Set in present day, people have found a new way to live their lives to the fullest — with surrogate robots. The robots are a sexy, physically perfect mechanical representations of themselves. Basically you’re you, only hotter and better at everything that you do. With everyone safe in their homes, free of pain, fear and consequences, the world is a utopia, that is until the first murder occurs and FBI agent Greer (Willis) will have to leave his surrogate behind and risk his life to unravel the mystery.
As expected from a science fiction movie, Surrogates is a movie that simply defies logic. Surrogates are physically better than their human counterparts. They never feel pain, aged, they look better and they violate the laws of biology. What more can we ask for? These surrogates are surely the masterpieces of what technology has to offer us. Well, these surrogates do have something to offer to us, but can we fulfill certain trade-offs? These humanoids bred from advanced technology obviously comes with a hefty price tag. These surrogates may guarantee us safety, but will you be willing to spend cash just to let your surrogate enjoy a vacation at Hawaii? Yes, that sounded ridiculous, all I meant was there are things that can only be appreciated when we ourselves experience it. Another thing, invulnerable bodies? That would obviously mean crime rate will rise. And who said only innocent people can use surrogates? Those people with cruel intent can also use them at their own advantage. We may not be hurt, but our surrogates will be destroyed, properties will get damaged – and that will be very costly. Our bodies will also suffer consequences in the long run. Come to think of it, the human body is intended to make motions so that it may not weaken. Letting surrogates do activities while humans lay still could be the sole cause of our extinction.
And here comes another danger, a weapon that will shut down your surrogate and stress your brain that you will bleed to death. If the surrogates were made for human’s safety, why would the same company create a dangerous weapon that surpasses the safety measures of these surrogates? Stating that it was because of personal motives will be very shallow and thus created a loophole in the plot.
I could reason that having a duplicate you prevent you of any potential physical injuries. That the characters in the movie are scare and concern about their safety, but to trade it in for a false life –life only in the mind like living in a box? That’s just not a real life with the same kinds of experience. Life is sometimes unpredictable but that just makes it much more richer and more exciting to anticipate. Life is full of mysteries to be solved, to be created, to be enjoyed, to be experienced, and to be lived!
I am not in the position to state this but when it comes to graphics, the CGIs are a bit crappy. The scenes are too dark and the only scene I liked was when all those surrogates shut downed . I could say that scene was “well-choreographed” that it was very striking. Knowing that the movie was based on a long-running novel, two hours will not be enough to reveal background info and twists. The plot was straightforward but it could be enjoyable.
Overall, Surrogates is a good movie. It has given us wild concepts about technology that could be used when the right time comes. Hoping that we humans will use technology for the benefit of not only ourselves, but the planet as well.
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