What really detracts from the overall feel is slow motion. It's so overdone, overused, and beaten to death here that anyone even remotely responsible for its inclusion should take a long hard look at why they're in the industry. There are a few innovative camera movements (one is really amazing during the final sequence, a wild wrap-around shot), but then they settle right back in for the slow motion.
There's so much potential here for a deep, insightful movie, it's a real shame something more wasn't done with the concept. Then again, this is Hollywood and if you expect anything different, that's entirely your fault. What is here is a great big-budget B-movie that doesn't try to be anything but. There doesn't seem to be much room for original entertainment nowadays and "I, Robot" settles in nicely into that ever-closing gap. (*** out of *****)
Wow. Fox never really ceases to amaze DVD aficionados with their video transfers and the treatment given to this film is remarkable. Rest assured that you have never seen facial detail captured on a DVD like this. In fact, you've never seen this much detail period. The black levels are simply outstanding. If you want to nit-pick, you can count on one hand the number of times you can notice some edge enhancement. It's a minor flaw on one of the best transfers in 2004. (*****)
Likewise, the audio presentation is also one of the best of last year. You can listen to the film in either 5.1 or DTS 5.1. It is of course the action sequences that draw you in, filling a sound field used to effectively convey motion. Bass is brutal on the subwoofer and shaking the room the way home theater enthusiasts want it to. Even the non-action scenes have nice subtlety like people walking and chattering as they go about. Dialogue is perfectly mixed in with the action, never becoming too overpowered. As is the norm, DTS will pack a bigger punch and to those really listening, offer better separation. (*****)
Article comments
1 - Matt Paprocki
As I expected, the movie IS going to get the 2-disc treatment. IGN article can be found here:
http://dvd.ign.com/articles/590/590720p1.html