I didn't go into this film expecting much, this one is based on an Asimov story.
For some reason, Issac Asimov's teriffic science fiction stories have not made it to the screen very much, and when they have, they have been less than satisfying. I am still waiting for someone to make Harlan Ellison's screenplay for I, Robot into what would be a superb film if the trolls of Hollywood don't decide to wreck it in the process...but I digress.
While I haven't had a chance to read the full length novelization by Asimov and Robert Silverberg of the original short story, it is one of my favorites. The film credits both versions of the story as source material. I mention this because, I feel that for all but the last half-hour of the film, it follows the source material quite well, and I didn't find the departures overly irritating. The change that did make me cringe is a gratuitous love affair that served no purpose other than cheap sentimentality. I also found it irritating because the robot's struggle of achieving official recognition of his humanity is omitted except for a couple of brief court room sequences in favor of this superfluous sub-plot. Perhaps this love affair is in the novelization, but it doesn't seem to me like Asimov's style.
Still...I enjoyed the film. Robin Williams turns in a fine performance, and Sam Neil is especially good as the robot's original owner. The sequences in which Neil tries to describe the concept of humor to Williams are quite good, and it seems to me that Asimov's essay on robots and humor should also have been credited, but I suppose that is a minor matter.
It isn't the greatest film I've ever seen, but it's better that a hot stick in the eyeball. Perhaps if the film becomes a hit, we'll see some more of Asimov's stories put onto film, and that's OK with me.
For some reason, Issac Asimov's teriffic science fiction stories have not made it to the screen very much, and when they have, they have been less than satisfying. I am still waiting for someone to make Harlan Ellison's screenplay for I, Robot into what would be a superb film if the trolls of Hollywood don't decide to wreck it in the process...but I digress.
While I haven't had a chance to read the full length novelization by Asimov and Robert Silverberg of the original short story, it is one of my favorites. The film credits both versions of the story as source material. I mention this because, I feel that for all but the last half-hour of the film, it follows the source material quite well, and I didn't find the departures overly irritating. The change that did make me cringe is a gratuitous love affair that served no purpose other than cheap sentimentality. I also found it irritating because the robot's struggle of achieving official recognition of his humanity is omitted except for a couple of brief court room sequences in favor of this superfluous sub-plot. Perhaps this love affair is in the novelization, but it doesn't seem to me like Asimov's style.
Still...I enjoyed the film. Robin Williams turns in a fine performance, and Sam Neil is especially good as the robot's original owner. The sequences in which Neil tries to describe the concept of humor to Williams are quite good, and it seems to me that Asimov's essay on robots and humor should also have been credited, but I suppose that is a minor matter.
It isn't the greatest film I've ever seen, but it's better that a hot stick in the eyeball. Perhaps if the film becomes a hit, we'll see some more of Asimov's stories put onto film, and that's OK with me.