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Robots (2005)

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246 comments in total

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92 out of 137 people found the following comment useful :-
Superb! Classic Robin Williams!, 13 March 2005
Author: FrancesTheWHORE from Reno, Nevada

Sure, this is mostly a kids movie but as you have probably read many times, there is enough humor aimed at the adults to keep them entertained while with the kids. This is definitely good for all ages.

Ewan McGregor stars as Rodney Copperbottom but it is clearly Robin Williams who steals the movie as Fender. He clearly overshadows McGregor, Halle Berry, Amanda Bynes, Mel Brooks, Greg Kinnear and all others involved. Of course, this is really about the animation. Everything about Robots is rendered exquisitely. The time and effort that must have went into making this movie is astonishing.

I have read a few comments and reviews concerning Williams being annoying but that is absolutely 100% UNTRUE! I thoroughly enjoyed William's performance, which is saying something considering it is only his voice. Robot's marketing of William's character was not misleading. It is exactly as seen in the trailers. If you thought it was annoying, then why see it? Some people need to smarten up I suppose.

Don't believe the haters here. Most only want to go against the grain. If you did not enjoy Williams' performance in the trailer, then please don't be disappointed when you see the same thing in the movie. I can honestly say that this is a great movie-going experience for everybody.

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87 out of 128 people found the following comment useful :-
Great animated film, adults will enjoy this one, 5 March 2005
Author: robbarks from bergen county NJ

I attended an advance screening for this film with my daughter and her friend (both 3). They enjoyed it, but I think older kids will be much more into it. There was also a lot of humor that will be appreciated by adults. I have seen all the computer animated films of recent years(Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Nemo, etc.) and I feel this one ranks up there with the best. This movie is visually stunning. The robot world created for this movie is unbelievable. There are some pinball like sequences that I found fascinating (Rube Goldbergesque for the older folks). This movie is quite funny. I am usually not a big Robin Williams fan, I find that he can be too in your face and distracting. That really was not the case in this film. The plot of Robots was good, but I did not walk out of the theater talking about the story lines. It was all about the visuals.

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45 out of 66 people found the following comment useful :-
Technically Amazing, laugh-out-loud funny in other parts, 11 March 2005

Author: Bartmon from Canada

Robots is probably the most technically amazing computer-animated movie I've ever seen. When you stack it up against a movie like the original Toy Story, it's astounding how far they've come in about 10 years. There is a scene were a drum of tiny ballbearings falls over, and each ballbearing is rendered perfectly. Amazing.

The voice acting in Robots is just fine, with the ensemble cast providing a nice mix of auditory delights(although I saw Jim Broadbent's (the dad in Bridget Jones') name in the credits and was unable to identify him in the movie. Greg Kinnear did a fine job and Ewan MacGregor was also decent. The biggest question mark was Robin Williams. Before the movie I found myself wondering how he could top the 'Genie' performance in Aladdin. The answer is he doesn't, but his character is responsible for a few VERY funny bits and I think he pulled it off well.

Now humor in the movie... It was clear to me that at least 80% of the adults in the audience weren't getting many of the references. If you are old enough/smart enough to catch these, they are hilarious. My favorite being when Rodney is repairing Bigweld's head and Bigweld is singing 'Daisy' very slowly. Priceless.

All in all a great movie, and I also suspect this movie will improve with subsequent viewings. Where a Shark's Tale just becomes tiresome after one viewing, I am looking forward to viewing this movie again.

Lastly, my 6 year-old son LOVED the movie. We saw it in IMAX and it completely blew him away.

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40 out of 60 people found the following comment useful :-
Not a lot of feeling, 5 April 2005

Author: donricodelavega from Canada

I'm an animator and I can appreciate the work that went into this film. Its visually interesting, but at the same time cluttered. So from a technical stand point it had its pros. Overall the story was mildly interesting. It started out really slow and I wasn't sure whether I would be able to get through the whole movie. But it did pick up a little bit as the movie went on. Now for the major negative points.

- There are too many characters. The supporting cast is numerous and uninteresting. It comes off as if the art department designed a bunch of robots first then decided they didn't want to give up any of the designs.

- The characters personalities are kind of flat. Even the main characters don't really invoke an emotional connection. The secondary characters are just robots that happen to talk once and a while.

- I don't know what is with the trend to put in popular music into animated pictures but it just seems so off when you are watching in. When the story is progressing and then a bunch of characters break out into a dance routine set to a Britney Spears song its like someone suddenly turned on another TV in the room. And this kind of thing happens numerous times. Its even noticeable in the fight sequences and some others which appear to be designed to show funky and interesting animation rather than advance or even fit into the story.

Bottom line, Blue Sky Studios did a much better job on Ice Age. Just like PDI did a much better job on Shrek compared to Shark's Tale (Which was garbage). They just need to get some people involved who can trim the fat of the story and keep people who think they are directing a music video out of the editing room.

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25 out of 32 people found the following comment useful :-
Tons Of Gags & A Good Message, 25 January 2006

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

Animated movies are usually pretty good but nothing that great to me. However, this one is a "keeper." It gets high marks for all the jokes in here, lots of which are adult-style but not sleazy or filled with sexual innuendos, although there are a few of those, enough to make this PG, not G. However, the vast amount of clever lines is the main attraction here.

