The science fiction thriller, Surrogates, is He, Robot to I, Robot, Majority Report to Minority Report, Robopop to Robocop.
So, yes, it reminds you of lots of other movies. But it also establishes itself as a thoughtful and intriguing escapist entertainment.
The title refers to humanoid remote control vehicles that act as proxies for futuristic humans, who routinely employ them to avoid having to be in the presence of, or interact with, other humans.
Based on a graphic novel, Surrogates is set in the near future in a world in which humans live their lives remotely, staying in isolation and communicating only through their mind-controlled “surries,” surrogate robots, who, as physically perfect mechanical representations of themselves, are not only more fit but slightly if not largely more presentable-looking versions of them and who assume their life roles. Of course, customers also have the option of creating surrogates who look nothing like them, which lots of folks do.
It’s been a wildly successful and profitable experiment, and it’s led to a contemporary society that is relatively free of crime, fear, discrimination, disease, and pain. People can now experience life vicariously in the comfort and safety of their own homes.
Does anyone object? Sure, what are referred to as “dreads” or “meatbags,” humans who reject the surrogate system and live instead on their own reservation, presided over by the fanatical Prophet, played by Ving Rhames.
But they’re in the decided minority. To everyone else this is a utopia.
Until now, that is, because everything’s about to change.
Bruce Willis stars as Harvey Greer, a severely withdrawn FBI agent who is forced to leave his home for the first time in years. It’s a home he shares with his troubled and estranged wife, played by Rosamund Pike, who remains emotionally devastated by the loss of their young son several years ago.
Greer abandons his own surrogate while he, with the help of his partner, played by Radha Mitchell, investigates several murders — the first homicides in a very long time — including that of the college-student son of the reclusive genius, played by James Cromwell, who invented the high-tech surrogates.
What Greer discovers along the way indicates that there is a conspiracy behind the curtain of this surrogate culture, in which it’s not always easy to tell the difference between a human and his or her surrogate.
Director Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, U-571, Breakdown) works from a sci-fi screenplay by John Brancato and Michael Ferris that offers itself as much more of a murder mystery than an action flick. And his handling of the stunts and special effects along the way is first-rate.
The writers don’t seem terribly interested in the strong satirical possiblities suggested by the central conceit, but the narrative does already have a semi-satirical underpinning that still gets the job done. The conspiracy thrust of the plot is perhaps overfamiliar, but the themes of vanity and technological detachment register strongly and the marital relationship between Willis and Pike ends up being strongly and surprisingly affecting.
Willis gets to play what is in essence two roles, reluctant hero Greer and his twenty-years-younger, sandy-haired upgrade of a surrogate. He remains a thoroughly viable leading man.
Surrogates, adapted from a 2006 graphic novel, belongs to the trend of movies based on comic books that do not involve larger-than-life superheroes. It’s a bracing combination of wish fulfillment and social commentary about a society enamored of the importance of appearance, an aspect of the film that isn’t science, fiction, or science fiction.
As for the ending, it may be a trifle too pat, but it’s quite satisfying anyway.
Surrogates is one savvy sci-fi saga. Having seen it as your surrogate, I’m now recommending it for your in-person perusal.
Bill Wine – Celebrity News Service Movie Critic/ AHN
90 minutes
In theaters September 25, 2009
Rating: PG-13, Science fiction thriller
