I, Robot

In the wake of death of Jerry Goldsmith, film after film seems to be released which would have benefitted from his touch. I, Robot is one such flick. Loosely based on Isaac Asimov's books, it stars Will Smith as a robot hating cop in the near future who, because of his paranoia, has his suspicions ignored until things get out of hand. Directed by Alex Proyas, whose Dark City is one of my favourite sci-fi cinematic fables, it's an expertly crafted film with a sound internal logic which pushes along the plot, much in the way 'the system is never wrong' mantra made Spielberg's Minority Report so compelling. If it doesn't quite reach the level of Spielberg's film, then it's not far off and is further proof that Will Smith doesn't have to goofy, verging on annoying, in every film.
Having been somewhat disappointed with some of Beltrami's output, he seems to have attracted some new directorial admirers and better opportunities to display his abilities rather than turn in another retread of the Scream formula that made his name. While it's somewhat disappointing not to have Trevor Jones on I, Robot after the terrific work he did for Dark City, Beltrami's score is generally robust and engaging. Although the film contains a number of well staged action sequences, these aren't as all consuming as they can become in sci-fi and so the score isn't simply a thrill ride, but is has a fair share of quiet material. There isn't a great deal of warmth here and in that regard follows the tone of both Jerry Goldsmith in some of his sci-fi, but also the Williams in Minority Report and parts of AI.

The Main Titles aren't hugely exciting, but Gangs of Chicago breaks out the first dose of Beltrami's increasingly accomplished action writing with resonating brass that have a hint of Goldenthal about them, which is no bad thing. Perhaps the most exciting moments occur later in Tunnel Chase and the climactic showdown between man and machine, Spiderbots (perhaps a nod to Minority Report in the track title there) which introduces some Matrix style outbursts from the choir for the final sense of impending apocalypse. In between, Beltrami emphasizes steely strings and a cool veneer of menace, a perfect reflection of the blandly featureless design of the robots (and I mean that in the best possible sense). Sonny's Interrogation, leading directly into Spooner Spills are highlights of Beltrami's subtle and chilly underscore, but Dead Man Walking brings a little humanity to a surprisingly touching scene and is the highlight of the quieter material.

One pleasing aspect are the couple of moments of spectacle, notably Chicago 2035, which is disappointingly brief, but the extended Round Up is equally impressive and a fine climax. Its quality is likely the reason for shunting the uninspiring Theme track, also the End Credits, to third place on the album. Despite the number of high points, some of the quieter passages don't really go anywhere, although they are generally brief and most of the more extended tracks have something more interesting to say. Not perhaps as good as his recent Hellboy, I, Robot is still an occasionally impressive work and pleasingly restrained in its use of synthetic percussion. While I wouldn't necessarily want Beltrami to get stuck in another rut after his horror phase, there are worse genres to be typecast in than sci-fi, especially if they are of the more thoughtful type and he maintains this fine standard.