Human perfection. What could go wrong? SURROGATES
Written: Sep 25 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Willis, Mitchell, Cromwell, and Rhames. Great plot, good script.
Cons: Dialogue could be a bit stilted in places.
The Bottom Line: An intelligent look at the dark heart lurking under the futures bright and shiny faces.
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| talyseon's Full Review: Surrogates |
Surrogates (2009) Directed by Jonathan Mostow
Greer: I just want my wife back.
Maggie: I am your wife.
We begin with a montage of the history of surrogacy. Originally, surrogacy was intended to create a methodology for quadriplegics to interact with their world, and take care of themselves. As the technology grew, and human consciousness could be transferred into mobile robot units, and the military stepped into to create disposable soldiers. This really upgraded the technology, and streamlined production, and it went public.
Now, most people never leave their homes. Instead, they spend their days reclining in a sensory link chair while their surrogates go about their daily life and work. This has had a profound effect on society. Crime has dropped. Homicide is virtually unknown. And the streets are full of slim, fit, sleek, attractive people.
Now however, enters the serpent into paradise. Of course, there is a backlash against the movement. They are called Dreads (because they look dreadful in comparison) and they live in reservations throughout the country that do not permit surrogates to enter.
Worse, there is an incident. Jarid Canter (Shane Dzicek) borrows his father's (James Cromwell) surrogate (James Francis Ginty) to do a little clubbing. But as he is making out with the cheap blonde de jour in the alley, he is shot. No problem, right? Surrogate might be broken, but the person is fine. Wrong. This energy weapon causes a feedback that liquefies the user's brain.
FBI agents Greer (Bruce Willis) and Peters (Radha Mitchell) work the case, and discover the blonde du jour...who is really a fat older man. (Surrogacy is like the internet, you never really know what you are talking to.)
But there is another angle. Canter Sr. is the creator of Surrogacy. And the surrogate was supposed to be his. What if the target were Canter?
Needless to say a weapon that can kill a person by remote control could completely defeat the purpose of surrogacy. And as a multibillion dollar industry, there are forces that don't want to see that happen.
And of course, there are forces that do. The Dreads, led by The Prophet (Ving Rhames) are obviously involved. The shooter is identified as Strickland (Jack Noseworthy) and Greer's pursuit of him proves the superiority of surrogacy over meat in police operations.
But as Greer proves that there are advantages to Surrogacy, his wife Maggie (Rosamund Pike) shows the down side. Maggie does not leave her room. Her surrogate does. She does not. And you can see that she does not approve of seeing Greer wearing his meat around the apartment. The empty child's bedroom in their apartment, a shrine to a missing son, provides some clue.
With each step forward, the mystery deepens. Greer discovers conflicting forces with inconsistent motivations that are only united in one thing; they want to stop him from digging any deeper. His surrogate destroyed, his job on suspension, Greer has to put his own meat on the line, and in the course discovers not only answers, but things he had forgotten. Can he and society survive?
Surrogates explores the nature of humanity, of personality, and human interaction. It is a chilling indictment of our society which has become more technologically advanced, more interconnected, and yet more impersonal. How many "friends" do you have that you have never met? How many did you have ten years ago?
Being young and beautiful can be addictive. Why do drag when you can ‘be' the real thing? Got Jungle Fever? Be black and beautiful. Want to be someone else for the weekend? There are services that rent.
But most of all be safe. Communicable disease is down. People don't go out of their apartments, not really. Where are they going to catch a cold? Got hit by a car because you didn't look before you crossed the street? The worst that happens is you have a loaner while you are in the shop. That is the real addictive draw of Surrogacy.
This future looks bright and shiny, and buff and toned. But behind that plastic molded face lurks a darker side, the ancient story of greed and corporate double dealing. Dark plots, and double dealing with a whole new bag of high tech tricks to employ makes for a rollicking good mystery, and robotic bodies that can perform feats of athletics that are super human makes for an action thriller like a bullet driven roller coaster.
The production value of this movie is top flight; there are no cheap effects, nothing spoils the illusion.
And the acting is top rate. Bruce Willis is great; not that you would expect anything less. But one thing really stood out to me, Radha Mitchell plays two characters, and it is the subtle differences she puts into the roles that sells the illusion that someone else is running the show. Kudos to her. Rosamund Pike comes across a perfectly plastic, and that is a neat trick too.
Surrogates is the best sort of Science Fiction; it is a fanciful tale that thrills and entertains, and yet at the same time gives us an insight to the very human problems that confront us today. It not only provides us with an adrenaline fix, but food for thought. Nourishing and addictive; sounds like chocolate. And it is just as satisfying.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Action Movie
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
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