I, Robot
As I, Robot's credits make clear, this movie is only "suggested by" Isaac Asimov's collection of short stories, which is not necessarily a bad thing depending on which side of the Asimov fence you're on. The 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; and 3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law—are about all the film has in common with Asimov's anthology. Smith's surprisingly dull performance doesn't help the proceedings any; indeed, the film's deepest emotions come from Sonny, the robot suspect—not a good sign. I, Robot features some invigorating action scenes, and Proyas directs its preposterous vision of a future only 30 years out well enough (the visual effects are compelling, but there's no way the world will look like this in 2035). But it's all for naught as neither Proyas nor the screenplay offer any new insight into the film's fusion of two time-honored movie traditions: the irascible cop harboring a troubled past and his own dark secret, and the sci-fi fascination with the moral quandaries posed by artificial life forms.