Luddites unite! Detective Spooner thinks he is the only sane person in a world gone crazy for robots. In the year 2035, his deep suspicion of them is met with incredulous laughter. Supposedly, the robots are bound by the crucial Three Laws, which state that a robot cannot harm a human, must follow any orders given by a human unless they would cause harm to a human, and finally must protect its own life unless it conflicts with harming or obeying a human.

All of this is accepted dogma until one of the founding scientists of US Robotics dies in an apparent suicide, just days before the release of thousands of all-new, super-advanced robots.

Detective Spooner is on the case, and quickly finds himself in the midst of a conspiracy in which the primary objective seems to be getting himself killed. His main suspect: Sonny, a robot with a disarming and disturbing individuality, who seems to be the only possible killer - if he could somehow circumvent his programming. His only ally: Dr. Calvin, an unsurprisingly beautiful robotics specialist-psychologist who sympathizes with robots while seeming to be scared of real human feeling herself.

Between dodging killer robots and romancing Dr. Calvin, Spooner struggles with the robotic ghosts in his own past. Luckily for us, he does a lot of his soul-searching very scantily clad, and sometimes in the shower…!

Shower scenes and bulging muscles notwithstanding, this movie has a strong appeal for the nerd in all of us. Casting Will Smith as Detective Spooner, it deserves kudos for avoiding obvious racial comparisons while still making us wonder about how easily we could make even sentient robots our slaves. The robot Sonny has dreams, gets angry, fights for its life, and fears death. What is it, then, that separates humans from mere biological machines?

If you don't feel like pondering philosophical questions, you'll still enjoy the stunning action sequences that fill out the majority of this two hour long movie. Although the product placement is regrettable, watching Spooner drive an Audi to utter destruction as he gives the smack-down to a hundred evil robots is truly thrilling. You'll definitely get your kicks with this flick, whether you're looking for eye candy, something to mull over when you're feeling cerebral, or just some fun and feel-good action.

Lindsay Oishi, 09.08.04