Review of I, Robot

Yes, it is true, Dina is capable of writing a review without spoilers.

I, Robot is that incredible thing: a movie based on a written work that stays true to the original and is wonderful in its own right.

Instead of being a direct adaptation from one of Isaac Asimov's stories, it interprets the spirit of all of them. Will Smith, as the detective too leery of the robots that all others trust, is in the mold of Elijah Baley; Bridget Moynahan as Susan Calvin is only a touch off of Asimov's ubiquitous, straitlaced, understands robots better than people, robopsychologist.

Scenes, too, are taken directly from Asimov's collection. The scene where one robot must be found out of a room of identical robots from Little Lost Robot, the scene of a robot and child from Robbie, and VIKI is like one of the Machines from The Evitible Conflict.

Asimov's favorite themes are there too: the benefits of technology, the fear that technology will displace workers, irrational technophobia and fear of the implications of the Zeroth Law*.

And, since Asimov was the master of the 'puzzle' stories, it is appropriate that the entire movie is a puzzle with an eminently satisfying (although, I believe, not as neat as Asimov would have done it) ending.

*Okay, it's a tiny bit of a spoiler, but only if you have read all of the short stories, have a good memory for names and definitions, and haven't seen the movie. If, on the other hand, you don't know what the Zeroth Law is and you aren't going to read the stories, just google it.