There’s so much I want to do. I want to see exotic places, try exotic foods, dance closely with exotic women. And I would, too, if I could only get my ass out of this chair. If only there were a way to satiate my wanderlust without having to put on pants. Jonathan Mostow’s new film Surrogates welcomes us to a land where all of this is finally possible.
Surrogates presents a world where one can jack into an idealized version of yourself via a government approved robot. Your robot goes out into the world and does your job while you get to kick back. While originally designed for the infirm, it takes less than two decades for most of Earth’s population to get a “surry.” The pros: good-bye racism, sexism, crime in general. The cons: hello obesity, false social structure, an eventual eroding of the soul and all kinds of other high-falutin’ concepts.
The very entertaining Surrogates achieves something a disaster like Gamer could never achieve – it is intellectually stimulating enough to keep you intrigued while never forgetting its obligation as B movie fun.
Robert Venditti’s graphic novel The Surrogates deftly used Watchmen-like interchapters to help flesh out its world. Mostow does his best to infuse the film’s periphery with this depth, taking a cue more from Children of Men than Zack Snyder. There still is the matter of “the hook,” though. Somewhere along the way a decision was made to simple slam the movie’s gimmick down our throat with a “News on the March”-style prologue. It is clunky, but gets the job done quickly. Once everyone’s gotten it, the movie can begin.
Surrogates is genuine high concept fun. Bruce Willis has a ridiculous blonde wig and everyone has that uncanny valley sheen. In a highly subversive act for a Hollywood film, some of the acting as just a whiff sour – and that’s because they’re robots! It is a continuing treat to discover the “real” people behind the Surrogates that occupy the scene.
The film’s singular flaw is that its driving conspiracy is a little pedestrian. Anyone who doesn’t know who the bad guy is before the end is half-asleep. But there are so many far out concepts being introduced in this film, it would almost be a disservice to have too sophisticated a narrative.
So, am I saying that other than the movie’s plot, it’s good? Startlingly, yes, I suppose that is what I am saying. I’m far more intrigued by seeing how the military – or a marriage – changes with the use of this new technology than by wondering who is really behind the conspiracy to take society down.
This is not to say the plot is boring – indeed, Mostow does all he can to keep things alive and unique. It is not the typical “dark future” look. There is a hint of 80s New Wave to keep things peppy, but not so much as to be distracting. The action sequences are bold and come at you unexpectedly. Who doesn’t want to see Radha Mitchell hurl a parking meter like a javelin?
Surrogates is an engaging flick and only 88 minutes. You don’t even need to send your robot proxy to go in your stead.
