I, Robot trailer

[Cybrludite]

Watch it and weap. They've "Starship Troopers"-ed Asimov's classic. This is going to reach an estimated 30 giga-Lovelaces of suckitude.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/i_...deo_large.html

[Ergi]

Yes, it seems that there will be a lot more emphasis on action than I anticipated after watching the first trailer. Anyway, the computer graphics alone are worth the entrance fee, and maybe it won't be as bad as you are thinking now. I will certainly go and watch the movie.
Even if the film sucks, it will certainly create more interest in Asimov's books. I, for example, haven't read anything written by him, yet, but I'll try to get the "I, Robot" novel after watching the movie.

[neurozombie]

I have tried reading Asimov years ago, and was bored to tears to be honest (GASP, Sacrilege!)

I didn't expect the I, Robot movie to be exact or even close for that reason. As a sci0fi fan, If I found his books to be boring, there is no way the average movie-going consumer is going to sit through it.

The trailer does it for me for two reasons, one I really like WIll Smith and two the effects look great. I will see the movie and probably enjoy it.

[strict31]

Is that the chick who played Nyssa in Blade II?

The trailer is kind of disappointing, but not because I have any great love or respect for Asimov. I couldn't care less, I'm afraid. It's disappointing because it feels like we've seen this movie before.

Well, if nothing else, it'll show why the machines in The Matrix were so pissed off at humans...Feels like a live action Second Renaissance from Animatrix. Obviously, the original story came long before the matrix was even a twinkle in the eyes of the Brother's W, but that doesn't change how it "feels" in this day and age.

Namely, been there. Done that.

I'll probably check it out at some point, though. And hell, it's only a preview. Any observations are likely to be premature to some degree...


Strictly Speaking

[First of Two]

So what I'm hearing is that the movie is actually based on a story/scrips "Hardwired" by Jeff Vintar that was "adapted" to "fit in" to Asimov's "I, Robot" universe.

In other words, it's not an "I, Robot" story at all, but the Nickel-grabbing Ass-monkeys of Hollywood ( Homo craniorectus invertus, a species which should be endangered) are calling it that for name recognition.

[strict31]

Originally posted by First of Two
So what I'm hearing is that the movie is actually based on a story/scrips "Hardwired" by Jeff Vintar that was "adapted" to "fit in" to Asimov's "I, Robot" universe.

In other words, it's not an "I, Robot" story at all, but the Nickel-grabbing Ass-monkeys of Hollywood ( Homo craniorectus invertus, a species which should be endangered) are calling it that for name recognition.

When you said "Hardwired" my first thought was "Cool! But where are the Panzers and Deltas?" My second thought was "But wasn't the main character a white guy?" "And my third thought was, "Oh wait...different 'Hardwired'..."

Damned name recognition...



Strictly Speaking

[Balok]

Yeah, I saw this trailer in front of something (Kill Bill Vol. 2?) and my heart sank. I realized it couldn't possibly be Asimov's story, beyond the names and a few other details (perhaps the Three Laws).

Asimov created the Three Laws in part because he wanted robot stories in which the machines *did not* turn killer, in fact, couldn't. And what kind of story does this appear to be? Yep, exactly the kind Asimov wouldn't write.

Dang it.

(Of course, this *is* based on a trailer, and they are notoriously inaccurate. So ... we'll see what rottentomatoes has to say about it.)

[Pope]

Saw the trailer in front of Hellboy (which was nay bad). I thought the trailer sucked because I saw the whole frickin' movie... These 5-minute monsters are taking the fun out of going to the cinema.

[Tricky]

Originally posted by Pope
Saw the trailer in front of Hellboy (which was nay bad). I thought the trailer sucked because I saw the whole frickin' movie... These 5-minute monsters are taking the fun out of going to the cinema.

I agree! Thanks to the trailer, I won't be surprised when all heck breaks out at the bot factory.

Why do they do that?

[strict31]

Originally posted by Tricky
I agree! Thanks to the trailer, I won't be surprised when all heck breaks out at the bot factory.

Why do they do that?

Because Hollywood was born without a soul.


Strictly Speaking

[Publius]

Originally posted by strict31
When you said "Hardwired" my first thought was "Cool! But where are the Panzers and Deltas?" My second thought was "But wasn't the main character a white guy?" "And my third thought was, "Oh wait...different 'Hardwired'..."

A great book by Walter Jon Williams, did you catch the supplement he did for Cyberpunk? Very cool expansion of that setting.

As for the movie, yes it is a pretty big divergence from the story but since I too found it a bit boring I really wasn't that upset. I'll let it come out before I declare that it sucks.

[strict31]

Originally posted by Publius
A great book by Walter Jon Williams, did you catch the supplement he did for Cyberpunk? Very cool expansion of that setting.

I saw the cyberpunk supplement before i got a chance to read the book. I knew about the book, but had a hell of a time actually finding it as it was out of print. After I found the book at a half-price bookstore, I went back and paged through the supplement out of curiosity. But since I was into Shadowrun instead, my energies were focused more into that system.

Ever check out Voice of the Whirlwind and Aristos?


Strictly Speaking

[Publius]

Whirlwind yes, Aristoi no. I still use "Darwin Days baby" on occasion The Voice of the Whirlwind uses an idea that I had many years ago for Car Wars (especially when the original Car Wars RPG for GURPS came out and the setting was fleshed out) of having a man solve his own murder because he never got the updated memories for his braintape record. From top Duelist with a thick bank account to a guy with no money leftover after his clone was forcegrown. Only his own dead body for clues and a list of former associates and the like that had changed much over the years. Crosses, doublecrosses it made for a great twisty concept that would have been good for fiction or an adventure. I know the idea was probably done before that, but after the Voice of the Whirlwind I didn't really think I could do too much to top it and set the whole thing aside.

Sorry for the sidetrack, but to aim a little closer to the original thread, Voice would make a great movie since it has a lot of action along with some depth in terms of plot and characterization.

[Lioness Rampant]

Originally posted by neurozombie
I have tried reading Asimov years ago, and was bored to tears to be honest (GASP, Sacrilege!)

Yes, verbose and boring. Our GM met him at a sci-fi convention in the misty past and pronounced him the single most arrogant, boring man he'd ever met.

Walter Jon Williams is a sweet man -- our group knows him through one of the players. Try his "The Rift": an excellent, non-science fiction piece. It's a 'distaster' book, I suppose you could say, about the New Madrid fault finally slipping.

[tmutant]

The movie Bicentennial Man is representative of Asimov's I, Robot universe. In Asimovs work, a robot badly enough damaged for the three laws not to work would be incapable of functioning. They are hardwired into the core of the positronic brain, and can't be modified or removed. If a robot even thinks seriously about harming a human, it's brain will melt down.
A trick used by unscrupulous humans to maker robot's war machines was to restrict the definition of human in the programming. Humans who could not speak a particular language, or who spoke with the wrong accent were not recognized as human. I'll reserve judgement until the movie comes out, but it looks Starship Trooper-esque.