I Am Legend".
See I thought the Will Smithness was toned down a bit for this movie and he wasn't that bad. Still I can see where you're coming from though.
I saw "I Robot" in theaters and I give it a *** out of ****.
It was okay, I suppose. I have to admit that the blatant product placement offered an unintentional humorous distraction. There were times where I was gripped/stunned, but to me at least, it didn't have a repeat quality. If I watch it again, it'll probably be on TV when I'm not doing anything in particular.
Quote from: trekgeezer on August 03, 2007, 11:03:56 AM
I think it's an enjoyable action movie, but at the same time Isaac Asimov is rolling in his grave. It's based on his work literally in name only.
I know people who've met Isaac Azimov and every one of them has said the same thing.
He was a total ass. Pompous and self-absorbed.
These are opinions coming from fellow MENSA members. People who met him at meetings and things like that.
Umm...I got nothing to really contribute to this thread, so I'll go away now.
I actually really like this film, and I like the idea of movies loosely based on some of the ideas a story (or stories) revolved around.
I mean people complain that I, Robot isn't accurate to the book, but the book is a series of short stories which have nothing to do with each other anyways - the movie shares what each of the stories share with each other, the 3 laws of robotics.
Cool stuff. I liked it a lot.
I was actually watching Bicentennial Man the other day and it involves the three rules of robots. I kind of forgot about that.
I hate to go off on a tangent, but the following deserves a rebuttal:
QuoteI know people who've met Isaac Azimov (sic) and every one of them has said the same thing.
He was a total ass. Pompous and self-absorbed. These are opinions coming from fellow MENSA members. People who met him at meetings and things like that.
WTF? I've never met or talked to The Good Doctor (as he is known to those who know him), but by all accounts the above could not be more wrong. One must remember that simply being a member of MENSA does not make one always right.
Some excerpts from WikiPedia:
"Asimov was a long-time member and Vice President of Mensa International, albeit reluctantly; he described the members of that organization as "intellectually combative". He took more joy in being president of the American Humanist Association."
"Asimov was a frequent fixture at science fiction conventions, where he remained friendly and approachable. As noted above, he patiently answered tens of thousands of questions and other mail with postcards, and was pleased to give autographs."
"In his last autobiographical book, Asimov wrote, "If I were not an atheist, I would believe in a God who would choose to save people on the basis of the totality of their lives and not the pattern of their words. I think he would prefer an honest and righteous atheist to a TV preacher whose every word is God, God, God, and whose every deed is foul, foul, foul." "
On a personal level, whenever I read any nonfiction written by him where he actively communicates with the reader, I always get a feeling of what a really nice man he seemed, and if more people were like him the world would be a much better place.
Quote from: The DarkSider on September 05, 2007, 09:13:51 PM
I was actually watching Bicentennial Man the other day and it involves the three rules of robots. I kind of forgot about that.
Yeah that movie's actually an adaptation of one of the short stories in I, Robot.
I enjoyed the heck out of that movie. I thought Will Smith was really good in the role, bringing the right amount of humor to it without going too overboard. I dunno, I get a kick out of the guy. Some of the special effects were a bit weak, like when that big robotic truck was trying to kill Smith, but the cheesiness gave it a certain 1980s feel whick I kind of liked.
QuoteWTF? I've never met or talked to The Good Doctor (as he is known to those who know him), but by all accounts the above could not be more wrong. One must remember that simply being a member of MENSA does not make one always right.
Some excerpts from WikiPedia:
The wikipedia is NOT the most reliable source, especially for this type of information. What's worse, is that you are trying to pass someone's opinion off as fact. True, IzzyDedjet's proclamation is also opinion, but, as death has a way of making men into martyrs, I would take that wikipedia entry with the same scrutiny I would any other entry, maybe more.
I personally have met several Mensa members in my liftime, and the only one I encountered that was NOT an ass, was Ebolamonkeyman. Weird, but NOT an ass, and I've not met him in person, only through emails have we conversed.
Just my experiences. .
Quote from: ghouck on September 06, 2007, 04:51:51 PM
QuoteWTF? I've never met or talked to The Good Doctor (as he is known to those who know him), but by all accounts the above could not be more wrong. One must remember that simply being a member of MENSA does not make one always right.
Some excerpts from WikiPedia:
The wikipedia is NOT the most reliable source, especially for this type of information. What's worse, is that you are trying to pass someone's opinion off as fact. True, IzzyDedjet's proclamation is also opinion, but, as death has a way of making men into martyrs, I would take that wikipedia entry with the same scrutiny I would any other entry, maybe more.
I personally have met several Mensa members in my liftime, and the only one I encountered that was NOT an ass, was Ebolamonkeyman. Weird, but NOT an ass, and I've not met him in person, only through emails have we conversed.
Just my experiences. .
Thanks for the shield there bud. :) I was gonna let this one go. Like you said, it was my aunt's opinion, and also that of 2 friends. Unfortunately, Mr. Azimov died before I submitted my application to MENSA, and upon further review of the organization, decided not to pursue said application any further.
According to my friends, I'm not missing much.
Again, it was just my relaying an opinion that has been voiced on numerous occasions.
I dated a girl for a short time that was a mensa member, as was her Mother and Father. They seemed OK at first, but after a short time, I learned all the niceness was fake and they were VERY weird, kept pushing me to take the test or such. I'm not a genious, but I can at times argue really well, which is more of throwing a person off their game than being smart. I met a few other members through them, and realized how many things were just plain wrong, , like the fact that the ones I met were VERY racist, but 'justified' it with 'facts'. Made me want to puke. It was strange how a few of them talked about how people of different races should not have kids, because those kids will be in some "grey area" when some big race war happens, and will mean a less-decisive win one way or another, so less humans will survive due to the sides being too close in power. The "can't we all just get along" idea completely eluded them, and some of what they said sounded alot like Charles Manson's rhetoric. Strange indeed.
