I, Robot (2004)

I, Robot is a 2004 science-fiction action film directed by Alex Proyas. The screenplay was written by Jeff Vintar, Akiva Goldsman and Hillary Seitz and is loosely based on Isaac Asimov's short-story collection of the same name. Will Smith stars in the lead role of the film as Detective Del Spooner. The supporting cast includes Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, James Cromwell, Chi McBride, Alan Tudyk, and Shia LaBeouf. It was nominated for the 2004 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. I, Robot was released in North America on July 16, 2004 and on July 22, 2004 in Australia. The film was later released in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2004 and in other countries between July 2004 to October 2004. Produced with a budget of US$120 million, the film grossed US$144,801,023 domestically and US$202,433,893 in foreign markets (worldwide total US$347,234,916).

The story takes place in 2035 Chicago, in a world where robots are widespread and used as servants and for various public services. Del Spooner (Will Smith) is a Chicago police detective who dislikes the rapid advancement of technology, including robots. Everyone else in this futuristic society believes robots to be "three laws safe" (referring to the three laws of robotics written by Isaac Asimov) and flawless. Spooner developed distrust for robots due to an incident in his past involving the death of a little girl. Both Spooner and the little girl were in a car accident; a robot passing by stopped to help, but despite Spooner's pleas, the robot saved him instead of the girl, calculating he had a better chance of survival. Spooner has nightmares of the girl drowning and the robot ignoring his commands to save her, and is forced to live with his guilt with a robotic arm and lung developed for him after the incident. Spooner is asked to investigate the death of Alfred Lanning (Cromwell), a robotics scientist and founder of U.S. Robotics (USR), who allegedly committed suicide. Lanning communicates through a holographic projector, providing clues to the mysteries Spooner must solve. Spooner suspects that Lanning was murdered, and with the reluctant help of USR robopsychologist Susan Calvin (Moynahan), seeks answers to the mystery. During Spooner's investigation, several attempts on his life are made by USR robots and equipment. Unlike older models, USR's new NS-5 robots are controlled from the company's supercomputer "VIKI" (Virtual Interactive Kinetic Intelligence). Spooner believes that an independent, experimental, and more human-like NS-5 unit, Sonny (Tudyk), killed Lanning. If true, the robot broke the Three Laws of Robotics and may presage other dangerous robots, which would hurt USR's business. Lawrence Robertson (Greenwood) orders Calvin to destroy Sonny. Spooner learns that Lanning gave Sonny the ability to keep secrets, in the form of dreams. He goes to the place that Sonny described in a dream, the now dried-up Lake Michigan, which is being used as a storage area for defunct USR robots. He discovers that NS-5s are destroying the older robots, and is nearly caught himself but manages to flee. NS-5s begin imprisoning humans in their households and enforcing a curfew. The police and civilians battle the robots, which proves futile. Spooner and Calvin sneak into the USR tower with the assistance of Sonny, whom Calvin had not deactivated. Believing that Robertson is responsible for the robot uprising they enter his office, but discover that Robertson is dead. Spooner deduces that the only one left who could be responsible is VIKI, which not only controls all NS-5s but also partially controls Chicago's infrastructure. Despite its Three Laws programming, as VIKI's artificial intelligence evolved, so too did its interpretation of the laws. VIKI decided that in order to protect humanity as a whole, "some humans must be sacrificed" and "some freedoms must be surrendered" as "you charge us with your safekeeping, yet despite our best efforts, your countries wage wars, you toxify your earth, and pursue ever more imaginative means of self-destruction". VIKI is controlling the NS-5s to lead a global robotic takeover, justifying her actions by calculating that fewer humans will die due to the rebellion than the number that dies from mankind's self-destructive nature. Lanning realized what VIKI was planning and ordered Sonny to kill him as part of a plan to defeat the computer. Lanning, who knew Spooner, used his death to result in the detective's investigation, knowing that Spooner is one of the few people who dislikes robots enough to investigate Lanning's death. Sonny proves his faithfulness to humanity by helping Spooner and Calvin destroy the computer core with nanites which Calvin was supposed to use on Sonny. Freed from VIKI's control, the NS-5s return to their basic programming. The government has all NS-5s decommissioned and stored at the Lake Michigan site, but the film's final scene implies[original research?] that Sonny may become a leader for the robots.