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Between those two heavyweights is the imaginatively titled
Robots from the creators of Ice Age. Whereas
Ice Age took place a couple hundred centuries ago,
on our planet, featuring critters that actually existed, Robots
reveals a world where everything is robotic — including
its citizens.
And whereas Ice Age had a story that actually went
someplace, Robots never goes far enough.
Young inventor Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor) leaves
home to find his idol, the world’s most famous inventor,
Bigweld (Mel Brooks). Upon arriving to the big city he makes
friends with a group of misfit ‘bots whose lives are
in jeopardy because they lack the parts which Bigweld’s
company once made.
Now the business is run by the evil Ratchet (Greg Kinnear)
who, along with his psychotic, and also evil mother, has replaced
the parts with expensive upgrades. However, Rodney’s
expertise in fixing broken ‘bots throws a monkey wrench
into their machinations.
As usual, sound-bite master Robin Williams steals the show
with his performance as the bumbling Fender whose mouth runs
off as frequently as his body parts. At one time both his
arms have fallen at his feet. “Oh, no. Look at that,”
he exclaims. “Now they’re arm wrestling.”
The film’s animators did wonders with its heavy-on-the-metal
appearance. And the film is full of farcical sight gags with
some coming at speeds demanding of a rewind button. The Britney-esque
dance sequence featuring Fender in the lead role is especially
gut-busting, as was Bigweld singing “Daisy, Daisy”
a la 'Hal' from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The only thing that keeps Robots from being great
instead of a-little-above-average is the story itself. Despite
appealing performances from those mentioned plus Halle Berry,
Drew Carey, Amanda Bynes, Paul Giamatti and Stan Tucci, their
robotic characters rarely step outside their respective boxes.
And the story becomes much too predictable.
Where is the creative daring of The Incredibles? Or
the unexpected twists of Shrek? We want to be taken
to that second gear, that other level, that extra “oomph,”
but it just never kicks in — no matter how hard we root
for it.
But not to worry — R2-D2 and C-3PO are just around the
corner.
DVD Extras
DVD extras are bountiful, including an extra disc's worth
of featurettes, deleted scenes, commentaries, and trailers.
Here's the full list:
Audio Commentary: Blue Sky Studios Technical Commentary
Deleted Scenes: Discontinued Parts, With Optional Directors
Commentary
Featurette: Meet The Bots - Character Bios, Design Gallery
Featurette: The Voices Of Robots
Game: Fender Photo Shoot
Game: Robot Dance
Trailer: Garfield-The Movie, Ice Age, Garfield And Friends
Conclusion: Movie 70% Extras: 85%
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