Surrogates (2009)
Director: Jonathan Mostow
Writer: Michael Ferris, John D. Brancato
Starring: Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe, James Cromwell, Ving Rhames
Language: English
Runtime: 85 Minutes approx.
Age Rating: 12A
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Thriller, Mystery
Reviewed by Ross Miller
Surrogates presents a world where humans are no longer humans, not in the sense that they go outside to carry out the daily tasks necessary to their lives. It presents a world where humans live through surrogate versions of themselves, who look similar but are considered "better" in every way (attractiveness, durability etc), all the while the real versions are locked away in their homes, lying on what looks like a tech version of a dentist's chair, using their minds to control their "other selves."
So it's maybe a bit ironic, then, that the feeling of artificiality that the film's world presents mimics the feeling we get as a viewer. There's no real sense of danger or feeling towards anything or anyone - the technology is alien to us so it doesn't allow us to truly feel for what's going on.
That may have been different had the themes and ideas at the centre of Surrogates been put across with more resonance. The film is a kind of mash-up of I, Robot, Eagle Eye, and James Cameron's upcoming Avatar (so far as the idea of living through another body goes). It presents the obvious (often too obvious) themes of the meaning of life, what it means to be human, how technology in this day and age is overrunning our life and maybe, just maybe, the extreme places that technology could take us in the future.
They're all valid points, but they're not very well handled at all, and it ends up feeling rather trite, as well as wholly redundant. It's a shame, too, as there are some genuinely effective moments to be found here. The special effects are impressive, in moments such as when someone is removing the face of a surrogate to improve the features, or when Bruce Willis's surrogate is running and jumping around the place with no right arm.
But even the special effects come sadly attached to something else detrimental to the film — the action sequences. There's nothing particularly bad about them, but disappointingly nothing very good about them either. They're the same chase, fight, and shoot-out action sequences we've seen in a million and one other previous sci-fi/action films. Much like the ones in director Jonathan Mostow's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, the action scenes should keep you entertained if all you're looking for is fast cars, bullet spraying, and nothing else. But anyone looking for a bit more in their action will be left with their appetite unsatisfied.
Willis is fine in his role, although it's one that he could pull off in his sleep. Think John McClane dropped into a Philip K. Dick novel. Much like the case of Willis's Pulp Fiction co-star, Samuel L. Jackson, one wonders how much longer he can pull off this kind of a role. He's no spring chicken, and soon he may have to choose more dramatic roles that don't call for so much running around. Nonetheless he's almost always a hero we can root for in every way and we do here (his distracting "Ken doll" surrogate hairstyle not withstanding).
Something that's more discouraging than the general lack of freshness in its action sequences (one of the major aspects that the film is sold on) is the fact that it takes such a neat premise and chooses to focus all its time on what is essentially a whodunit murder plot that wouldn't be unwelcome in an episode of CSI. Willis plays a cop who has to leave the confines of his home to investigate the mysterious death of two humans after their respective surrogates were murdered (the whole point of the surrogacy is that humans can live their lives safely, even if their surrogates are harmed). Take out the futuristic elements, and you've got a generic police investigation story that, like the action sequences, we've seen tons of times before, and better, in other films and TV shows.
The generic twists and turns in the story come in at the checkpoints areas, and most of them are easy to see coming. There's a final double-pronged twist in particular that should convince you that you have psychic abilities because of how easy it is to predict. Part one of the twist is given away in the trailers, so if you're not someone who actively avoids promos for a film you've already been spoiled before you settle down in your seat to watch (I won't say here what it is in case you don't want to be spoiled even further). Part two of the twist is hinted at all throughout the film, in way too blatant a fashion, and so anyone who's mind is active throughout should be able to figure it out long before the film reveals all its cards.
In the end, though, Surrogates is an entertaining enough time if you just want to sit back, relax, and enjoy a throwaway, totally forgettable sci-fi/action film that runs way shorter than your average film these days (clocking in at around 85 minutes). But that kind of thing only goes so far, and if you're the kind of movie-goer who likes a bit of well-cooked meat along with your dessert, you'll be left wanting more from this. The world presented here is one that will probably never become reality, but it's fun to ponder the possibility. Sadly, the film never capitalizes on the strength of its premise, and instead thinks things blowing up and people being chased is more important. Which you personally think is more important will determine what kind of movie-goer you are. Let's just say the reason behind it is more important to me than the explosion itself.
