Surrogates, starring Bruce Willis, is essentially a new take on an old story: The destruction of mankind by his own creation, the machines. We've seen it done in movies like Terminator, and television shows such as 'Battlestar Galactica,' and though it's a theme that has captured the minds of people everywhere, it has honestly been preformed to death. Jonathan Mostow's film offers an original glimpse into the future that differs just enough from the old formula to make this sci-fi thriller worth seeing, though not by more than a hair.
The film is set sometime in the future at a point when advancements in technology allow for humans to experience life through the eyes of idealized, robot bodies; or surrogates. Most humans, afraid of disease and death or wanting to experience the world in ways that their human bodies won't allow, stay home, hooked up to machines that are directly linked to a surrogate robot, which is controlled by their mental thoughts - think Second Life but better. Bruce Willis plays the role of FBI Agent Greer who has been assigned to investigate the first murdered surrogate that has resulted in the death of its human user.
The overarching conflict of the film revolves around a dispute between surrogate users and the human, extremist minority. The extremists believe that life is not meant to be experienced through a machine, and therefore believe they have a key point to note with the recent murder. Amidst his investigation, Willis' character uncovers a plot to destroy surrogacy and their users (at this point in the future, this would eliminate a large portion of the human population; I'm talking billions). The storyline can be a bit confusing at some points; in a world of surrogates, where everyone is not necessarily who they seem to be, you can't always believe what all is put before your eyes. However, everything makes sense in the end and the confusion makes for a much more thrilling experience than would result otherwise.
Surrogates touches on several themes, many of which mirror real-life issues faced by Internet users today. The film covers everything from identity fraud to user-addiction, typically exaggerating the issue for mood or comic-relief purposes. (Imagine if the hot, super model surrogate you were making out with at the club was actually being operated by a grossly obese guy in his mid-forties). For a while, I was worried that the film was going to get all "preachy" on me; thankfully, these themes serve no purpose other than assisting in establishing a more realistic, future world. The storyline does not delve too deeply into any one of these 'minor' topics, preferring to stick to its action core, which makes for a much better experience.
I do have to mention that the person in charge of designing/editing the appearance of the surrogates in the film did a phenomenal job! The surrogates look and move just like humans do, but with a plastic-like quality matched with a superhuman, cosmetic attractiveness that makes them clearly distinctive from any actual "real-life" human.
In my opinion, Surrogates performs slightly above par; especially considering its genre. Sci-fi geeks and movie buffs will get a kick out of the fast-paced, futuristic setting and action sequences; while romantics' hearts will flutter at the minor love story between Agent Greet and his recently estranged wife. Parents looking to warn their children about the dangers of chat rooms and Myspace will find the movie a great caution tale; though a one-on-one conversation will probably still be needed. My point is, this movie it fun for everyone; go and see it!
