I, Robot

[IBBoard]

I just watched it the other night (I got a WHSmiths Online DVD Rental pack for Christmas, so I registered it for the Easter Holidays) and it was great

I've never actually read the original Asimov book, so I don't know how close it is to the original, but Wil Smith actually does quite a good job, and the whole idea is interesting. It's similar to the 'Second Rennaisance' episodes in Animatrix, which is possibly where the Animatrix guys got their ideas from (the Asimov book).

One thing my fiancee commented on, though. Why is it that even now, as people in our early 20s, we know that some of these things from sci-fi films are such a bad idea (like very complex AI - especially when the creator mentions 'ghosts' in the system) and yet the chances are we're going to head down those lines? Maybe not as soon as the sci-fi films think, but I don't think there's much in sci-fi that we won't be able to achieve eventually.

[Simguinus]

Best line from this film "*coughs*'Oh, I'm sorry, I have an allergy to bull sh*t.'"

Because no one in sci-fi films (or films, period) ever watches films. Cf all those alien/horror movies - "There's an unstoppable armour-plated alien killing machine / unkillable razor-fingered freak et al, let's split up and hunt 'em down!"

It's really not very like the book, "I, Robot" at all. I, Robot is a collection of short stories about robots in general, whereas the Will Smith film of the same name is actually an adaptation of Asimov's novel "Caves of Steel", which is the first in a series featuring detective Lije Baley.
In terms of this, it's quite close. It'd be interesting to see if they adapt any of the others on the strength of this film - especially if they keep Alex Proyas on as director (he did The Crow and Dark City as well).

[IBBoard]

Ahhh, cool. I guess 'I, Robot' is more intriguing as a film title than 'Caves of Steel'

I did like that line, though. One of the more Will Smith lines slipping in there.

As for Sci-Fi, yeah, they don't seem to watch films when it comes to sensible things like people who split up getting killed off, but the worry is more that we do watch the films and yet we (as a species) are probably still going to go down those lines anyway. Despite all of the warning signs (bugs in computer software, the potentials explored by Sci-Fi films) scientists are still going to think that it's OK and that they won't make the same mistakes.

Lets just hope that we live long enough to see the best developments and miss the really bad bits where it all goes wrong

[Simguinus]

Yeah: "I, Robot" has a more iconic ring to it than "Caves of Steel". More people are familiar with the former title as a concept than the actual novel its based on. It's like "I, Claudius", "I, Borg" or the variations on a theme that have been done with the I, [character] title down the years. A bit like everyone has heard of 2001, even if they've watched the film or read the book.

The human races tendency to ignore the obvious is best summed up with a quote from another sci-fi series: "Your species has an infinite capacity for self-deception...."

[IBBoard]

What about iPod and iMac? I'm sure they went for that approach too, what with the Mac-esque robots

Somehow I can believe that quote - we know what could happen, but we always think that we've covered everything so that it won't happen, only it still does

[Simguinus]

Aah, but can you identify the source of the quote?

[IBBoard]

I would have guessed something like Star Trek (dunno why, maybe something Seven said or something) but a quickly Google shows it's Dr Who

Your species has the most amazing capacity for self-deception, matched only by its ingenuity when trying to destroy itself.

The Doctor, on humans, in "Remembrance of the Daleks"

[Simguinus]

Correct, if slightly cheaty.

A great episode from a much-maligned Doctor - also has the excellent line - "Yes, yes, unimaginable power, infinite rice pudding etc. etc.!" delivered by the Doctor to Davros.

[IBBoard]

It's not cheating, it's called researching Doctor Who did always seem to have somewhat random lines that you wouldn't get away with in most other Sci-Fi programs!

[Simguinus]

Except possibly Blake's 7. Or anything else produced around that time; it's just Doctor Who managed to get away with it. I'm sure things like UFO and Space: 1999 had equally daft lines, but they were delivered without any gravitas, and consequently sounded like the tripe they are....