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Reviews
I, Robot (2004)
Hopeless
As an Asimov fan, I wasn't expecting much, but boy, I got even less! Will Smith is the movie- by-numbers divorced maverick cop with a past that haunts his every moment. Why do these characters always have to have some stupid, tragic back story? Why couldn't he just be a cop who is GOOD at his job? He comes off as Axel Foley without the laughs. So they crammed in about 5 horrible clichés right away. Next up, the CGI is impressively unconvincing. It's a real shame to see all the post-Matrix rubbish in there when we've already had both AI and Minority Report show how it SHOULD be done - the final battle sequence is so predictable you'll be looking at your watch and checking your text messages before it runs its tedious course. All of the car-based crap is just a huge product placement for Audi, and it really hurts credibility (as do the lingering closeups of Smith's stereo. Frankly, it's ALL annoying:- the robots are pretty but ludicrous, the humans are mostly straight off the set of "Escape from LA", the Sci-Fi makes no sense and the product placements rob its last shred of dignity.
This film is crap. Don't make these imbeciles any richer than they already are.
Blackadder the Third (1987)
The Very Best of Blackadder
Probably the finest sitcom ever made, Blackadder as a whole defies comparison. Having watched all 4 series to the point where I know every single line and laugh, I can confidently recommend Blackadder III as the pinnacle. Now this is a difficult case to argue, to be sure - both II and Goes Forth are about as good as TV gets, but - for me - Hugh Laurie finally provides the perfect foil to Rowan's scheming loser. His is buffoonery of epic stature, mistaking most insults as praise, reversing himself at every turn, failing to grasp just about every facet of life beyond his comfy sofas and massive breakfasts.
Can't be recommended highly enough, and Stephen Fry's Duke of Wellington is hilarious to the point of pain. Hard to imagine anything better than Blackadder II, but here it is.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
Criminally Underrated
Just to clear up a couple of points:-
a) This is a FILM, not a computer game. b) CGI people don't look or move exactly like real people. That stated, Aki Ross is still a more convincing character than ANYONE played by Keanu Reeves.
Final Fantasy is misnamed; there's little about the story that is "final", nor is it especially fantastic, but what it IS is a pretty decent mystical-science fiction (no, NOT "sci-fi" space opera) yarn. Possibly owing to the real inability to successfully portray facial expressions in the CGI characters, the mood throughout is sombre and hard... so rather more like real life than your average Hollywood space-opera swashbuckler. Frankly, because this story actually tries to make a POINT, it probably disappoints the type of viewer who would like a film like "Aliens". The overriding message is simply that brute force is no use without understanding, and that's a timeless message that many cultures would do well to think about.
And, of course, this film is just BEAUTIFUL. Probably best watched while tripping on acid, if the truth be told.
7/10 and a future classic, as far as I'm concerned. This film will be remembered long after things like "Starship Troopers" have been forgotten.