Surrogates [2009]

I guess this should be the Blade Runner of this decade, and they almost pulled it off. Although it is based on a comic, Surrogates still uses some original elements, especially after the second cut. And the word original should be taken with some consideration, since apart from few ideas that are original, it uses the classical robot future and society plot. Still this is not such a big problem because other elements (mostly futuristic concepts) of the movie were pretty good. Directed by Jonathan Mostow (Breakdown, U-571, Terminator 3), I felt that it left a whole bunch of concepts unexamined. They would have provided much more depth both to the characters and the story.

In a future everyone is using surrogates, robots that look like humans, in their daily activities. Many of the society’s problems are solved this way, but still, as always, there is a resistance movement that does not want to use surrogates. When a strange looking gun shows up, a gun that can kill the surrogate and its controller, Tom Greer will have to find out who’s behind this sinister plot. This type of future is very plausible, well apart from the slim looking humans that control these surrogates, laying at home all day. Wall-E did that part and look what happened. Dealing with alienation and other problems that modern technology brings, this movie combined science fiction and action, and it did that well. It’s really interesting, and unlike other similar flicks, I liked the ending of this one. So, do not expect a new Blade Runner but a very interesting and entertaining flick with a light message. Enjoy.

Director: Jonathan Mostow

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

Fun Facts: Because Bruce Willis refused to re-record several lines of dialog (ADR) when the movie was being restructured, a sound-alike voice-over actor had to be brought in.

Rating:

IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0986263/