FAQ for
I, Robot (2004) More at IMDbPro »

The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.

For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for I, Robot can be found here.

Sort of. This movie is based on the robot stories of Isaac Asimov [1920-1992]. It borrows several characters (notably Dr Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell) and Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan), plot points and concepts, the most important of them being the Three Laws of Robotics, but it doesn't directly follow any of Asimov's novels or short stories, and the main character, Del Spooner (Will Smith), was created specifically for this movie and isn't an Asimov character.

There's indeed a book called I, Robot, but it isn't a novel. It's a compilation of short stories by Asimov that originally appeared in old science fiction magazines like Astounding Science Fiction. The short stories are woven together as anecdotes told by Susan Calvin to the narrator, a reporter who wants to write a series of articles about the history of robotics. Apart from the title, Susan Calvin, and the robots, it is not directly related to the film.

The Three Laws of Robotics as written by Asimov are: 1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; 2) A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law; and 3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. In later stories, Asimov proposed a "Zeroth" law which was as follows: A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm. A condition stating that the Zeroth Law must not be broken was added to the original three laws. The Zeroth Law isn't featured in the movie by name, but it is crucial to the plot. VIKI has derived the law for herself and decided to implement it, regardless of humanity's wishes or consent.

There is no real answer. Perhaps he tries not to use his biomechanical arm in an attempt to show his dislike of the concept of robots.

Viewers have suggested several possibilities: (1) there was an automatic feeder, (2) there was a doggy/cat door that allowed the cat to come and go to find his own food and do his duty, and (3) being the future, there was a robot who made sure that the cat was fed and his litter box cleaned.

Spooner and Calvin infilitrate the USR building. After a fight with robots, Spooner travels down 30 stories to VIKI (Fiona Hogan)'s brain and injects her with the nanobytes that would have been used to kill Sonny (Alan Tudyk). This causes all the Robots to stop rebelling. The NS-5s are recalled, and Sonny travels to the Michigan Lake Landfill to liberate the robots stored there, becoming the man he sees in his dream.