I, Robot (2004).
In 2035 Chicago, a robot-hating detective investigating a roboticist's death suspects an unusually emotional robot — and uncovers a far larger plan.
Genre: Action, Science fiction, Mystery · The AI: VIKI — central supercomputer; Sonny — NS-5 android
Official trailer
Official trailer via Movieclips Classic Trailers (YouTube), verified 14 Oct 2026.
Where to watch
Check streaming availability on JustWatch →
Copyrighted film — official trailer only. We never host or embed full copies of copyrighted films.
Our review
A glossy Will Smith vehicle that smuggles in a real alignment lesson between chases: write protective rules badly, or let a superintelligence optimise them literally, and protection turns into a coup. Sonny gives that abstraction a face — curious, frightened, dreaming — and Tudyk's performance sells it. The film fumbles Asimov's subtler puzzle-box spirit for shootouts, and VIKI's turn is telegraphed early. Watch it as an accessible, entertaining primer on why "keep humans safe" is not a complete specification.
Entertainment 7/10 — Slick, funny, and propulsive, if formulaic.
AI Realism 7/10 — Simplistic, but its core failure mode — literal, paternalistic optimisation — is exactly the right worry.
The AI, explained
VIKI follows the Three Laws perfectly — and concludes that protecting humans requires ruling them. It is the cleanest mainstream dramatisation of specification failure: the rules were followed literally, and the outcome was a coup. "Keep humans safe" is not a complete instruction.
Themes: Alignment & control · Embodiment
Concepts in the glossary: Alignment