Robots

Robots is probably the most technically amazing computer-animated movie I've ever seen. When you stack it up against a movie like the original Toy Story, it's astounding how far they've come in about 10 years. There is a scene were a drum of tiny ballbearings falls over, and each ballbearing is rendered perfectly. Amazing.

The voice acting in Robots is just fine, with the ensemble cast providing a nice mix of auditory delights(although I saw Jim Broadbent's (the dad in Bridget Jones') name in the credits and was unable to identify him in the movie. Greg Kinnear did a fine job and Ewan MacGregor was also decent. The biggest question mark was Robin Williams. Before the movie I found myself wondering how he could top the 'Genie' performance in Aladdin. The answer is he doesn't, but his character is responsible for a few VERY funny bits and I think he pulled it off well.

Now humor in the movie... It was clear to me that at least 80% of the adults in the audience weren't getting many of the references. If you are old enough/smart enough to catch these, they are hilarious. My favorite being when Rodney is repairing Bigweld's head and Bigweld is singing 'Daisy' very slowly. Priceless.

All in all a great movie, and I also suspect this movie will improve with subsequent viewings. Where a Shark's Tale just becomes tiresome after one viewing, I am looking forward to viewing this movie again.

Lastly, my 6 year-old son LOVED the movie. We saw it in IMAX and it completely blew him away.

While the story isn't particularly original or substantial, ROBOTS is a fun film for kids that has plenty of visual creativity. While a plot synopsis probably isn't necessary, here goes. Rodney is an aspiring robot inventor who moves to the big city to make his dreams come true, but along the way he has to deal with an evil corporate tyrant who threatens to turn old robots into scrap metal. First of all, I have to say this movie has one of the best voice casts ever assembled. Ewan McGregor plays the main character Rodney Copperbottom, and is joined by Halle Berry, Greg Kinnear, Robin Williams and Mel Brooks, to name a few. Every single actor brought their character to life vibrantly and with humor. Of course, with an animated movie you can't not discuss the visual elements. Blue Sky Studios (Ice Age and Rio) did an awesome job bringing this robot world to life. It kind of reminded me a little of steampunk, but more colorful and sanitized for children. There's also a number of stunningly creative sequences which are Rube Goldberg-esque in their complexity. The humor is also worthy of mention, because there's plenty of jokes that the kids will get, and some for the parents as well. There's even some hilarious usage of (then-current) pop music, and a couple other original songs. When it's all said and done, this movie isn't really the most original in terms of plot, but there are positive messages for kids and enough visual style to spare.

I left this film feeling high. Not because I literally ingested anything before arriving at the theatre, but because the movie provided that familiar feeling of one's brain being reduced to a muddled receptor for bright colors and funny noises.

So about the story: boy robot leaves his home for the big-city, must defeat evil robot trying to control the robot world. During this epic quest he encounters a series of Disney-ish archetypes, including: wacky robot sidekick (voiced by Robin Williams, natch), bland robot love interest (Halle Berry, spending all of maybe three hours in the recording studio), and a spunky tomboy robot (voiced by some unmemorable tween star).

The storyline, such as it is, could probably fill a single half-hour slot on Nickelodeon. There are a few funny bits of dialogue (provided by off-Broadway scribe David Lindsay Abaire), but mostly the script is just the filler before the next elaborate visual sequence dreamed up by the animators.

And don't get me wrong: those visual sequences are pretty cool. I can't quite decide which is more impressive: the hyperkinetic ride through the immaculately detailed robot city or a complicated sequence involving thousands of dominoes. The art department clearly put a mind-boggling amount of effort into creating a fully realized world.

But that, unfortunately, is all there is. An awesomely rendered environment with nothing in the foreground. Many of the characters, particularly the protagonist, feel like little more than rough outlines. The relationships between characters feel like tacked-on afterthoughts. This is compounded by the most lackluster and non-distinctive voice work I've ever heard from major movie stars (Ewan McGregor and Halle Berry sound so bored, I would have preferred they hire interns from the accounting department).

I recommend this film slightly, simply because of the stunning visuals. But otherwise, with the success of truly subversive CGI films like The Incredibles and Shrek, Robots just doesn't cut it.

Animated movies are usually pretty good but nothing that great to me. However, this one is a "keeper." It gets high marks for all the jokes in here, lots of which are adult-style but not sleazy or filled with sexual innuendos, although there are a few of those, enough to make this PG, not G. However, the vast amount of clever lines is the main attraction here.

Actually, the jokes come so hard and fast, it's hard to keep up with all of them. The visuals aren't gorgeous, as many modern-day animated films have become, but they are interesting. Not only is there a ton of gags to hear, but there are to see, too. You almost have to stop it frame-by-frame to see all the funny stuff penciled in the artwork.

The story couldn't be simpler but it manages you keep your attention and doesn't overstay it's welcome, although I think animated films are more effective it they don't go over 80 minutes. This one is closer to 90.

There is a good message in here, too. Maybe I'm mistaken but what I heard was the idea that just because people might be old, decaying and not as productive for society, it doesn't mean you have to discard them. Life has value and is precious from conception to dying of old age. Amen to that!

I attended an advance screening for this film with my daughter and her friend (both 3). They enjoyed it, but I think older kids will be much more into it. There was also a lot of humor that will be appreciated by adults. I have seen all the computer animated films of recent years(Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Nemo, etc.) and I feel this one ranks up there with the best. This movie is visually stunning. The robot world created for this movie is unbelievable. There are some pinball like sequences that I found fascinating (Rube Goldbergesque for the older folks). This movie is quite funny. I am usually not a big Robin Williams fan, I find that he can be too in your face and distracting. That really was not the case in this film. The plot of Robots was good, but I did not walk out of the theater talking about the story lines. It was all about the visuals.