Also
starring Ving Rhames (together with Willis for the first time since Pulp Fiction) as The Prophet, leader of
the human resistance opposed to the use of surrogates, and James Cromwell as
the man-of-many-years creator of surrogate technology itself Dr. Lionel Canter
(See also L.A. Confidential, Star Trek:
First Contact, and W). Cromwell is one of those actors that have a
face everyone knows but might get lost in the translation for a name. Ironically enough, he played the same role as
the inventor extraordinaire of robot advances in the other pretty recent sci-fi
flick I, Robot. In regards to Surrogates, the movie flows much as I, Robot did. The science
fiction is firmly rooted in the evolution of robots in a futuristic society
while the lead character slowly unravels a mystery that involves the new
machines in a sinister plan. Let me be
clear here: this is not a bad movie. In
entertains, it provides the sights of a slick mystery/action film, and makes
use of great effects to create the surrogates and recreate the hairdo of our
pretty bald star. While it does glaze
the surface of what might change in a society like this, from transsexuals
going out in a surrogate of the opposite sex to people now having really poor
hygiene and appearances, other big questions are avoided or simply not asked at
all. What about the muscle atrophy of
people sitting in chairs for fifteen years?
And the fact that crime has almost vanished, including murder, seems
rather impossible. What’s to stop a
surrogate from just going to a human user’s domicile and cleaning house? The crazies will always be crazies and I do
not think that a world of surrogates would stomp out the human factor of
aggression and blind violence. But I’m a
romantic, though, so . . .
In
hindsight, this is a film that works within its’ structure and genre pretty
well, despite the shortcomings. A lesser
movie than Die Hard 4 was, both films
share the aspects of some spectacular action sequences, high production values,
rather good casts, and their lead, Bruce ‘Who Gives A Shit About Glass’
Willis. While maybe not on par with
Steve McQueen’s title as the ‘King of Cool’, Willis has earned his stature as
one of the leading icons of our times amongst the ranks of others such as
Clooney, Pitt, Penn, etc. Although the
movie lacks something needed for repeat viewings and may not trigger a ton of
chatter and discussion after it finishes, it never-the -less delivers an
entertaining spectacle and allows its’ star to do what he does best: connect
with madda fuckers. And if you have not
yet seen the masterpiece that is Die Hard,
then you need to un-bastardize yourself
and bathe in the awesomeness that John McTiernan has poured out for you. Shame on you.
It has Carl Winslow as a cop in it, for Pete’s sake.
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