Today’s quick review: Robots. Rodney (Ewan McGregor), a young robot, leaves his small-town home for Robot City to pursue his dream of becoming an inventor. But when he arrives, he discovers that Bigweld (Mel Brooks), his childhood hero, has been forced out of his company by Ratchet (Greg Kinnear), a sinister businessman. With the help of his eccentric new friend Fender (Robin Williams), Rodney sets out to restore Bigweld to his former glory.
Robots is a CGI animated family comedy set in a world populated entirely by robots. Robots features an impressive voice cast, a colorful art style, and a wacky sense of humor. The movie manages to be a charming adventure that makes the most of its fanciful setting. However, its simple plot and moderately successful humor keep it from joining the ranks of the family classics.
Robots does a few things well. The comedy is as an amusing blend of robot gags, slapstick, and Robin Williams voices, although none of the jokes are smash hits. The rollicking action sequences are surprisingly exciting, even if they lack a bit of impact. The soundtrack puts in a remarkable amount of work, driving the bouncy tone of the movie and synchronizing tightly with the events onscreen.
There are a few areas where Robots suffers. The story is a paint-by-the-numbers tale about following your dreams, workmanlike but unsurprising. The film’s zany robot designs won’t appeal to everyone. Robots also doesn’t put in the work needed for truly satisfying humor or emotional payoff. As such, the characters, writing, and jokes all feel shallow, missing that extra bit of effort needed to earn a reaction from the viewer.
Watch Robots if you are in the mood for something light and silly. Robots does not have the quality needed to truly impress, but its decent action and sense of fun make it an entertaining watch nonetheless. Skip it if you are looking for an enduring family film or genuine science fiction. For a kids’ movie of similar caliber, check out Astro Boy.
6.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for good amounts of fun tempered by a mediocre plot and a lack of knockout jokes.