This Forgotten 21-Year-Old Film Is a Perfect Sci-Fi Action Movie, but a Terrible Asimov Adaptation
Sometimes the perception of a movie depends on your perspective – a project can be an excellent independent work, but when we take into account the original source, the movie makes a more ambiguous impression. And this film falls into that category.
The first thing that comes to mind when Isaac Asimov's name is mentioned is the image of a robot in science fiction. It was Asimov who proposed the ideal way to protect humanity once and for all from the possibility of a machine uprising.
Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics Are Still Used in Modern Sci-Fi Projects
Asimov created the Three Laws of Robotics, which strictly prohibit intelligent robots from harming humans, and which are still used in many science fiction works.
Isaac Asimov's first robot story was published in 1940. And in 1950, his short story cycle I, Robot was published, which set the tone for intelligent machines for many years to come.
At first, Asimov believed that the introduction of the Three Laws would help people overcome their fear of machines. But he soon realized that it was not difficult to imagine situations in which a computer obeying the Three Laws would still harm people.
One of these situations is demonstrated in Alex Proyas' blockbuster inspired by Asimov's book – I, Robot.
What Is I, Robot About?
The movie is set in the future where robots are ordinary human assistants. The main character is a policeman investigating a murder case involving a robot. There is a possible violation of one of the Laws – a robot will never raise its hands against a human – which was considered impossible.
The situation is almost catastrophic: if machines can violate this Law, then nothing will stop them from taking control over humans, especially since humanity has long been completely dependent on robots.
I, Robot Is Far From the Best Asimov Adaptation
In retrospect, it's safe to say that the adaptation of Isaac Asimov's science fiction novel for the big screen was not entirely successful.
Asimov's works are generally unlucky when translated into the language of film, but this is the peculiarity of the author's work – like the stories of H.P. Lovecraft, Asimov's books require a special approach.
It would be more accurate to call I, Robot not an adaptation, but a movie inspired by the original work. If you are looking for storylines or just the spirit of Asimov's works in the movie starring Will Smith, you will be disappointed.
Asimov's Ideas and Concepts Have Taken I, Robot to a New Level of Action Movies
But if you think of I, Robot as an early 2000s sci-fi action movie that borrowed ideas from one of the greatest writers of the last century, then the movie begins to take on new layers.
This is not just a summer blockbuster built around special effects, but a gripping detective story wrapped in a futuristic setting.
Thanks to Asimov's concepts, I, Robot was not just another faceless project about the uprising of the machines – the addition of the moral conflict and intellectual puzzle of the Three Laws deepened the story.
