Robin Williams’ Isaac Asimov Movie Has an Unfortunately Low Rotten Tomatoes Score

Chris Columbus’ 1999 film “Bicentennial Man” was an odd duck. It was a big-budget genre film in the blockbuster mold, using extensive makeup and special effects to transform Robin Williams into a long-lived android. But at the same time, it was presented as a comforting and heartbreaking prestige image. Its release in December implied that it was supposed to be a serious Oscar contender, a multi-genre supra-movie designed to make millions and win awards.

“Bicentennial Man,” however, did neither. On a budget of $100 million, he only made $80 million. It also hasn’t been well-loved by critics and currently only has a 37% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 98 reviews). The main criticism was that “Bicentennial Man” was mawkish and sentimental, turning an android’s otherwise profound journey toward humanity into a bland, fluffy ball of artificial Hollywood sweetness. The prolonged years of an increasingly emotional android should have been intellectually provocative, but Columbus aimed for the heart rather than the head.

This was particularly frustrating, given that “Bicentennial Man” was based on the 1976 novel of the same name. by Isaac Asimov and its 1992 fictionalized expansion “The Positronic Man” by Asimov and Robert Silverberg. These books are decidedly philosophical, discussing the inner consciousness of an artificial life form and how a robot can evolve over time. Asimov was not a sentimentalist and Colubus’ film certainly did not capture the spirit of his work. It certainly didn’t help Robin Williams was cast as the android protagonist. He is far too expressive and funny to play an expressionless machine. One might admire Columbus for attempting to turn an Asimov book into a blockbuster/Oscar-bait combo, but it’s hard to admire the actual results.

“Bicentennial Man” begins in the near future, in 2005, where a wealthy family – the Martins – have just purchased a brand new robot butler. The family is overseen by a patriarch whom the android calls Sir (Sam Neill), and the android takes a liking to his youngest daughter, whom he calls Little Miss. Little Miss is played by Hallie Eisenberg as a child and Embeth Davidtz as an adult. Because this film will take place over a two-century timeline, Davitz also plays Little Miss’ adult granddaughter, Portia. As Andrew serves the Martin family, he observes them and begins to imitate their human behavior. He begins to show signs of sympathy and develops an interest in humor.

Over time, Andrew begins to realize that he wants to appear more human. He visits robotics experts and asks them to be able to become more expressive. At first he was given a rubberized face. In 2048, Andrew is informed that he is a sentient being and is no longer the property of the Martin family. By 2088, technology had advanced enough to give him realistic skin and hair. At this point, he looks exactly like Robin Williams. In a fun idea, Andrew wanted to look 80 years old, but a thoughtful engineer played by Oliver Platt convinced him to look younger.

The film ends in 2205, after Andrew gets married and receives a mortality chip that allows him to age until death. He will marry a human woman and have his rights recognized by the governments of the world.

Yes, this is all as tricky as it sounds. Every family death is discussed like in a Hallmark movie.

The tragedy of Andrew’s life is that he has lived so long that he is destined to see his family and all his friends die. He craves the privilege of mortality. This kind of thinking, however, is short-sighted. If you can truly live for millennia (as Andrew could, given advances in robotics), then his life will become nothing more than a cycle of families, new beginnings, discoveries, and excitement. Mortality would become a long-term cycle for him. For those who avoid ideas of immortality, consider a longer timeline.

Critics, as mentioned, didn’t like “Bicentennial Man” at all. Roger Ebert gave the film two stars, writing that the film “could have been a smart, thought-provoking science fiction film, but it’s too timid, too eager to please. It wants us to like Andrew, but it’s difficult on a human deathbed to identify with the aluminum mourner.” BBC’s Ben Falk was even harsher, giving the film one star and saying it didn’t even succeed on a sentimental level. “The fundamental problem,” he writes, “is that [the film] absolutely fails to define its objectives and respect them. Is this a comedy? No, because it’s not funny. Or is it about everyone’s need for love, as Andrew gradually begins to fall for Portia? Or is it a confrontation between artificial intelligence and natural intelligence and humanity’s fear of the unknown? » If a film doesn’t have a thesis, it will be unsatisfying on some level.

“Bicentennial Man” was at least nominated for an Oscar for its composition (which is, to be honest, pretty amazing). However, he lost to Mike Leigh’s operetta biopic “Topsy-Turvy.” If one is looking for something to watch this weekend, it would be best to watch “Topsy-Turvy”. This film is magnificent.