Bicentennial Man (1999)

Sadly Over-hyped

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

When I saw who made this movie I knew what to expect. Screenplay was adapted from novels by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg, which by itself guarantees good story. It's directed by Chris Columbus, director of Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire and first two Harry Potter movies. And in leading role we have Robin Williams, man capable of pulling out great performances even from the worst screenplays. This movie simply could not fail.Williams plays home android, who shows signs of creativity and emotions because of some strange malfunction. Movie follows its/his evolvent through several generations of family that bought him, him gradually becoming independent, his relations with people and fight to be recognized as a human being. Audience expect Robin Williams movies to be comedies and with such expectations you will be disappointed. Bicentennial Man is not a comedy, nor it is SF in the true sense of the word. This is drama about search for ones true self and it's place in the world. About essence of humanity being in mortal body or in personality and soul. There are no definite answers to life's greatest questions, but it's always worth looking at things from a new perspective. Perhaps the production is far behind it, but essentially this film stands side by side with Kubrick's and Spielberg's Artificial Intelligence.9/10

Overall, good film. Definitely recommend it. Especially if you're willing to watch a movie with the family. They have shown some good points that we can definitely learn from. But I'm afraid it's way too long. After watching halfway through, you'll definitely feel exhausted and bored. As at the end, the plot may become too overwhelming. Like they only made it longer just for the sake of having a longer film to produce.

Nice try, but since I am huge fan of Dr Asimov, I can't help but judge. The love story infused with the movie is understandable, yet brings down the phenomenal story to just a regular movie. Andrew was never portrayed as the true leader scientist he became and that he could defy the second law using pure logic. What really threw me off was the second to last sentence of the movie. This is an order, which is a complete disobedience of the First law of robotics. If you are improvising and adding extra extra stories please at least have the courtesy of following the ever first sentence of every Isaac Asimov's robotics book. "A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm."

It has to first be acknowledged that making a film from an epic spanning 200 years is quite difficult. Chris Columbus hits a home with Bicentennial Man, with a precise mixture of pacing, technical sophistication, and trueness to the original story. This is definitely one of Robin Williams' quieter performances, and though we don't see him for much of the first half of the film, his brilliance as a dramatic actor still shines through.I think what is missed by many is the way this film explores the idea of the soul, that we are something more than these crude vessels in which we temporarily reside. This story is about someone who was misplaced in a slightly different vehicle, who spent the majority of his lifetime trying to prove it. For those that knew him closely in the story, his sentience was without question, but like many who are treated as second- class citizens, he longed for a greater acceptance, a true equality.