Actually, the jokes come so hard and fast, it's hard to keep up with all of them. The visuals aren't gorgeous, as many modern-day animated films have become, but they are interesting. Not only is there a ton of gags to hear, but there are to see, too. You almost have to stop it frame-by-frame to see all the funny stuff penciled in the artwork.

The story couldn't be simpler but it manages you keep your attention and doesn't overstay it's welcome, although I think animated films are more effective it they don't go over 80 minutes. This one is closer to 90.

There is a good message in here, too. Maybe I'm mistaken but what I heard was the idea that just because people might be old, decaying and not as productive for society, it doesn't mean you have to discard them. Life has value and is precious from conception to dying of old age. Amen to that!

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52 out of 88 people found the following comment useful :-
Stupendous visuals only barely make up for a forgettable story and characters, 14 March 2005

Author: zetes from Saint Paul, MN

The first 2005 film I've seen, and, really, it's the only one released so far this year that I have had even the littlest desire to see at the theater. It was worth seeing, but it's forgettable. The visuals are absolutely eye-popping. The film's best sequence is a Rube Goldberg-esque public transportation system across town. I think if that had gone on for 90 minutes, we would have had some kind of masterpiece on our hands. Instead, we get a dull story of a group of nearly outmoded robots rebelling against an evil company that is no longer building spare parts. The head of that company used to be all for the common folk, but he's disappeared and left a despot in his place. The underground area, where they melt scrap, is really cool, and reminded me of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Madame Gasket, who rules this part of the city, was the most interestingly designed character. Robin Williams is very annoying, but, to his credit, he is playing a character here, not just himself. I wasn't thinking "Man, is Robin Williams annoying," but rather, "Man, that character Robin Williams is playing is annoying." I doubt that could be taken as much of a compliment, though. All of the other main characters are especially forgettable, especially Halle Berry's character, who is supposedly the female lead. I think most of the audiences wanted the protagonist to end up with the second female lead, who is a tad more interesting. And I think the filmmakers realized this, too, because the hero only barely ends up with Berry at the end. The movie is also in need of laughs. I chuckled a bit, but that was all. The funniest moment is the robot who does the robot dance. As much as I can complain, though, I would still highly recommend (renting) it for the visuals alone.

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48 out of 82 people found the following comment useful :-
Was there a story here?, 14 March 2005
Author: cedric_owl from New York, NY

I left this film feeling high. Not because I literally ingested anything before arriving at the theatre, but because the movie provided that familiar feeling of one's brain being reduced to a muddled receptor for bright colors and funny noises.

So about the story: boy robot leaves his home for the big-city, must defeat evil robot trying to control the robot world. During this epic quest he encounters a series of Disney-ish archetypes, including: wacky robot sidekick (voiced by Robin Williams, natch), bland robot love interest (Halle Berry, spending all of maybe three hours in the recording studio), and a spunky tomboy robot (voiced by some unmemorable tween star).

The storyline, such as it is, could probably fill a single half-hour slot on Nickelodeon. There are a few funny bits of dialogue (provided by off-Broadway scribe David Lindsay Abaire), but mostly the script is just the filler before the next elaborate visual sequence dreamed up by the animators.

And don't get me wrong: those visual sequences are pretty cool. I can't quite decide which is more impressive: the hyperkinetic ride through the immaculately detailed robot city or a complicated sequence involving thousands of dominoes. The art department clearly put a mind-boggling amount of effort into creating a fully realized world.

But that, unfortunately, is all there is. An awesomely rendered environment with nothing in the foreground. Many of the characters, particularly the protagonist, feel like little more than rough outlines. The relationships between characters feel like tacked-on afterthoughts. This is compounded by the most lackluster and non-distinctive voice work I've ever heard from major movie stars (Ewan McGregor and Halle Berry sound so bored, I would have preferred they hire interns from the accounting department).

I recommend this film slightly, simply because of the stunning visuals. But otherwise, with the success of truly subversive CGI films like The Incredibles and Shrek, Robots just doesn't cut it.

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30 out of 52 people found the following comment useful :-
Incredibly Clever. Robin Williams Is Truly Gifted., 13 March 2005
Author: BigHardcoreRed from Calimesa, California

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

From the previews, I expected this to be just another animated movie to cash in on the success of other computer animated movies like Shrek, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., etc. In a way, I guess it is, but it is MUCH better than I would have thought from just the previews. This is a good example of a film that did not give away most of the best parts in a short trailer.

Robots is a pretty simple story about a young, naive robot named Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor) who ventures into the big "Robot City" to find success as an inventor and make a better life for himself and his parents. He seeks out his hero, Mr. Bigweld (Mel Brooks), who promises to personally check out each invention. Rodney finds that Bigweld is nowhere to be found and the company has been taken over by the evil robot, Ratchet (Greg Kinnear). Rodney and a crew of misfit robots, led by Fender (Robin Williams), who he met when first arriving in Robot City, take it upon themselves to figure out the mystery of Bigweld's disappearance and to expose the evil Ratchet to the public.

