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Amazon.co.uk Review
Intriguingly scaled more along the lines of a good sci-fi short story than a steroid-enhanced action picture, Surrogates proposes a variation on spectatorship-run-amok. In the near future, human beings need no longer leave their homes: mechanical surrogates, similar in appearance (but younger looking, fitter, with fewer wrinkles and more hair) can move about in the world on the user's behalf, following commands and absorbing physical wear and tear. A cop (Bruce Willis) begins investigating a mystifying case of a user who died when his surrogate got blasted by a fancy ray-gun in the street--that's a definite violation of the company guarantee. In the course of a trim, sub-90-minute running time, the Willis character himself is forced to enter the mean streets in his own flesh-and-blood version, not his surrogate, a move that puzzles both his wife (Rosamund Pike) and partner (Radha Mitchell). In the movie's scheme of perfect surrogates and digitally-smoothed faces, the grizzled humanity of Bruce Willis comes blazing through; what a relief to see a battered human in the midst of the beautiful people. Director Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3) gets the world right, but one waits in vain for a fuller picture of the effects of this surrogate population, or a deeper study of the creator (James Cromwell) of the technology, or a reason to get involved in the rebel leader (Ving Rhames in a fright wig) and his reservation populated by defiant non-surrogates. Sprinting along as it does, Surrogates doesn't find time for these presumably crucial details, and the result feels a little skin-deep. --Robert Horton
Synopsis
The filmmaking trio behind the hit sci-fi sequel Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines re-team to explore a future in which humans live in isolation while only communicating with their fellow man through robots that serve as social surrogates and are better-looking versions of their human counterparts. Bruce Willis stars as an FBI agent who enlists the aid of his own surrogate to investigate the murder of the genius college student who invented the surrogates. As the case grows more complicated, however, the withdrawn detective discovers that in order to actually catch the killer he will have to venture outside the safety of his own home for the first time in many years, and enlists the aid of another agent (Radha Mitchell) in tracking his target down. Jonathan Mostow directs co-screenwriters Michael Ferris and John Brancato's adaptation of the graphic novel by author Robert Venditti and illustrator Brett Weldele.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Willis makes it watchable.,
By Puzzle box "smockey_421" (Kuwait) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Surrogates [DVD] (DVD)
This film was an interesting twist on the robot as human concept, with a plot that managed to keep the viewer interested, up until the silly ending which I did not like. A high tech company has specialized in mass producing surrogates, or personal robots, which are sold to the American middle class. They are quickly adopted to perform routine functions and then essentially perform high level functions (like one's job). The main theme was how the surrogates assumed people's lives and identities to such an extent the flesh & blood owner of the surrogate could stay home and presumably pursue higher level interests. The reality was most people simply fell into a spiritual stupor, resorting to alcohol or drugs to pass their time.
Some of the actors were very good and up to the task of portraying themselves in robotic fashion (this doesn't require great acting skill but the screenplay was quite good) but most of the time they felt miscast like Ving Rhames character. I thought Bruce Willis did a good job though in the lead role(s) as FBI Agent Tom Geer (he also played his "surrogate" as a very low key robot). Bruce's surrogate is investigating the death of the son of the founder of the corporation that invented and produced the surrogates. This kicked off the main plot, which centered around an armed resistance group opposed to surrogates and attempting to defeat the surrogates and the corporation that produced them. If the plot sounds confused, at times it is, and the ending was less than satisfying. But for a far fetched sci-fi movie about robots, this was one of the decent ones, District 9 was alot better though.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A robot sci-fi movie with a difference!,
By Mr N Forbes-warren "author of RESURGENCE and ... (Newport, South Wales, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Surrogates [DVD] (DVD)
And one that is becoming more relevant at that. Bruce Willis is superb as a detective who is investigating a murder, in a future society where a murder hasn't been committed for years! Why?
People in this future never go out. Instead, a robot/avatar copy of themselves, which they can add their personality to, goes to work, goes to the mall, goes out, while the real person stays at home in safety. Sounds farfetched? Think again. Think about how many people these days spend more time online on sites like Facebook and not interacting with real people . . . then see that SURROGATES is networking gone too far in the future! And the real people who stay in are becoming obese couch potatoes like the starship passengers in WALL-E and turning to alcohol and drugs to make their lives better, even though crime on the outside is down. Things take on a new twist when FBI Agent Tom Geer(Willis, who also plays his surrogate robot in a small role, which was clever)investigating the death of the son of the Chief Executive of the robot manufacturing corporation that made the surrogates; discovering an armed resistance group opposed to the technology wanting a return to humanity. The pace never slackens and the ending - WOW. Not what I expected at all, which really made this a five-star review. I won't give it away, but it does make you think hard about how too dependent on high-tech gadgets and introverted lifestyles we have become. Ironic, as one reviewer stated, I'm posting it on a site like this, but SURROGATES, one of the most underrated movies of 2009 by critics, comes highly recommended!!
29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Detaching From Reality,
By H. meiehofer "haroldm" (glasgow, scotland) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Surrogates [DVD] (DVD)
Surrogates posits a world where we humans have almost entirely divorced ourselves from reality and entirely embraced a virtual existence. Each one of us lives our lives vicariously via an android which we control remotely. Just an extension of the logic we are following today perhaps.
This is quite an interesting idea which builds upon the work of Philip K Dick, particularly Bladerunner, in examining the nature of consciousness. It also examines the fears that some of us have about how much technology is separating us from experiencing the real world; for example instead of talking to a friend about this film, I am posting a review on Amazon (which is fairly ironic in the circumstances). The film does not entirely live up to these grand ideas in its execution. The plot is not wholly convincing and the film does not fully grab the viewer's emotions, although Bruce Willis does turn in his usual solid performance. Nonetheless, it is good to see a modern science fiction work which goes beyond special effects (although this has plenty of those as well).
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