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Surrogates Movie Poster
Surrogates

A movie released September 25, 2009

< read all 14 reviews

Fascinating concept crippled by a pedestrian plot

  • Dec 29, 2009
  • by
Rating:
+1
Jonathan Mostow has the ability to emotionally and structural sabotage any script, no matter how good the concept. JM chopped the Terminator franchise off at the knees with T3 to the point where even the Terminator 90210 TV show ignored the film completely. Now he's been presented with yet another high-concept premise and has a Michael Bay-like drive to totally f--- it up in a way so vicious that a sequel is as unlikely as someone not mistaking Bruce Willis' toupe for a Zhu Zhu hamster. Mostow should be banned from going near any other scripts or ideas - he's the sort of guy who could film The Bible and cause an exodus from the religion.

That being said, the concept is strong here - people controlling robots to represent themselves in the real world in an Avatar kind-of-way, and there are some interesting flaws and side-effects that could have been the foundation of a really excellent sci-fi franchise. Instead we're presented with mindless and pointless action sequences that rob the audience of the promised emotional engagement. And much like T3, even the expensive CGI and visuals lack impact - though they effectively sell the Surrogate concept. At some point this script will be remade into an excellent version 2.0 - hold out for that one. In the meantime, lobby Congress to get Mostow handcuffed  - if he ever gets to work with Ben Affleck, it could spell the end of the entire film industry.

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January 30, 2010
But how do you REALLY feel about the guy? lol. I saw the thrid TERMINATOR flick and I don't even remember it. I guess that's probably all for the better. I know I won't be seeing this one though. No one seems to have been really crazy about it but you've given it what it undoubtedly deserves if T3 is any indication.
January 31, 2010
Lol, I feel the same way about Mostow as I do about Lucas for messing up my childhood!
January 31, 2010
You have a think against Lucas?
January 31, 2010
Lucas defined my childhood and then the Star Wars remakes were trampled my memories with CGI abortions like Jar Jar Binks... oh for the old Jabba the Hut puppet before he got replaced!
January 31, 2010
Oh, that makes sense. Some one bought up the rights to a funny amature film made in the 70s by Ernie Fosselius called HARDWAR WARS that was a take off on STAR WARS. It was made to looke as amaturish as possible, that was part of the joke. The ships were waffle irons and toasters etc, thus the title of the films. Well whoever bought the rights went and added all this sleek CGI crap to it! I don't know if that was a slap at Lucas or not but it sure ruined the dvd of HARDWARE WARS!
 
December 30, 2009
I totally didn't realize the guy behind this did Terminator 3. That's quite unusual, but now I'm not surprised. Wasn't too impressed with either one, really. This was a nice write up. Humorous too. Let's hope he doesn't get to team up with Ben Affleck!
 
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More Surrogates reviews
review by . October 01, 2009
 Last night, I saw "Surrogates," starring Bruce Willis.  If you haven't heard of the movie, it's about a world where everyone uses perfect-looking robots to live the life that they can't live.  It's something that touches on the current advancement of this type of technology that keeps evolving. The movie idea was great, but trying to tie all the loose ends, made you wish that they had more time to do this.       One of the things that they really …
review by . September 26, 2009
posted in Movie Hype
Teaser poster
      Remember many years ago when people didn’t have the use of cell phones and now it seems like we can’t get by without having one? Well, the comic book adapted sci-fi action thriller “SURROGATES” does take a little stab at that idea; but in this case, it is the use of artificial beings engineered to make our lives easier. Directed by Jonathan Mostow (U-571), the film based on a screenplay by Michael Ferris and John Broncato, the film feels a little …
review by . August 13, 2010
posted in Movie Hype
The film "Surrogates" when first released in the cinema escaped my attention, and I only really watched it by both coincidence and my own laziness. Picture the scene, you have the movie channel on, it's late, you're tired and you can't find the remote. Rather than getting up to look for it I thought to myself "f*** it, I'll just watch what's on next"; what was on next was Surrogates. Suddenly very vague memories of the times seeing the trailer and thinking …
review by . September 29, 2009
posted in Movie Hype
Does anyone remember when AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, MMORPGs first came around and all that jazz?  And people loved jumping on Internet Forums and creating a persona for themselves or a profile?  People do these things for many reasons, but the biggest of them all seems to be to partake in escapist enjoyment.  Some people do it for the soul purpose that their life just sucks.  Happens all the time.  Surrogates isn't the first film to tackle this sort of …
review by . April 05, 2010
posted in MovieSucktastic
Surrogates falls into that category of films that end up being much better than anticipated. Films that do not screen themselves for critics ahead of the release date are usually predestined clunkers, as not wanting a write-up in the Friday papers is a red flag that the distributors are almost certain that the weekend box-office is the only shot they have of recouping costs before word of mouth kills the film. Expecting the worst, Surrogates manages to surprise with a decent story and great …
review by . October 06, 2009
 Surrogates plays like a substitute for a crime thriller. To all outward appearances it is a science-fiction whodunit, but upon closer examination, the characters and plot are underwritten and obvious, and the entire production hinges solely on the not-inconsiderable charisma of Bruce Willis. In the future, people will be able to plug in and experience life through robotic surrogates that venture out into the real world and interact with other mechanical doppelgangers. Some people rarely, …
review by . December 30, 2009
A good idea and ingenious plot gone to waste by poor production values...
I've seen movies like this before. Many times before The Matrix, I Robot, Minority Report, The Terminator. The list goes on, while this film lacks originality in the main focal point of the plot it does give a very nice and enjoyable spin on an old tale.               Surrogates is a highly entertaining but ultimately flawed movie due to it's reliance on formula. But it's idea is solid and it's execution is very thought out. So why is it that this …
review by . October 13, 2009
Surrogates, Ving Rhames
If nothing else, Surrogates has proven that, toupe or sans-toupe, I'm still a Bruce Willis fan. While the premise of Surrogates certainly intrigued me, in the end it was knowing that Bruce and Ving were being reunited for the first time since Pulp Fiction that brought me into the theaters for this one. The good news is that Surrogates is good. Not great, but that's okay.      It's the first half hour of the movie that was the biggest hurdle for me. The son of the inventor …
Quick Tip by . August 16, 2010
Idea was good, kind of Phillip K. Dick-esque story, but the execution, especially the ending made it feel pretty lame. Also a waste of great talent, really awesome cast.
Quick Tip by . July 12, 2010
posted in Movie Hype
I liked this movie i heard a lot of negative about this i thought it was good
see all Surrogates reviews (14)
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James Beswick ()
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About this movie

Wiki

Surrogates revolves around the mysterious murder of a college student linked to the man who helped create a high-tech surrogate phenomenon that allows people to purchase unflawed robotic versions of themselves, being fit and good looking remotely controlled machines that ultimately assume their life roles, enabling people to experience life vicariously from the comfort and safety of their own homes.
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Tags

Movies, Action Movies, Action, Science Fiction Movies, Film, Science Fiction, Scifi, The Forbidden Planet
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Details

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Adventure, Fantasy
Release Date: September 25, 2009
MPAA Rating: Unrated

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"2 ½ Stars: "Surrogate" Required to Watch This Lackluster Sci-fi Action Movie"
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