Just watched I, Robot, how close is it to the book?

[fs5]

I mean the general plot line, how close is it to the original? Dr's suicide, Sonny's kills him, viki's is the main antagonist, sonny appears at the end in the junkyard, etc etc?

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

i haven't seen the movie but I imagine there is very little similarity between it and the books.

 

[daniel1113]

Well, they have the same title... and I believe the similarities end right around there.

 

[PingSpike]

There's a couple of borrowed character names, the title is the same and the 3 laws are the same. The similarities end there.

To give you an idea...I, Robot the book is a collection of short stories about different robots and their interpetations of the 3 laws.

 

[Netopia]

I don't find Susan Calvin to be EVEN CLOSE to the puckered up Spock-like prune of a woman that the book has her as.

Joe

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: daniel1113
Well, they have the same title... and I believe the similarities end right around there.

Pretty much, they reach parity at the end when the audience is supposed to come to a conclusion that a precise set of rules(the 3 laws) can never work, but the movie even does a poor job playing this out. Read the story(I, Robot is a short story, not a book), it's better.

PS Joe, the depiction of Calvin is definitely wrong, but even you have to admit the hot version was a good choice

 

[fs5]

is this the book?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553294385/104-0739812-8255907

wtf is will smith on the cover? Is the book available online free?

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: fs5
is this the book?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553294385/104-0739812-8255907

wtf is will smith on the cover? Is the book available online free?

Yes, that is the book.

They did a re-printing with movie-themed covers when the movie came out.

No. Buy it. It's $7 bucks for godssakes...

The book is better than the movie. Some of Asimov's best. Classic 1940's era sci-fi mag serial short stories.

 

[fs5]

Originally posted by: Vic
Yes, that is the book.

They did a re-printing with movie-themed covers when the movie came out.

No. Buy it. It's $7 bucks for godssakes...

The book is better than the movie. Some of Asimov's best. Classic 1940's era sci-fi mag serial short stories.

hey, it's $11 after shipping. if I can just read it online why not? I'll probably just go find it at the library.

edit: and if I were to buy it, I don't want the will smith version.

 

[Queasy]

The audio book was enjoyable as well.

 

[purbeast0]

for anything ...

movie > story

sorry, i just hate reading

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: purbeast0
for anything ...

movie < story

sorry, i just have ADHD with a touch of illiteracy

corrected

 

[nakedfrog]

To paraphrase a friend of mine, it's more palatable for those who have read the book if you treat it as a story that takes place after all the other ones.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: purbeast0
for anything ...

movie < story

sorry, i just have ADHD with a touch of illiteracy

corrected

Yeah, I can't think of a single instance where the movie has been better than the book.

 

[JasGamer]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: purbeast0
for anything ...

movie < story

sorry, i just have ADHD with a touch of illiteracy

corrected

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
To paraphrase a friend of mine, it's more palatable for those who have read the book if you treat it as a story that takes place after all the other ones.

I just accepted it as an entirely different type of movie that wasn't related to the book at all. I ended up enjoying the movie...although it feels like its just dying to be a thinking man's movie but was constrained by action which likely resulted in story and development corner cutting.

 

[Slick5150]

The main concepts from the movie were taken from Robot Dreams, a follow up book by Asimov. Most of the main plotlines from the movie (other than the 3 laws themselves) were taken from here, and follow it fairly closely to one degree or another.

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: purbeast0
for anything ...

movie < story

sorry, i just have ADHD with a touch of illiteracy

corrected

Yeah, I can't think of a single instance where the movie has been better than the book.

I just can't be bothered to read for hours or days when it can all be consumed within 2 hours at a theater.

I read online for knowledge, but I don't just read novels. heh

 

[Vic]

Pretty fscking sad when undisciplined fictional-illness illiterates whine about reading a little 300 page book. Way to dumb yourself down! :roll:

 

[fs5]

Originally posted by: Vic
Pretty fscking sad when undisciplined fictional-illness illiterates whine about reading a little 300 page book. Way to dumb yourself down! :roll:

with 30 min. sitcoms, internet, and TiVo you can see how these habits developed. I'm guilty, I haven't read a book in about a year. and a fictional book in about 3.

 

[frankie38]

read the robot series, read foundation series and WOW!

 

[Hyperblaze]

movie storyline sucked.....

i'm not really motivated to read the book

 

[clamum]

The director and screenwriter talk about some of the differences, listen to the commentary on the DVD.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: CraigRT

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: purbeast0
for anything ...

movie < story

sorry, i just have ADHD with a touch of illiteracy

corrected

Yeah, I can't think of a single instance where the movie has been better than the book.

I just can't be bothered to read for hours or days when it can all be consumed within 2 hours at a theater.

I read online for knowledge, but I don't just read novels. heh

You read ATOT which is hardly a vast fountain of knowledge. Its basically the internet equivilent of Jerry Springer.

Not that I'm any better.

 

[KevinF]

Originally posted by: PinwiZ
The main concepts from the movie were taken from Robot Dreams, a follow up book by Asimov. Most of the main plotlines from the movie (other than the 3 laws themselves) were taken from here, and follow it fairly closely to one degree or another.

Robot Dreams a collection of short stories published by Asimov including many Robot Stories written after his original robot story collection I, Robot. Robot Dreams was one short story in the collection. It was about 4 pages long. In the short story, a robot has a dream similar to some of the movies key imagery. The script just kind of ran with the idea.

The movie really has nothing to do with any of the stories from I, Robot itself, but I, Robot is a much better title than Robot Dreams.