One of the best works named after Robin Williams
I'm not afraid of this word, the legendary actor Robin Williams gave the world a lot of iconic roles. The maestro of cinema has a lot of reincarnations in his track record: comedic and serious, but always smiling and a little sad. Chris Columbus' film "Bicentennial Man", in my opinion, is one of Robin's most memorable works, in which he was able to demonstrate how being such a lively actor, you can show the incredible evolution of a robot that was ready to defend the opportunity and honor of being called a man. Bravo, old Robin.
Chris Columbus' film takes as a basis the famous works of the founding father of science fiction Isaac Asimov: "Positronic man" and "Bicentennial Man". Amazing stories of a science fiction writer allow you to think about how a robot could live among people, evolve and defend its rights, being an artificial creation.
The film takes the same vector, but makes excellent adjustments, allowing Williams' acting to come to the fore. The robot in his performance experiences the entire kaleidoscope of possible events in two hours of screen time, from scene to scene becoming something extraordinary, an absolutely new being that this world did not know before. Conceived as an assistant for a person, the hero of Williams, Andrew, goes through a grandiose path long in whole human lives in order to understand how it is to be a person.
Once in a family of people, Andrew lives together with its representatives the most important events of the circle of this family. He sees their birth, growing up, smiles and tears, the times when they leave. Through the prism of the robot's existence, the viewer can observe how fleeting human life is, how quickly people grow up, live and wither. And sometimes they never manage to say the most important thing to their loved ones. This is what Andrew sees in front of him, who is learning to be among people not only an assistant and a kind of mechanism by which he was created. At some point, the robot realizes that it has crossed the evolutionary boundary and has ceased to be a robot in its classical sense. The authors of the film make the audience think about how much ordinary people appreciate such a short human life. Are they ready to confess their love to their loved ones, first of all to themselves, that their life is filled with true life thanks to the people who live next to them. And let them see each other every day, we should never forget that there are no other such close people in the world. This is the true family.
In addition to the idea of human relations, Columbus shows how the world can change in the near future. After all, when a robot ceases to be one, what does it become? A man? Very unlikely. After all, man was created by nature, by the same people, created in the usual way, if we speak dryly and concretely. Robots appeared completely differently, and therefore even an evolved robot cannot bear the proud name of man. Andrew understands this, too. The hero exists for all subsequent years, as if feeling like an outcast. A being that is not accepted either in the human world or in the world of robots. Robin Williams' work is so subtle that, following his hero, the viewer is filled with the same sadness and sorrow that Andrew is experiencing.
The third picture that the viewer sees is proof that you always have to fight for your rights. Everyone has the right to be whatever they want. Every person is a personality, a discoverer of something new. And let the one who was created as a soulless machine fight for his rights in the film, after all, it is the person who wins the victory in the confrontation with the society that became the creator.
The cast in the film is very strong. Sam Neal and Embeth Davidz performed well. Their characters are perfectly written out, and the actors have done everything to make the magic of cinema happen. It was thanks to the characters played by these two that Andrew, played by Robin Williams, was able to find the strength to become what he eventually becomes.
Every person watching this picture will be able to ask many questions, try to put himself in Andrew's place and decide what choice he would make in the final. After all, love is the determining factor that makes us who we are. And if a robot has learned to love, maybe it has long since crossed the line that allows you to accept it not as a robot. Would a person in the body of a robot be ready to decide on the last change in his body, knowing what awaits in the final, let him finally become a human after that. A complex and at the same time philosophical question.
The film will be an excellent work for those who are ready to give themselves and their loved ones a magnificent cozy evening in a close circle. The picture raises so many important issues in modern society. Who is such a person, and who has the right to be called him? After all, all people are different. There are simple and responsive people, there are those who build businesses, do volunteering, there are those who treat people, teach them, save lives, provide some services. And there are murderers, thieves, criminals and even tyrants who are ready to commit mass crimes against humanity. But these are all people, one way or another. Or there may be a single robot that suddenly stepped over all the limitations and began to develop, thereby creating something new and amazing in the world, without knowing it. A creature that has always tried to help people. And even though Andrew was originally created as a machine, in the end he became one of the kindest and most sincere creatures who can rightfully bear the name "man".
9 out of 10