Surrogates

Jonathon Mostow’s latest, Surrogates, is a future set whodunit where humans live their lives by interacting through surrogate robots. Hardly an original idea, and the list of references and influences on the screenplay, and the look of the film, ranges from A.I. to The Matrix, via Minority Report, with a mix of cyberpunk authors Neal Stephenson and William Gibson thrown in for good measure. However, despite the feeling of deja-vu, this is still an entertaining film, with some decent effects and a couple of nice little twists. It’s been a while since Mostow gave us a half decent film and while he doesn’t pull up many trees here, he still provides a steady enough hand to guide us through the short running time. In fact, the short running time does mean that the film nips along at a fair pace and doesn’t lag at any point. This is actually a good thing for another reason as you don’t have time to think about the outrageous plot holes that litter the screenplay. These are actually the main detraction from the film (well, that and Bruce Willis’ outrageous rug). Nonetheless, if you like a bit of detective work with your sci-fi landscape, then you’ll get some enjoyment from this.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Unoriginal and instantly forgettable, but a short running time and a quick tempo provides balance to an enjoyable, if nonthreatening, slice of future hokum. Rating: 6/10.