I, Robot "If you're looking for a respectful meditation on the nature of robotics, or a simple summer movie free-for-all in "I, Robot," here's your chance to catch up on "Spider-Man 2" this weekend. Featuring an obnoxious and profoundly unfunny performance from Will Smith, and overrated director Alex Proyas showing off his inability to juggle a tepid detective yarn with required summer action mayhem, "I, Robot" is a messy experience, taking on way too much, and unable to pay off anything..." (full review)
"Will Smith and successful sci-fi action films seem to go hand in hand. Keeping in mind the huge hits Smith had with "Independence Day" and the "Men In Black" movies, it can still safely be said that "I, Robot" is, without question, his best sci-fi movie to date..." (full review)
"I, Robot is a cool summer movie packing a nice mix of action, explosions, and brains. The ideas aren't strictly fresh, some of the plot devices are a little too convenient, and yes, Will Smith is for the most part still doing the same old stuff you'd expect from Will Smith. But none of that really hurts. If there had been someone with the courage to avoid plopping in those extra "Big Willie" quips (funny though they are), Will could easily have made his character something special. As is, he shows enough flashes of intensity and grit to keep things on track while Proyas fills in the gaps with a robust mix of serious and fun. This isn't the dark, heady Asimov movie we might have hoped for and this certainly isn't Proyas at his best. But I, Robot is solid and exciting entertainment, well worth a lingering look..." (full review)
"I, Robot tries too hard, while not trying hard enough. It's constantly trying to entertain the audience, but it's only hinting at philosophical arguments about what it means to be a human. How one becomes an individual. What it means to be free. Instead it turns itself into one gigantic chase film with a few too many corporate commercials. Think the BMW shorts that were released a few years ago. I know that I would have been willing to sacrifice a few comments about Converse All Stars for a few more serious moments that delve into the psyche of humans and the robots that they create..." (full review)
A Cinderella Story "Even with decent performances from Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray, "A Cinderella Story" takes the central idea from a fairy tale for its own use, but fails to bring along any of the magic. Unfunny, often tedious, and yet another limp entry into the high school girl genre, "Story" isn't nearly as memorable as its source material..." (full review)
The Bourne Supremacy by 'Notre Dame 2000' The Bourne Supremacy is a sequel in that it adds another layer of plotline onto the first film. This is not merely yet another series of events in the life of Jason Bourne - we learn more about the motives of key characters in the first film, and more importantly, a little more information as to who Jason Bourne really is, and things he has done in his past which he cannot remember - good and bad. There ARE a few unexpected moments in this movie - just to reassure you that there are a couple twists to look forward to.
The most interesting, and what will be the most discussed, aspect of this movie is the cinematography. Yes, it does look as if someone named Shakey McShakerson was holding the camera for the length of this movie. But I thought this style did nothing but enhance the story, especially for the Bourne-genre. This film moves at a relentlessly brisk pace! I noticed that the shaking-camera technique gave even the most mundane of scenes a sense of urgency and tension, and was a very good fit for this movie in particular. Sure, on a couple shots the cameraman could have definitely benefited from a tranquilizer dart, but I recall very few shots that remained around long enough for the "shake-cam" to feel forced, or to call too much attention to itself. Careful editing is necessary for this to work, and I thought they nailed it. Every shot was cut seamlessly to the dialogue and the music. There was a real sense of smoothness to the editing that did nothing but move the film along, bringing the audience more and more into the action. It's definitely a unique style, but it's a style that caters to those who enjoy fast-paced and overwhelmingly tense story. Bourne Supremacy is not a subtle drama but a sludge-hits-the-fan thriller, so this style of presentation for the story on film felt very appropriate.
I won't go into actor performances since this is a spy thriller, not Shakespearian drama. Everyone did an adequate job for what they were given. I'll note that one scene towards the end shows Matt Damon with a little more emotion then we're normally used to seeing him, and though it was brief it showed that he can definitely stretch his versatility as an actor. The one fairly new presence who stood out in particular was Karl Urban (Lord of The Rings, Chronicles of Riddick). He pretty much the serves the assassin/tracker role in the film. His screen presence reminded me very much of Clive Owen's seldom seen character from The Bourne Identity. Urban plays a quietly sneering villain that is definitely a thorn in Bourne's side for a majority of the film. I would almost go as far to say that Urban's character had Darth Maulish feel, brandishing a quietly evil physical presence that shows up in several key moments of the film.
The action was on par, if not slightly above, the first film. We do have a different director this time so the presentation is somewhat different. The editing in the fight scenes and the car chases was very fast. Although you still are able to tell who's kicking whose butt in most of these scenes. Like The Bourne Identity, every punch is delivered with a thunderous blast from the speakers, which I personally found to be very entertaining.
Even though the movie as whole didn't blow me away, one particular scene definitely did. There is a car chase towards the end of the film that builds up to an intensity that I have yet to see on film! The chase lasts around 10 minutes, and yes, much of the first half of this scene resembles the trembling close-up filled camerawork from the San Francisco chase scene from The Rock. Although in Supremacy, as the scene progresses, the camera gradually pulls back and back, giving us more of the mayhem. It is a gritty, meat and potatoes, CGI-free car chase that seemed to entertain the hell out of the audience. The action in this chase hits such an unbelievable adrenaline-high towards the climax of the scene that the audience broke out in applause afterwards. To give you an idea, if smoking was allowed in the theater we would have seen quite a few folks light up after this sequence.
Overall this was a very entertaining and intelligent movie. It definitely builds on the plot and mystery of The Bourne Identity. I enjoyed that movie a lot so it was no real surprise that I enjoyed the sequel. The main difference between the two is that Supremacy has the fast-pacing for the entire film. I did not include any criticism because I didn't think there was much. The movie succeeds in what it tries to be - a non-over-the-top spy thriller that serves a perfect balance of plot and action. It doesn't try to aim for the stars, but it definitely comes far from sinking beneath the surface. The Bourne Supremacy walks on very solid ground for a spy thriller, and I definitely hope they go forward with the third film".
