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I, Robot

Discussion in 'Movies, Music and TV shows' started by LINKed up, Feb 15, 2006.

  1. LINKed up

    LINKed up Chief Warlock DLP Supporter

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    Anyone besides me read the book?
     
  2. Rahkesh Asmodaeus

    Rahkesh Asmodaeus THUNDAH Bawd Admin DLP Supporter

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    Isn't it just a short story? I'm a big Asimov fan, I've read a collection of his short stories on robots, Robot Dreams, that was really good. It might have been in that, I'm not sure. But Asimov to me is the best Sci-Fi writer that ever lived.
     
  3. LINKed up

    LINKed up Chief Warlock DLP Supporter

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    It's more of a collection of short stories. The basis of it is this guy is interviewing Susan Calvin about the advancements of robots and such. The stories are basically her recolections and her telling the stories. Asimov has been said to be the greatest Sci-fi author ever, and I fully agree with that. He has also written fantasy.
     
  4. ip82

    ip82 Prisoner

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    I did.

    Don't remember it exactly, but I think it was standard Asimov's high-quality work.

    Personally, my favourite Asimov's books are from his Robot triology - The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun and The Robots of Dawn. I like the mixture of mystery and science fiction. The second book was particulary cool - like some Agatha Christie novel set in SF enviroment.

    The Bicentennial Man was nice too, don't let the movie fool you. Little too sentimental, but not bad at all...
     
  5. Rahkesh Asmodaeus

    Rahkesh Asmodaeus THUNDAH Bawd Admin DLP Supporter

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    Ah, yes, I remember Susan Calvin from Robot Dreams.

    And I read The Naked Sun, that was incredible. I hate it when they make his books into movies, they can never pull it off well. Bicentennial Man being a prime example.
     
  6. UnholyWarlord

    UnholyWarlord Fourth Year

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    I am a huge Asimov fan. And I have read I,Robot.
    (God damn the moive pissed me off)
     
  7. bornagainpenguin

    bornagainpenguin DLP Archivist

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    Bah! That movie was so bad I refuse to call it i, Robot! I just call it the Will Smith Robot movie. They completely wasted that movie. Just another example of why people don't go to the theater anymore....

    --bornagainpenguin (wondering what everyone thought of the abortion that was The Postman?)
     
  8. LINKed up

    LINKed up Chief Warlock DLP Supporter

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    I think that the movie was about what might happen if the robots evolved beyond the three laws, right?
     
  9. bornagainpenguin

    bornagainpenguin DLP Archivist

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    Don't know; don't care. When I realized they had for the most part abandonned Asimov for the usual Hollywood wank job I refused to watch it. I had a few chances to watch it for free and still haven't done so. Now that I have DirecTV we'll see how long my resolution holds tho'

    --bornagainpenguin (who is especially infuriated by the fact that Asimov had produced a workable screen play that would have made a great mini-series if updated to conform to certain trends not apparent at the time of writing and the studios decided to wank instead.)
     
  10. LINKed up

    LINKed up Chief Warlock DLP Supporter

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    Well, from what I got at the IMDB, they do have Susan Calvin and Dr. Alfred Lanning in the movie.
     
  11. ip82

    ip82 Prisoner

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    The main problem with "I, Robot" is that they used Asimov's brilliant visionary work to create a mindless sf action movie. A movie that is, mind you, rather good compared to the others from Holltwood's "family blockbuster" production, but that still screams "wasted opportunity" at each step...

    On unrelated note, a light at the end of the tunel concerning SF production could be David Fincher's adaptation of Arthur Clarke's brillian novel Rama. As a reminder, Fincher is the guy who did Fight Club and Seven, so I have high hopes of this turning into a meaningful movie instead of another mindless SF action.
     
  12. nonjon

    nonjon Alumni Retired Staff

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    I've not read the book, and if I did, I bet I'd like the movie much less.

    It's just the same as if someone makes a movie about wizards and magic, with a main character named Harry who has a scar and turns it into just an action-packed fantasy setting movie with no relation to the books we know.

    If you actually expected it to stick to the book, you have way too much faith in Hollywood. But if you separate it into it's own action sci-fi movie, it's a decent movie I thought. The same can be said for many others (like the Harry Potter movies or maybe Hitchhikers Guide). The movies are better if you don't know the books. Because the movies are typically a 50% condensed Reader's Digest version of the book, after having been restructured to fit into a hollywood arc for the characters and storyline.
     
  13. SlytherinDamian

    SlytherinDamian Raptured to Hell

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    I agree, I didn't read the books for I, Robot or Hitchhiker, and I thought both movies were alright. Though I admit I liked I, Robot mostly because I <3 Will Smith. *squeee!*
     
  14. Aura

    Aura Seventh Year

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    The movie would probably decent if you didn't read the book. Since Hollywood's trend of turning books into movies, I've decided to watch the movies first before reading the book otherwise I'd be cursing althroughout the movie saying "WTF? That's not what happened!"

    I never read I,Robot. I did read his foundation trilogy and man, can that guy write sci-fi! I still have the compilation of the foundation trilogy, the stars like dust, the naked sun, and I,Robot. Which one should i start reading?
     
  15. ip82

    ip82 Prisoner

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    Naked sun is brilliant, Asimov's best book IMO (at least from the those I've read).

    I, Robot is a compilation of stories, quite interesting if you don't mind reading shorter stories instead of a standard novel.

    I haven't read "Stars like dust".
     
  16. bornagainpenguin

    bornagainpenguin DLP Archivist

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    1) i, Robot

    2) The caves of Steel Triology:
    A) Caves of Steel
    B)Naked Sun
    C)Robots of Dawn
    D)Robots and Empire

    3) The Stars like Dust

    4) The Foundation Series*

    --bornagainpenguin

    * The Foundation series has several prequels!

    PS: A suggested reading order can be found here: [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov's_Foundation_Series#List_of_books ] Try not to be overwhealmed, as you really DON'T need to read many of Asimov's series in any sort of order, given that the vast majority of his body of work was in serials and other episodic type medium. Many of them are self contained (except perhaps the Original Foundation trilogy) and regardless of what order you go at them in each new book\story will just be added value to another book or story whenever you decide to read it.
     
  17. Rahkesh Asmodaeus

    Rahkesh Asmodaeus THUNDAH Bawd Admin DLP Supporter

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    Yeah, the prequels to the Foundation Trilogy were really good.

    I think the best novel, other than the Foundation books, that I've read by Asimov is Nightfall. That was an amazing book.
     
  18. bornagainpenguin

    bornagainpenguin DLP Archivist

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    Except *cough*he didn't write it*cough*

    I believe it was Silverberg who actually wrote the novelization of that ine.

    --bornagainpenguin
     
  19. Rahkesh Asmodaeus

    Rahkesh Asmodaeus THUNDAH Bawd Admin DLP Supporter

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    Really? I know that he collaborated with Silverberg, and I thought they were co-authors. I meant to put Silverberg in, but I forgot. :roll:
     
  20. bornagainpenguin

    bornagainpenguin DLP Archivist

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    No, no, go check out the authors notes--in that book and IIRC The novelization of the Positronic Man (Or am I confusing the with The Dirty LittleBoy?) Asimov comes right out and tells you that Silverberg was such a fanboi and kept on pestering him to do a novelization of the short story or for a change to collaborate with Asimov on said book that Asimov more or less told Silverberg that he would write the book himself if he wanted so long as he did it in Asimov's style and gave Asimov all the credit...I'm not sure if he was serious when he said this or was trying to make Silverberg go the $#@& away, but... [points to book]

    --bornagainpenguin
     
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