Although there are many striking
differences between the film and book versions of I, Robot, I think that
they both have the same message. Both the film and the book explore the
unintended consequences of human technological advancement, but in different ways. The movie creates an action packed
world in which Will Smith is literally fighting to save the everyone from total
robot domination, while the book presents the situation in a less dramatic
series of stories that allows the reader to draw his or her own conclusions
from them. Both methods have their
advantages, as the film is obviously captivating to the average current western
desire for action and sound effects and the book allows the reader to find his
or her own meaning from the material.
It does, however, make me wonder whether or not our obsession with having
stories played out for us, with all of their special effects are hurting out
imaginations more than helping them.
I agree! I don't think the movie devalues the book, or the movie is a failed reproduction of the book. I think both works have a similar message achieved through different means. That being said, the movie (as we discussed in class) roots more for the individual, while the book allows the reader to interpret the importance of the individual vs. humanity.
ReplyDeleteI am interested in this meta-question you posed: we are watching technology about technology destroying us, and is that technology destroying us? I definitely think each generation has a slightly shorter attention span than the preceding generation, but for now it is difficult to say exactly how technology has and will affect us.
The movie did not offend my imagination because it was too different from the book. I preferred the book, but that is mostly just because I am not an action movie type of person. The movie did not change and opinions I had about the book, but it offered an alternative way to understand how humans might interact with technology in the future.