Surrogates (2009)

Director:

Jonathan Mostow

Writers (WGA):

Michael Ferris (screenplay) &
John D. Brancato (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 September 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

How do you save humanity when the only thing that's real is you?

Plot:

Set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots, a cop (Willis) is forced to leave his home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders of others’ surrogates.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Robot | Futuristic | FBI Agent | FBI

Cast

Bruce Willis	...	Tom Greer
Radha Mitchell	...	Peters
Rosamund Pike	...	Maggie
Boris Kodjoe	...	Stone
James Francis Ginty	...	Canter Surrogate
James Cromwell	...	Older Canter
Ving Rhames	...	The Prophet
Jack Noseworthy	...	Strickland
Devin Ratray	...	Bobby
Michael Cudlitz	...	Colonel Brendon
Jeffrey De Serrano	...	Armando
Helena Mattsson	...	JJ
Michael Phillip	...	Uniformed Cop
Danny F Smith	...	Victim (as Danny Smith)
Brian A. Parrish	...	Hard Hat (as Brian Parrish)

Also Known As:

Vicarious (Philippines: English title) (review title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing images, language, sexuality and a drug-related scene.

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #45570) | Ireland:12A | UK:12A | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-13 | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba) | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Ontario) | Singapore:PG | Norway:11 | Australia:M | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | South Africa:13V | Hong Kong:IIA | Sweden:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Japan:G | Argentina:16 | Netherlands:12 | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

During the opening montage showing the development of the surrogates, there is a shot of an Asian man with an android twin. This is actually footage of Dr. Hiroshi Ishiguro of Osaka University and his creation - Geminoid, a prototype android double of himself.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Greer is talking with the colonel in charge of the surrogate soldier program, the colonel's right shoulder shows a Ranger qualification tab. This tab should actually be on his left shoulder.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Male Newscaster: Still no official word on when, or if, surrogate services can be restored. It appears, at least for now... that we are on our own.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Late Show with David Letterman: (#17.14)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Skin Trade

Bold Finish

When I first began watching the documentary-style introduction to Surrogates, I had to admit I was impressed because I'm a sucker for these openings (I loved District 9), but I was afraid I was in for another cool futuristic type movie like Minority Report or I, Robot. Admittedly, these were two great movies yet I feared this movie would bring nothing new to the table. We've already seen huge interactive ads, protests against machines, moral dilemmas, and conflicted leaders trying to make statements (James Cromwell plays almost the same character in both I, Robot and Surrogates!). What new things could the director of Terminator 3 show us? It turns out he could bring us what I, Robot failed to deliver as effectively: a good knockout resolution. In other words, this movie delivered a non-Hollywood type ending, similar in the vein of Watchmen (though that is thanks to the great Alan Moore). I always appreciate when a director is willing to go out and boldly create a vision (even if it is based on a graphic novel, some directors like Carter Smith still change the ending – as he did for The Ruins movie).

The film is the tale of a world where everyone's basically a couch potato. Technology is so amazing that we can create multiple robots of ourselves, in any form, and control them from the safety of our own homes! We're completely safe as long as we're plugged into the network and no one harms us as we operate the surrogate robot, or "surrey." But as usual, conflict arises and the characters are drawn into a world of corruption, rebellion, and sacrifices. The screenplay is full of twists and turns, all very smart and satisfying, though somewhat predictable. Doesn't really matter to me though; films like these are made for mindless action with parts that make you think. Or so I thought.

Mostow, a natural action director, handles the camera very well in action sequences. It's the usual Hollywood fare with great, fast-moving action and impressive special effects (though I keep thinking of Transformers 2 when I say that, so I probably won't mention CGI again). I also really liked how much he utilizes the element of surprise: there were many moments where I jumped back in shock, though there wasn't anything necessarily that scary. It's just the juxtaposition-ing of calm and BANG. It's clear Mostow is good with the action cam (nothing new in the era of Michael Bay), as he demonstrated in T3, but this time around I was impressed by how he directed the emotional scenes with Bruce Willis and his wife. He handled the feelings well. This in part has to do with Bruce Willis as an actor as well. He did a fine job with this movie, solid. There's also some good humor too, though I think I laughed too much. And it all led to the final punch.

These are all similar-sounding critiques for me. I tend to enjoy cinema for what it is: for pleasure. However, what was different was the ending. I was expecting the typical run-of-the-mill Hollywood ending, but it certainly wasn't (though there was a bit of a twist). I must admit I gasped a bit when I saw the end. I said, "Whoa." If a film, amidst good stuff, brings home something new (District 9, for example, was a seriously good commentary besides an action film), I'm impressed. I appreciate it very much: Mostow keeps the audience in mind. Sure, there were flaws (like its short running time, sometimes it takes itself too lightly) but overall it was a great viewing experience. I was enjoying it as I watched – as I usually do for movies – but the bold Watchmen-like finish really brought it home for me.

Oh, and Ving Rhames was pretty damn bad-ass.