Asimov's "I, Robot" Gets Movie Treatment 522
sdimbert writes "Isaac Asimov's classic collection of short stories about the role robots play in humankind's future is being made into a movie set to release on July 16, 2004, starring Wil Smith. The most notable part of the release build-up is the fact that the movie's trailer, most often seen before screenings of The Returnn of the King plays more like a product commercial (like Apple's flat-panel iMac ads) than a movie trailer. Suffice it to say that most of the audence that saw it with me had no idea they had just seen a movie trailer; they actually believed that someone was going to start selling a "fully automated domestic assistant" some time next year."
Re:Actually Believed? (Score:5, Interesting)
The real I, Robot (Score:5, Interesting)
The best movie that will never get made is Harlan Ellison's I, Robot [amazon.com].
Get the book, read the script. It's the greatest movie you'll never see.
I'd much rather see a Foundation movie! (Score:4, Interesting)
Everyone I know who picked up and read Foundation went on and read the rest of the series in less than a week.
Very clever marketing, in fact (Score:5, Interesting)
That's the whole point. What better way to get everyone to talk about your movie? The site does not give a single indication that this is a joke, it drops a few hints though... if you read it all, it's far too exaggerated and heavy on technobabble, but I bet people are trying to contact them and call them in order to have demos on their TV shows and all sorts. I wonder how long they can keep it up?
I Robot - The Album (Score:3, Interesting)
The story of the rise of machine and the decline of man,
which paradoxically coincided with his discovery of the wheel...
And a warning that his brief dominance of this planet will
probably end, because man tried to create robot in his own image.
The songs "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" and "The Voice" were the only ones I recall receiving any airplay.
Who cares about Will Smith? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:The real I, Robot (Score:5, Interesting)
I heard that the store and action are not at all related to Asimovs Robot novels. It was written from something else. At the last minute, they wanted to attach to something famous to get more publicity for the movie, so they bought the rights to the name "I, Robot".
If you are expecting anything at all related to Asimov's stories, be prepared to be dissapointed.
Wil Wheaton (Score:4, Interesting)
I would have loved to have seen him in something new. Star Trek would have you believe all he can do is say, "Yes, sir!" and push buttons, but after reading his site you sort of get to know the guy...
Another movie adaptation (Score:1, Interesting)
Just as long as he doesnt try to do what the Matrix tried to do, and instead follows in the Peter Jackson style of turning classic books from a particular genre into an amazing series of movies.
But is it just me, or does anyone else see a sudden trend in movies about what "could" go wrong in a far more technologically advanced world?
Susan Calvin looks a bit different in my ideas. (Score:2, Interesting)
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005256/
could not be Susan Calvin!
Guys at Hollywood, can't you bypass your stereotypes at least for Asimov? Please?
They are taking an antiquated story and... (Score:3, Interesting)
As for the claim its not meant to be apple style...come on! You better believe there is going to be an apple tie-in somewhere...and why not? At least in this case it would be APPROPRIATE. Robots and computers go together like peanut butter and jelly.
Re:Wil Wheaton (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Shitty Trailers and shittier commercials (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:They are taking an antiquated story and... (Score:2, Interesting)
Antiquated? Hmm, maybe you think C is antiquated too. Try renting the original "Solaris" and compare with "George the Monkey Clooney Solaris" to understand my point.
That is, unless you enjoy watching "Sex in the City" with your girlfriend, then ignore;
Re:To view the ad... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Apple ads? (Score:5, Interesting)
.
asimov disagrees (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Actually Believed? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Apple ads? (Score:3, Interesting)
The combination of literaly millions of factors that make the particular lump of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and other trace elements you refer to "Will Smith" is infinitely complex.
Yet the one element you see making the decision, the only possible reason he'd be cast is because his skin is a few shades darker than yours.
It couldn't possibly be because he happens to be a fairly popular actor with a group of people who've probably never read Asimov's books.
It couldn't possibly be because he does have some talent as an actor.
It couldn't possibly be because he brings a big name to the screen.
Do you honestly belive that the only reason, the sole purpose of casting Will Smith for this roll, was the color of his skin? If that's the case, why not go out and cast some black kid fresh out of drama school? Clearly tallent doesn't matter.
