Surrogates

Surrogates

Synopsis

The future enables people to live their life remotely from the comfort of their homes via robotic surrogates. It allows a world that is safer, free from pain, fear and consequences. But when the first murder in years shaken this Babylon life model, an FBI agent is entasked to solve the heinous conspiracy behind the surrogate phenomenon.

Official Site: chooseyoursurrogate.com

Singapore Release Date: 25th September 2009, Friday

Running Time: 89 minutes

Ratings: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing images, language, sexuality and a drug-related scene.

Genre: Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Cast: Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe, James Cromwell,Ving Rhames

Crew: Director (Jonathan Mostow), Producer (David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, Max Handelman and Elizabeth Banks), Writers (John Brancato), Screenplay (Michael Ferris), Story (Robert Venditti), Music (Richard Marvin), Cinematography (Oliver Wood) and Editing (Kevin Stitt and Barry Zetlin)

The Trailer

The Review

Today’s entry might be a bit biased, as I’ve always liked Bruce Willis, a versatile stellar actor with ‘mostly’ great filming history, minus a couple of bad ones; Hudson Hawk or Look Who’s Talking Too comes too mind.

Or then again my liking for this actor is an aversion of what is expected to be biased, as I put under the review under a much more detailed microscope, cracking the reviewing whip even more harder. I just hate it when one or more thing of my likes factor into what is needed in an impartial review.

Well anyway to know if you like this movie, think of it similar to Will Smith’s I, Robot movie. Yes it’s all about sci-fi, it has robots, explosion and the backdrop of time running out.

Directed by Jonathan Mostow and starring Bruce Willis, Surrogates is based on the 2005-2006 comic book series of the same name.

I wouldn’t say Mostow is the best director for the job, still he did a great job with a rather dodgy storyline, which is about remotely-controlled robots that serve as ‘surrogates,’ for the human.

Set in a futuristic setting in 2017, humans now have a better-looking version of themselves in the form of surrogates, of which these human operators control them from the comfort of their homes.

Let’s just say humans have become hermits and rarely socialise in human form. They used their surrogates for that. The world has become a robotic Babylon of sorts, free from pain, fear and crime.

But all of that changed, when a string of murders happened in fifteen years. Agent Tom Greer played by Bruce Willis is an FBI agent put on the case. More murders ensues, surrogates destroyed and hell broke loose.

To catch the bad dudes, Tom Greer finally has to come to grips of finally detaching from his own surrogate or risk losing his love ones.

Well basically I find that the trailers for the movie didn’t do justice for the movie in fact. It’s more like a glorified barbie-looking shots stitched in.

I find the movie does has substance, but I wouldn’t call it a sci-fi classic yet. Overall the consensus by the movie critics has been rather bad, still I expect the movie does provide some consolation for its fast paced, tight sequences.

If you like that sort of movie, then this sci-fi is ideal for your weekend date, or if you have a few hours to burn.

The Good

• Smart sci-fi story.
• Impressive special effects.
• I love the surprises in the film.
• Unexpected, but an original good ending, for me that is.

The Bad

• Reminds me too much of Blade Runner.
• Bruce Willis does too much running, everyone does.
• There were some goofy scenes that didn’t fit in the movie.
• Too short of a movie time, felt too rushed, some scenes could have longer sequences.

Editor’s Ratings