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Home > Movies > Surrogates
Surrogates
Surrogates (2009)
3.5
(38 Ratings)
3 Reviews | 12 Short Comments | 166 Collectors | 26 Times Watched
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Movie Info
Movie Year:
Director:
Jonathan Mostow
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Movie Year:
2009
Cast:
Bruce WillisBoris KodjoeJames CromwellVing RhamesBoris KodjoeRadha MitchellRosamund PikeJames Francis GintyJack NoseworthyDevin RatrayMichael CudlitzJeffrey De SerranoHelena MattssonMichael PhillipDanny F SmithBrian A. Parrish
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Screenplay:
Michael FerrisJohn D. BrancatoRobert VendittiBrett Weldele
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Genre:
Thriller, Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy,
Studio:
Touchstone
Genre:
Action/Adventure
Other
Horror/Suspense
Television
Romance
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Thriller
Animation
Comedy
Documentary
Drama
Kids/Family
Studio:
DVD Release:
2010/01/26
Theater Release:
No release information.
Blu-ray Release:
No release information.
Blu-ray 3D Release:
No release information.
DVD Release:
(ex. 2002/10/21)
Synopsis:
Tagline:
How do you save humanity when the only thing that's real is you?
 
Reviews
Oct 20, 2009
Not unlike this year's other half-baked sci-fi social commentary, "District 9," "Surrogates" begins with a montage of thoroughly phony newsreel foota ...
Not unlike this year's other half-baked sci-fi social commentary, "District 9," "Surrogates" begins with a montage of thoroughly phony newsreel footage that forecasts the film's coming ineptitude. Leadenly scripted clips depict talking heads, by turns skeptical and enthusiastic, reporting on the growing phenomenon of VSI, a major conglomerate that produces and mass-markets lifelike mechanical doubles—the titular surrogates—which can be operated from the isolated vantage of one's own home. A succession of title-cards (scored to deep, self-consciously dramatic tones) count us down from ten, to five, to three years earlier, and finally to the "present" (which, the synopsis tells us, is actually a distant future), all the while trafficking in ample expository facts and figures fired at us in rapid succession. Thus, we're aware of all the dumb contrivances in this film upfront: We learn that those who oppose the use of a surrogate, an obvious perversion of everyday living, are in fact in the minority; 90%(!) of earth's population we're told have resigned themselves to a life behind closed doors, settled into a station resembling a tanning bed (complete with sleepmask-like goggles) while, apparently, controlling their pseudo-self mannequins with the power of their minds. (Contrivance #1: Either one of Bono's Live Aid charity events actually managed to end worldwide poverty or the filmmakers here don't realize how utterly silly it is to suggest that 90% of the world's population is able to afford such highly advanced technology, let alone the sheltered place from which to operate it.)

Those few that choose a life without surrogacy (seen in newsreel footage picketing with signs that comically read: "No more robots") are referred to as "dreads." Is it a coincidence that the dread spokesmen, The Prophet, is a thoroughly dreadlocked Ving Rhames? The Prophet sermonizes via radio broadcasts to his seceded and marginalized people from a small camper in the woods, just outside of the uninhabitable dread slum—which slightly resembles the Johannesburg ghetto of "District 9." Tensions boil at the borders of these "dread zones" and prejudices manifest between the humans ("meat-bags," as they're creatively referred to) and the surrogates, who live a life without fear of injury. That is, until a mysterious weapon capable of destroying a surrogate and simultaneously killing its secluded operator surfaces and causes a media frenzy. The basic concept of "Surrogates" is as intriguing as "District 9's," but, unfortunately, it's also just as shamelessly derivative. Director Jonathan Mostow (who obviously has a hard on for humanoid machines; see: previous directorial outing "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines") cribs from a wealth of sci-fi films both cliche-ridden and inspired. Two big names are rather obvious sources: Steven Spielberg's exciting and thematically rich "Minority Report" (as well as, to a certain extent, its lesser cousin "A.I. Artificial Intelligence") and that seminal (overrated) Ridley Scott opus "Blade Runner." Virtually all the main points of this screenplay (adapted from a graphic novel which itself was published after the release of these obvious influences) can be traced to their origin in either Spielberg's work or Scott's—or, in some cases, both.