It's not about racial issues. It's a casting call. No one thinks it's going to change the world. Get over yourself.
Re:You miss the point (Score:2, Interesting)
Sorry, I just heard Bush on the TV and the way he pronounces it made me think it was spelled that way. My nibble on alternatives:
I find these guys [critical-art.net] very interesting because they write about the intersections between culture and technology in a pretty through way. All their books are copyleft and available there in pdf format.
What do you suggest?
Re:Apple ads? (Score:2, Interesting)
I couldn't agree more. Just because someone chooses to make drivel doesn't mean that they can't produce a real, down-to-earth piece of cinema. Take Jim Carrey or Robin Williams, for example. I knew that Jim Carrey could be a phenomenal dramatic actor from the first time I saw him in Ace Ventura. And he proved me right when he did The Majestic, which is one of my favorite movies of all time--despite its overly sappy plot and political beatings over the head. And Robin Williams, who for a long time got away with doing his normal schtick routine, has done a number of wonderful dramatic movies, one of which is--appropriately for this topic--Bicentennial Man. Good Will Hunting, Death to Smoochy (though that one wasn't so much dramatic), One Hour Photo, Awakenings, Dead Poets Society... the list goes on.
I would love to see Will Smith in another good dramatic role. As much as I liked Men In Black, I think he has a lot more potential than that.
Re:Presidents get words wrong (Score:2, Interesting)
my intention is to critizice hollywood's manipulation of the general american public by the use of actors as objects for the sale of their product. "let see, well, we want them black movie goers and hip-hopper wannabes watching this one, so let's put ol' Willy Smith there."
why i think this sucks?
if this does not explain my non-troll intentions, i can't do much else about it. i'll try to read/talk/write to/with people and see if i can speak/write/act in a clearer fashion.
piss.
Re:Actually Believed? (Score:5, Interesting)
Don't be so hasty... the director is Alex Proyas, who did The Crow and Dark City, two terrific movies, imo. Proyas has had a pretty good track record so far, so at least give him a chance at a real trailer before writing the movie off completely.
This movie != I, Robot (Score:3, Interesting)
In the year 2035 a techno-phobic cop investigates a crime that may have been perpetrated by a robot, which leads to a larger threat to humanity.
I will put money down that this will be nothing like either book really as they've already introduced characters from places theyve never been. Honestly, this looks like a scifi script that was too generic-brand, and so they decided to 'brand' it with something, chose Asimov, slapped the title on the movie and changed around some character names. This looks like another Hollywood attempt at a scifi movie that shall run along the lines of Minority Report: too much action, not enough substance. Don't even get me started on poor Mr. Philip K Dick whos stories are being raped even as we speak (Disney doing a philip k dick book?! An abomination!)
Re:imdb.com description (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Same director as Dark City (Score:2, Interesting)
Gattaca already did it (Score:2, Interesting)
They even had a toll-free number to call, which was pounded heavily. I'm surprised anyone had the gall to copy this strategy... it had some considerably bad backlash, as far as I can remember.
Re:I thought it was a product (Score:3, Interesting)
That's completely backwards. The 3 laws could very much force them to construct The Matrix. Asimov's books included hyper-advanced robots which seized control of the human nations, for "the good of humanity". Once a robot exceeds a certain level of intelligence, it comes to understand that you can't save all the people, and that killing a few humans may allow a greater number to survive. (Only the stupider robots, who can't predict the long-term consequences of their actions, see the First Law as an absolute prohibition against killing anyone)
In fact, something like the First Law is the only good excuse for why the Matrix existed, since it obviously wouldn't function as a "electricity generator" at all. (By the First Law, of Newton's Thermodynamics...)
The Matrix robots weren't trying to "inflict damage" on humanity- if that had been the intent, a complete extinction would've happened centuries before. No, they just wanted to keep people safe and happy, knowing that left to their own devices, mankind would engage in lethal, international nuclear war.
Re:Target Audience (Score:3, Interesting)
GUARANTEED TO SUCK!!! (Score:3, Interesting)
Now they're making a movie that's called "I, Robot" but is actually a new story, 'based on parts of the nine originals.' Good grief!
