I, Robot (2004)

Better than it looked, mainly because it really does have something on its mind -- it's concerned with no less than the stuff of life that makes us uniquely human. (In that respect, it's like a bigger, booomier version of Alex Proyas' previous Dark City.) Even as it devolves into a generic actionathon, it keeps the ideas up front (the reveal of the villain is surprising in its force and ambiguity). Still saddled with a lot of unfortunate stupid stuff, most of which I suspect was the work of Akiva Goldsman (the worst screenwriter ever to take home an Oscar), and Shia LaBeouf's character seems like a holdover from a different cut of the film, one in which he had something to do. Bridget Moynahan is problematic, too -- she's so forced and stiff that I thought she would be revealed as a robot in the third act. Still, it's more thoughtful than your average summer fare, even if it has nothing to do with Asimov; pretty funny too, with Will Smith more on his game than he's been in a couple of years.

Grade: B-