As for the Wikipedia entry for I.A., I'm kinds surprized there wasn't a flag on the page stating much of the article was uncited and arose from a non-neutral source. IOW, it largely sounded like someone's opinion.
I liked it so much I bought it on DVD. I especially liked the Will-Smith-in-the- shower scene. I keep yelling at the tv, "turn around, darn it!" :teddyr: (Yes, I'm a girl!)
I've read lots of Asmiov books and consider myself a fan, but I wasn't upset by this movie. I never get upset when a book is made into a movie. They are always two different animals and I take them all on their own merits.
Quote from: The DarkSider on August 03, 2007, 10:57:27 AM
That and Will Smith doesn't really act like Will Smith in the movie which is refreshing.
Don't say that unless you mean it, because I don't believe it.
This is interesting. In my local DVD shop recently I saw a box set including i, Robot the film along with the book. On the box it read "Read the book, see the film!" perhaps the film was thought up as another story based on the three laws and other recurring themes from the short stories, rather than any kind of adaptation?
Quote from: ghouck on September 06, 2007, 04:51:51 PM
QuoteWTF? I've never met or talked to The Good Doctor (as he is known to those who know him), but by all accounts the above could not be more wrong. One must remember that simply being a member of MENSA does not make one always right.
Some excerpts from WikiPedia:
The wikipedia is NOT the most reliable source, especially for this type of information. What's worse, is that you are trying to pass someone's opinion off as fact. True, IzzyDedjet's proclamation is also opinion, but, as death has a way of making men into martyrs, I would take that wikipedia entry with the same scrutiny I would any other entry, maybe more.
I personally have met several Mensa members in my liftime, and the only one I encountered that was NOT an ass, was Ebolamonkeyman. Weird, but NOT an ass, and I've not met him in person, only through emails have we conversed.
Just my experiences. .
A long time ago, I read an Asimov biography. He struck me as being a nice man, but a little flaky around the edges. More concerned with his writing than anything else. His wife was lonely because he was never emotionally "there" but his daughter Robyn was his whole world. There is even speculation that he had an affair with some woman once. Can't remember whether she was a professor or an events organiser or a secretary or something. As I said, it was a long time ago. He also hated flying and only ever too trains to conventions and such.
Overall, he came across and a decent human being, but focussed on his own internal world. I would categorise him as an absent minded professor.
Quote from: Killer Bees on January 07, 2008, 11:21:39 PMOverall, he came across and a decent human being, but focussed on his own internal world. I would categorise him as an absent minded professor.
Plus, the dude had sideburns that would make Elvis blush. :bouncegiggle:
Quote from: Oldskool138 on January 08, 2008, 07:51:24 AM
Quote from: Killer Bees on January 07, 2008, 11:21:39 PMOverall, he came across and a decent human being, but focussed on his own internal world. I would categorise him as an absent minded professor.
Plus, the dude had sideburns that would make Elvis blush. :bouncegiggle:
Well, yes, that's that too :bouncegiggle:
I too enjoyed this film. Much more actually than I thought I would. My wife is a bit of Will Smith fan so it was a foregone conclusion we'f end up going to see it. The FreshPrince factor was dialed down enough to overlook and Smith was backed by a great supporting cast. While the civvy mob vs the malevolent robots street showdown smacked of cliche, the general feel of the film was fantastic...one of a bright and technosaavy future that below the surface wasn't all that perfect. Plus, the racial metaphor was beat too hard into your skull.
Again, the cast was a real asset to making the film work. The always great-to-see Bruce Greenwood gave what could've been a two dimensional corporate toad a shade of complexity that was nice. Greenwood has never failed to disappoint, whether in indies like Egoyans EXOTICA or SWEET HEREAFTER or his incredible JFK in THIRTEEN DAYS(Now THERE was an oscar nomination robbery!). He was even fabulous in THE CORE, a gravely misunderstood flick that willingly channeled the ecstatic lunacy of 50s sci-fi and smeared a high-end fx patina on it.
Alan Tudyk did a bang up job with Sonny. It takes a certain kind of "actor" to convey in voice alone the volumes he did. I consider it in the same league as, say, something from Hugo Weaving.
While I could ditch Shia LeBoof without a second thought(though honestly speaking, the role was clearly written for that kind of irritating post-pube persona), Chi McBride was great as the (required in any cop oriented film) frustrated but sympathetic superior...again a potentially 2-D role given a little more breadth by a strong character actor. After intitally assuming she was just a bland actress, I suspect that Bridget Moynahan's notably wooden performance was deliberate in order to make the human emotion-studying psychologist more robotic and make the robot Sonny more emotionally alive.
Of course, I never fail to be moved by James Cromwell's speculating on the "ghost in the machine". Cromwell's delivery, Beltrami's core and some very well thought out editing make it all come together. Of all the moments in the film, any time I watch it, it's always the sequence that I look forward to.
ps...As with I, ROBOT, despite being very different(!) from the source material, I AM LEGEND does feature a very good performance from Smith. Makes one wonder just how great he could shine with no studio meddling on the screenplay end. He seems fully willing to take on some unorthodox roles.
I utterly hated this movie. As in it actually angered me. If people don't want to faithfully translate a story from book to film then they shouldn't keep the title. I think Will Smith has always been a prick but the industry covered it up until it couldn't anymore. That "hold my pie or wear it, sir" was Smith slipping in a line he found funny because it fit his nature to be an ass. I wouldn't be this upset over a sci-fi book I liked being ruined until Oprah Winfrey eviscerated A Wrinkle in Time years later. At least she didn't get away with it like Will Smith did.
^ What she said.