Bruce Willis plays FBI agent Tom Greer; he's cynical, he pines for his flesh-and-blood wife (who’s chosen a life of surrogacy), and he mopes over the loss of their child in a years-ago automobile accident. Greer resents the replican- er, excuse me, surrogate life style, and is seemingly the only one cracking under the pressure of living the synthetic/bed-ridden life of surrogacy. But the relative status quo of Greer's neutered existence really gets topsy turvy when he finds himself at the center of a shocking (and completely ridiculous) conspiracy plot, which involves the fishy manufacturer VSI, their retired inventor (a sadly underutilized James Cromwell), his accidentally assassinated son, and the increasingly heated conflict between the dreads and the surrogates instigated by the fervent protests of The Prophet. In the end, of course, Greer is tasked with saving mankind from near-complete annihilation, and he must do this while in the body of perpetually-terrible-but-yet-never-out-of-work actress Radha Mitchell. (No, I don't know why.) "Surrogates" fails spectacularly due to its mediocre action sequences, its frequently speechified dialogue, and a plot that's even more muddled than my brief synopsis implies. If "District 9" falters because it's derivative and its moral compass is insultingly mis-calibrated, then "Surrogates" is a defunct blockbuster because it too is derivative and insulting to the intelligence of anyone who demands more than tired genre tropes and the half-chuckles induced by the sight of Bruce Willis' blond, wavy hairpiece—a rug that makes Tom Hanks' 'do in 'Da Vinci' look stylish by comparison. Willis himself, ever the committed actor—like this country's other deservedly bankable action-hero, Denzel Washinton—exhibits raw emotional honestly, wringing more than can be expected from his paper-thin role. But even his wounded and convincingly paranoid performance can't mask the inexcusable ineptitude of this dull, bland, thrill-less thriller.

==Written by Sam C. Mac==

==From: In Review Online (www.inreviewonline.com)==
Oct 05, 2009
Surrogates presents a world where humans are no longer humans, not in the sense that they go outside to carry out the daily tasks necessary to their l ...
Surrogates presents a world where humans are no longer humans, not in the sense that they go outside to carry out the daily tasks necessary to their lives. It presents a world where humans live through surrogate versions of themselves, who look similar but are considered "better" in every way (attractiveness, durability etc), all the while the real versions are locked away in their homes, lying on what looks like a tech version of a dentist's chair, using their minds to control their "other selves."

So it's maybe a bit ironic, then, that the feeling of artificiality that the film's world presents mimics the feeling we get as a viewer. There's no real sense of danger or feeling towards anything or anyone - the technology is alien to us so it doesn't allow us to truly feel for what's going on.

That may have been different had the themes and ideas at the centre of Surrogates been put across with more resonance. The film is a kind of mash-up of I, Robot, Eagle Eye, and James Cameron's upcoming Avatar (so far as the idea of living through another body goes). It presents the obvious (often too obvious) themes of the meaning of life, what it means to be human, how technology in this day and age is overrunning our life and maybe, just maybe, the extreme places that technology could take us in the future.

They're all valid points, but they're not very well handled at all, and it ends up feeling rather trite, as well as wholly redundant. It's a shame, too, as there are some genuinely effective moments to be found here. The special effects are impressive, in moments such as when someone is removing the face of a surrogate to improve the features, or when Bruce Willis's surrogate is running and jumping around the place with no right arm.

But even the special effects come sadly attached to something else detrimental to the film — the action sequences. There's nothing particularly bad about them, but disappointingly nothing very good about them either. They're the same chase, fight, and shoot-out action sequences we've seen in a million and one other previous sci-fi/action films. Much like the ones in director Jonathan Mostow's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, the action scenes should keep you entertained if all you're looking for is fast cars, bullet spraying, and nothing else. But anyone looking for a bit more in their action will be left with their appetite unsatisfied.

