Chris Columbus’ 1999 movie “Bicentennial Man” was an odd duck. It was a big-budget style movie within the blockbuster mould, using intensive make-up and particular results to show Robin Williams right into a long-lived android. On the similar time, although, it was introduced as a feel-good, tear-jerking status image. Its December launch implied that it was meant to be a severe Oscar contender, a cross-genre supra-film designed to earn thousands and thousands and win awards.
“Bicentennial Man,” nevertheless, did neither. On a price range of $100 million, it solely earned $80 million again. It wasn’t broadly beloved by critics, both, and at present sports activities a mere 37% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes (primarily based on 98 evaluations). The principle criticism was that “Bicentennial Man” was mawkish and nostalgic, turning an android’s in any other case profound journey towards humanity right into a bland, chewy glob of contrived Hollywood sweetness. The extended years of an more and more emotional android ought to have been intellectually provocative, however Columbus aimed for the guts as an alternative of the top.
This was particularly irritating, on condition that “Bicentennial Man” was primarily based on the eponymous 1976 novelette by Isaac Asimov and its 1992 novelized growth “The Positronic Man” by Asimov and Robert Silverberg. These books are pointedly philosophical, discussing the internal consciousness of a synthetic life kind and the best way a robotic can evolve over time. Asimov was no sentimentalist, and Colubus’ movie most actually did not seize the spirit of his work. It actually did not assist that Robin Williams was cast as the android protagonist. He is far too expressive and humorous to painting an expressionless machine. One may admire Columbus for making an attempt to show an Asimov e-book right into a blockbuster/Oscar-bait combo, but it surely’s onerous to admire the precise outcomes.
Bicentennial Man is an overripe, sentimental model of Asimov’s story
“Bicentennial Man” begins within the close to way forward for 2005, the place a wealthy household — the Martins — have simply bought a brand-new robotic butler. The household is overseen by a patriarch whom the android calls Sir (Sam Neill), and the android turns into keen on his youngest daughter, whom he calls Little Miss. Little Miss is performed by Hallie Eisenberg as a baby and Embeth Davidtz as an grownup. As a result of this movie will happen on a two-century timeline, Davitz additionally performs Little Miss’ grownup granddaughter, Portia. As Andrew serves the Martin household, he observes them and begins to emulate their human habits. He begins to exhibit indicators of sympathy and develops an curiosity in humor.
As time passes, Andrew begins to appreciate that he desires to look extra human. He visits robotics consultants, asking that he be allowed to turn out to be extra expressive. He is given a rubberized face at first. By the yr 2048, Andrew is knowledgeable that he’s a acutely aware being and not the property of the Martin household. By 2088, know-how has superior sufficient to provide him life like pores and skin and hair. By then, he appears precisely like Robin Williams. In a enjoyable conceit, Andrew needed to seem like in his 80s, however was talked into trying youthful by a considerate engineer performed by Oliver Platt.
The movie ends within the yr 2205, after Andrew has married and been given a mortality chip that enables him to age to loss of life. He’ll marry a human girl and have his rights acknowledged by the world governments.
Sure, all that’s as treacly because it sounds. Each household loss of life is lingered over like in a Hallmark film.
Critics hated Bicentennial Man
The tragedy of Andrew’s life is that he’s so long-lived, he’s destined to look at his household and all his mates die. He longs for the privilege of mortality. That type of considering is short-sighted, nevertheless. In case you can actually dwell for millennia (as Andrew doubtlessly may, given the developments in robotics), then his life will merely turn out to be a cycle of households, new begins, discoveries, and pleasure. Mortality would simply turn out to be a long-term cycle for him. For individuals who shun concepts of immortality, assume on an extended timeline.
Critics, as talked about, intensely disliked “Bicentennial Man.” Roger Ebert gave the movie two stars, writing that the movie “may have been an clever, difficult science fiction film, but it surely’s too timid, too wanting to please. It desires us to love Andrew, however it’s troublesome at a human deathbed to establish with the aluminum mourner.” Ben Falk of the BBC was even harsher, giving the movie one star and saying that it did not even succeed on a sentimental stage. “The basic downside,” he wrote, “is that [the film] totally fails to set out its targets and cling to them. Is it a comedy? No, as a result of it is not humorous. Or is it about everybody’s want for love, as Andrew regularly begins to fall for Portia? Or is it about synthetic intelligence versus pure intelligence and humanity’s worry of the unknown?” If a movie has no thesis, it may be dissatisfying on some stage.
“Bicentennial Man” was not less than nominated for an Academy Award for its make-up (which is, to be truthful, fairly astonishing). It misplaced, nevertheless, to Mike Leigh’s operetta biopic “Topsy-Turvy.” If one is on the lookout for one thing to look at this weekend, they’d be higher off with “Topsy-Turvy.” That movie is magnificent.
