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SURROGATES Jonathan Mostow Starring Bruce Willis Radha Mitchell Rosamund Pike Boris Kodjoe James Cromwell Ving Rhames I liked Venditti's comic, The Surrogates. I thought it was despondent, misanthropic and bleak. I first read it in 2007 and for the longest time, somehow failed to connect that the upcoming Bruce Willis release was its adaptation - don't ask why, couldn't tell you. For the most part, the film adheres to the comic's plot but I must confess, I neither like nor agree with the changes that have been made. As such, this film has been considerably sullied for me. Infusing a detective thriller with a science fiction element, Surrogates introduces us to a world where mankind has abandoned interactions of the flesh in favour of remote-linked robots that synthetically feel everything without the threat of death. Issues of age, race and gender are all nullified by the ability to sculpt ourselves into whatever we please and as such discrimination has been all but eradicated. As such, crime rates plummet, wars are fought without bloodshed, diseases are contained and the world appears (for lack of a better world) perfect. Of course, there are still those unwilling to accept surrogacy and manage to cordon off whole areas which are human-only zones, outside of surrogate jurisdiction. After this introduction, our story begins with two 'users' suffering the same fate as their assassinated robot-equivalents. Enter FBI Detectives Greer [Willis] and Phillips [Mitchell]. As Greer traces the killer and a potentially way-of-life-altering weapon, he is forced out into the real world for the first time in years. In a time when video-game and alternate reality addiction is at an unprecedented high, I can think of few better speculative fiction stories with more urgent relevance (other than District 9). Written with an Isaac Asimov/Philip K. Dick mentality, Surrogates is littered with great potential for heated debate over a plausible future for our species. As stated below [see highlighted scene], the opening third of the film is incredibly well done and certainly riveting enough to hook and capture audiences. However, after this high, the plot drags a little before the big reveal and finally picking up for the rather predictable conclusion. As stated, there's a wealth of good points in this film that make it a stellar release; there's probably even enough exceptional material to say this is truly worthwhile science fiction but due to certain plot-change decisions, the McGuffin file that simply explains everything so very neatly (which was wholly unnecessary as the film's overall running time wasn't exactly weighty) and the building climax to the ending itself (countdown stuff) seemed so very void of urgency. At the end of the day, I would have happily given this movie a seven out of ten, if I weren't aware of the comic and furthermore, aware that it was better. On the other hand, I still believe this film was very well produced and a reasonable action/sci-fi/thriller that deserves attention and praise. In summation, I imagine this movie will generate the exact same reaction that I Am Legend, I, Robot and Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines received: you'll more than likely either really enjoy it or there will simply be too many elements for you to really get along with it. Release Date: UK - 25th September 2009 US - 25th September 2009 The Scene To Look Out For: As stated earlier, the first 15 minutes - which outline the birth of surrogacy, the initial murder itself and the discovery of the deceased users - was rather well portrayed. The issues raised were all poignant, the visuals were thoroughly impressive, the musical score was noteworthy and ultimately the world itself was very believable. You couldn't really ask for a better opening to a film of this kind. Which is why the hour-or-so that followed was relatively disappointing. Notable Characters: Bruce Willis nails the frustrated, crotchety old detective while still retaining his overall badassness but as far as highlighted characters go, it's actually a little difficult. The roles themselves don't offer a great deal for anyone other than Willis to work with and those that are given a level of depth are deprived of much more than a paddling pool's worth. So, with that in mind, I would say Willis gave the best performance but the fact that he was the only one who was genuinely afforded the opportunity needs to be taken into consideration. Highlighted Quote: "Surrogates are an addiction and to kill the addiction you have to kill the addict" In A Few Words: "Another reasonably impressive adaptation marred only by the decisions made during the transition from source material to screenplay" Total Score: 
6/10Matthew Stogdon |