Willis is fine in his role, although it's one that he could pull off in his sleep. Think John McClane dropped into a Philip K. Dick novel. Much like the case of Willis's Pulp Fiction co-star, Samuel L. Jackson, one wonders how much longer he can pull off this kind of a role. He's no spring chicken, and soon he may have to choose more dramatic roles that don't call for so much running around. Nonetheless he's almost always a hero we can root for in every way and we do here (his distracting "Ken doll" surrogate hairstyle not withstanding).

Something that's more discouraging than the general lack of freshness in its action sequences (one of the major aspects that the film is sold on) is the fact that it takes such a neat premise and chooses to focus all its time on what is essentially a whodunit murder plot that wouldn't be unwelcome in an episode of CSI. Willis plays a cop who has to leave the confines of his home to investigate the mysterious death of two humans after their respective surrogates were murdered (the whole point of the surrogacy is that humans can live their lives safely, even if their surrogates are harmed). Take out the futuristic elements, and you've got a generic police investigation story that, like the action sequences, we've seen tons of times before, and better, in other films and TV shows.

The generic twists and turns in the story come in at the checkpoints areas, and most of them are easy to see coming. There's a final double-pronged twist in particular that should convince you that you have psychic abilities because of how easy it is to predict. Part one of the twist is given away in the trailers, so if you're not someone who actively avoids promos for a film you've already been spoiled before you settle down in your seat to watch (I won't say here what it is in case you don't want to be spoiled even further). Part two of the twist is hinted at all throughout the film, in way too blatant a fashion, and so anyone who's mind is active throughout should be able to figure it out long before the film reveals all its cards.

In the end, though, Surrogates is an entertaining enough time if you just want to sit back, relax, and enjoy a throwaway, totally forgettable sci-fi/action film that runs way shorter than your average film these days (clocking in at around 85 minutes). But that kind of thing only goes so far, and if you're the kind of movie-goer who likes a bit of well-cooked meat along with your dessert, you'll be left wanting more from this. The world presented here is one that will probably never become reality, but it's fun to ponder the possibility. Sadly, the film never capitalizes on the strength of its premise, and instead thinks things blowing up and people being chased is more important. Which you personally think is more important will determine what kind of movie-goer you are. Let's just say the reason behind it is more important to me than the explosion itself.

==Written by Ross Miller==

==From: Movie World (www.movie-world.moonfruit.com)==
Intriguingly scaled more along the lines of a good sci-fi short story than a steroid-enhanced action picture, Surrogates proposes a variation on spectatorship-run-amok. In the near future, human beings need no longer leave their homes: mechanical surrogates, similar in appearance (but younger looking, fitter, with fewer wrinkles and more hair) can move about in the world on the user's behalf, following commands and absorbing physical wear and tear. A cop (Bruce Willis) begins investigating a mystifying case of a user who died when his surrogate got blasted by a fancy ray-gun in the street--that's a definite violation of the company guarantee. In the course of a trim, sub-90-minute running time, the Willis character himself is forced to enter the mean streets in his own flesh-and-blood version, not his surrogate, a move that puzzles both his wife (Rosamund Pike) and partner (Radha Mitchell). In the movie's scheme of perfect surrogates and digitally-smoothed faces, the grizzled humanity of Bruce Willis comes blazing through; what a relief to see a battered human in the midst of the beautiful people. Director Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3) gets the world right, but one waits in vain for a fuller picture of the effects of this surrogate population, or a deeper study of the creator (James Cromwell) of the technology, or a reason to get involved in the rebel leader (Ving Rhames in a fright wig) and his reservation populated by defiant non-surrogates. Sprinting along as it does, Surrogates doesn't find time for these presumably crucial details, and the result feels just a little skin-deep. --Robert Horton

Stills from Surrogates (Click for larger image)



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Movie Disc Details
Disc Version:

Runtime:

88

DVD Region:

A, B, C

Disc Type:

BD

Aspect Ratio:

16:9

Video Format:

MPEG-4 AVC

Parental Control:

1

Video Signal:

PAL

Layers:

2

Subtitles:

English (United States)

French (France)

Spanish (Spain, Traditional Sort)

French (France)

Spanish (Spain, Traditional Sort)

English (United States)

French (France)

Spanish (Spain, Traditional Sort)

Sound Mix:

DTS-HD Master Audio

Dolby Digital

Dolby Digital

Dolby Digital

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