It\'s not a cliffhanger ending, merely an open one; Sonny is out in the world and has to make his own way - just like humans, once they mature enough to let go of the apron strings.
I, Robot is a damn good movie. The only major flaw with it is that it takes what Isaac Asimov intended with the original book and then does the exact opposite. Asimov was tired of the robot uprising plot being ubiquitous in sci-fi so he set out to write an anthology that tells pretty much every story concerning robots he could think of except the robot uprising.
A popular urban legend. The original I, Robot was a collection of short stories, not a novel, many of them are originally unrelated. And he wasn’t that opposed to the idea of a “robot uprising“ story because he went on to write one using his own three laws.
He did say he was trying to demystify robots, and treat them as machines rather than some \"other\" to humanity. I guess that today, when everyone uses a computer even if not a robot in that sense, there isn\'t that need. It\'s true that he went on to write at least one robot uprising (or rather the prelude to one) and one other that can be taken as one, as well as a Pinocchio story, which go against robots-as-machines, but they were the exception.
My biggest problem with this film is that the AI-takes-over-as-benevolent-dictator angle is far too predictable, and I think it wasn\'t such a cliché in Asimov\'s day. Also Susan Calvin is too young and attractive. Otherwise it\'s an intelligent film, but the connection to the book is tenuous.
Stories don't tell us monsters exist; we knew that already. They show us that monsters can be trademarked and milked for years.
I would further argue that they are characters rather than machines and basically all of his robot detective stories.
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My favourite Will Smith movie
Two years ago, I had to write an essay about a comparison of two science fiction movies. One was "Dark City" and the other "I, Robot". I liked both movies, but I much preferred "I, Robot" of the two. In fact, I liked it so much that I kept watching it even after I finished the essay.
My favourite thing about the movie is easily the lead character. Del Spooner is warm-hearted, humorously snarky and very easy to relate to. His hatred of humanity's laziness and hyper-exploitation of technology and robotics is easy to agree with, but what I like about him especially is how he doesn't hate all technology, he just wishes humans could be less dependent on it and do more with their lives. And being a cynical guy myself, it's always funny to hear him complain about this. Some of he best parts of the movie are when he's badmouthing robots: "So robots building robots? Now that's just stupid!"
So, the lead character's great, but what about the rest of the movie? It's also great. The story is clever, multi-layered, engaging, fascinating and is never afraid to be comical. And when isn't being silly or comedic, it's brilliantly gripping and dramatic, with strong thrills and intense scenes of action. It even includes a pretty dark and haunting back-story for Spooner involving the disturbing death of an innocent child that reveals why he vehemently detests robots to such a degree.
As well as including likable characters like Spooner, Calvin and the sweet-natured, self-aware robot Sonny, I, Robot also has plenty of strong special effects, sets and impressively detailed skyline shots. And thankfully, the eye candy doesn't distract from the movie, it instead substantially enhances it. In fact, the special effects are so interesting at times that they make you think. What if the world really will be this intricately mechanical and technological in the future? It could actually happen - considering just how hugely complex technology already is now in 2015.
My only problem with the movie is the cliffhanger ending. I'm not really sure what it's meant to imply. But apart from a couple of less interesting scenes, I can't make any other nitpicks. With a top-notch performance from Will Smith and the supporting cast, brilliant effects, loads of memorable scenes, an intriguing story and plenty of humour to balance it out, "I, Robot" is a winner.