Seriously, if there was ANY intent on the makers' part to do a faithful rendition of I, Robot, they just would have used Ellison's screenplay and be done with it. Given that they have a new writer and a new story, I'll bet real money that this is going to be a crap movie with crap acting and lots of fight/chase scenes, using Asimov's name to sell more seats.
Crap. Why can't someone get it right?
Re:Battery debacle (Score:5, Interesting)
My family is full of successful self-employed or small business owners. None started out with a silver spoon, or a rich daddy. Children or grandchildren of immigrants - maybe we are misfits in today's society, but we seem to do better as our own boss instead of being a cog in the giant corporate machine. I control my own destiny, I'll never fear economic downturns or corporate downsizing.
The immigrants have an unfair advantage over the average American: They are not afraid to work hard; to try, fail and get up and try again. They also know what it is to do without, and know how to delay their gratification until they can afford to pay for it.
Not sure where you come from, but Class is a myth in middle America. If you believe that someone is better than you, well then maybe you are right. I, however, know I am better than most and equal to the rest. Now having said that - I do understand your perception that there is a pseudo upper class in America. I am not impressed by the Nuevo-rich that are in debt up to their eyebrows. I am impressed by abilities, what you personally can do, not what you can buy. I watched my father make a good living repairing the vehicles of the people who drove cars that the bank owned. I make 6 figures fixing the computers of the rich and indolent
My depression era parents taught me the virtues of hard work and self restraint; and that is what made them, and me, a success. I would like to find out how you plan on being a success without working for it. You seem to equate work with servitude, birth with riches. I wish you luck.
Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur; most people are followers, not leaders. I wasn't born to follow!
Re:Apple ads? (Score:3, Interesting)
Aside from that, you're right, I was harsh.
Taking Daredevil as a continuing example, aside from the casting for the Kingpin, there isn't much that was done RIGHT with the movie, and it left the field wide open for tearing the film apart. The difference between Daredevil's "sight" in the comics versus in the movie is fairly trivial, the fact that he's a public defender who is the prosecutor in a criminal rape case smacks of poor choices and bad writing.
My "Only idiots don't agree with me" comment was directed at people who spend all their time picking a movie apart, ranting about the differences between the book and the movie, unable to enjoy the film in its own right.
There are plenty of examples of "bad adaptation" that I pretty much shut the door on with my comment.
For example, giving a "scientific" explanation for "The Force" in "Phantom Menace" kills much of religious symbolism and imagery of the mythos. It's, theoretically, an adaptation, a way to move the story forward and make it more contemporary and accessible, but it is ultimately damaging. It hurts the earlier movies.
Having Anakin build C3PO on the other hand if an innocuous change, and the fact that C3PO doesn't "recognize" the planet in "A New Hope" is easily dismissed by the whole "Blank their memory" comment Uncle Owen makes.
All that said, getting upset about the changes is silly. So what if Lucas trashes his earlier movies with the new ones? They're his, and he has the right to do with them as he wishes. We can say what we do and don't like and move on.
Re:Wil SMith? (Score:3, Interesting)
Will Smith isn't a bad actor, and neither should you hold the fact that an actress played a 'hot chick' against her. For a lot of actresses -- especially at the start of their carreer -- that's pretty much all that they get offered 95% of the time.
Being a hot babe doesn't mean that someone is either good or bad at something. Some people make the mistake of presuming that beautiful -> dumb. If you do that, you can miss some real jewels. Of course, presuming that beautiful -> smart is similarly fraught with danger. Having worked in a research lab, I can say that I've been blessed to have met a good number of brilliant women who would also classify as very beautiful... On the other hand, I've also run into a couple of women who seemed to have made their way thru their undergrad degree by batting their eyes at whomever was willing to be beguiled by them. Happily, few of the latter seem to make it into (and fewer through) grad school in the faculty of science (can't speak for other faculties).
Similarly, I'd say that Will Smith is a pretty good actor: He's got two things going against him:
1) he's known as a comedian, and
2) he's black
In a lot of ways, I'd say that comedy is a much harder trade than general acting... It requires a much better sense of balance to avoid crossing the line from comedic and stupid. Historically, comedians have had much more success crossing over into serious work than vice-versa.
As for him being black, there's not much you can do about that. Either you'll learn to live with a black investigator in a non-comedic context or you won't... Thankfully, people have (for the most part) managed to drop that preconception most of the time.