Again, the story is simple, if anything, so the kids can enjoy it but as you hear quite a bit with this new breed of animation movies, there is enough humor for the average adult to enjoy as well. However, like Finding Nemo, the real treat with this movie is the animation itself. The beautiful sceneries and the slick new robots are awesome and pretty original. Even the old, rusty robots are nice to look at. Also, as most probably expected or have probably even read already, Robin Williams takes this movie up a notch. That man is incredibly gifted when it comes to entertaining. This movie is surprisingly good. 9/10

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62 out of 116 people found the following comment useful :-
Robot City: Impressive to look at... not so much to live in..., 13 March 2005

Author: misterembryo from United States

"Robots" is the latest computer animated feature film from the creators of Ice Age. Like many films of the same genre, "Robots" offers a new artistic style and a large cast of voice talents, all of which would make pretty entertaining guests on any episode of Saturday Night Live... However "Robots" is more of a sight to see than a movie-going experience to fully enjoy.

Rodney (Ewen McGregor, Big Fish)is a robot born (or built rather) to become an inventor. Just like his idol Big Weld (Mel Brooks) encourages, Rodney believes anyone can shine no matter what you're made of. This credo is put to the ultimate test when Rodney leaves home to Robot City in hopes to get employed in Big Weld's big corporation as an inventor. Rodney learns the hard way how tough Robot City can be for the average robot... especially under new management where management entails getting rid of outdated robots and reducing them to scrap metal. With the help of a rusty robot crew including Robin Williams and Amanda Bynes, Rodney will go on an adventure to turn Robot City into the dream he's always imagined it to be.

As you can tell, "Robots" is a movie with heart, what do you expect for a movie targeted for a family audience. It also had some funny moments, and, as expected, were mostly contributed to Robin's robot character. There were also little details that achieved good laughs... Robot City wouldn't be complete without a robot doing the robot. Again the art in "Robots" also deserves credit using darker color schemes which allowed for a better feel for the robot world. The design of the city was also impressive: intricate modes of transportation, the ability to carry a conversation with a traffic light, and a walking mailbox that knows you by name...

However its kind of like a new President addressing the United States... he may look nice, brand new suit with hair combed nicely, and he may have a good message. But the message is only as good as its delivery. This is probably a bad analogy, but if "Robots" and "Monsters, Inc" ran for president it would be a landslide victory for the Pixar party.

I compare the two movies with good reason. Both movies offer completely new worlds: a robot world and a monster world. Both movies feature major cities that rely its existence heavily on the production of a major corporation, Big Weld for Robot City and Monsters, Inc. for Monstropolis. There's just one major difference: Monstropolis makes sense and Robot City doesn't.

You might wonder why should it make sense, it's fake? Any Joe Schmoe from the street tripping on acid can make a movie about some make-believe world, but its an even heavier task to make a world where things not only make sense, but are also necessary for the world to be plausible. Monstropolis works: both the city itself as well as the things that went on in the made up city. With Robot City there are too many questions: Why?! How?! What the hell was that for?! Who?! I refer my Who question to Halle Berry's character who is top-billed and forced to be integral to the plot, yet only has about 4-5 lines throughout the whole movie.

I give it a 4 out of 10 because I'm midway with this movie. It looked cool but it wasn't. Like a beautiful girl with no personality. It can be really funny, but other times it tries a bit hard. What Robots lacked was ironically originality. Even Robin Williams' character was a bit reminiscent of the Genie from Aladdin without the comedic usefulness of shapeshifting. It was a good attempt, but ultimately "Robots" is sadly recycled scrap metal.

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21 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
Top Notch Animation! Better Than Expected!, 13 March 2005
Author: BraveHawk from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Robots is a beautifully computer animated movie about... Robots. Basically, the main robot in the story, Rodney (voiced by Ewan McGregor), decides to go to the big city to meet up with his childhood hero, Bigweld (voiced by Mel Brooks), and to get his invention out to the other robots. His invention is basically another robot but this is pretty much a fairy tale anyways, right? Rodney runs into Fender (voiced by Robin Williams) upon his arrival in the big Robot City when Fender tries to take advantage of Rodney and soon after, tries to steal his foot! I guess that is the robot equivalent of stealing shoes by the thieves here in the real world. Little things like that made the movie a unique experience. You can tell that a lot of thought went into the little parts, like the "making the baby" scene at the beginning. I thought that was ingenious, especially for a kids movie and still keeping it clean. The best looking robots were the sharp looking corporate robots. Ratchet (voiced by Greg Kinnear) was the main villain here and Cappy (voiced by Halle Berry) was the female corporate robot on the side of good, eventually helping Rodney in his quest.

If I had any real complaints (which I don't, I'm really just nitpicking), the storyline could have been a tad deeper and for whatever they paid Halle Berry, it was not worth it. Her voice was not distinctive enough and if her name was not all over it, nobody would have noticed. Same with McGregor, too, I guess. They could have found voice actors for far less, but for these movies, money is obviously no object. I highly recommend if you liked the animation of Shrek or Ice Age. I give 9.5 stars of the available 10.

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