Technology. It’s such a wonderful thing. Such a wonderfully horrible thing. I have forever been a naysayer of ‘progress’ as I have always felt that progress, as we know it, always brings humanity back a step with every new innovation. Consider the invention of the compass. People used to be able to tell direction by reading the stars… but now only a handful of us can. Calculators took away our ability to do math in our heads. You get the picture. Even though I use technology every day, even in getting this review to you, I long for a simpler time. What cracks me up though, is how you hear how the Internet brings us all closer together. Facebook, MySpace, and Online Games make us all friends even if we’re a world away. The only problem there is that while it may be bringing us closer together, it keeps us behind locked doors at the same time.

More and more people are not going out, because they would rather be sitting in front of a TV or a computer screen, playing games with others. I personally know folks who have traded their real lives for a life playing World of Warcraft. And there is no sign of this ludicrous behavior slowing down.

That is somewhat the premise of the movie “Surrogates”, starring Bruce Willis. In the world of “Surrogates”, humanity has gotten to the point of living their lives through robotic likenesses of themselves. And we’re not talking just a robot of yourself, but a newer, younger, thinner, more fit version of yourself. Ridiculous to think we could ever get to that point, but we were also told we would never fly. The movie, and graphic novel on which it is based, posits that we will become technologically advanced enough to actually project our consciousness into a ‘perfect’ robot and live in a ‘perfect’ Utopia. Well, Utopia is a concept that we will never reach, as there will always be someone throwing a monkey wrench into the works. After all, we are only human… and humans are extremely flawed.

The monkey wrench in this particular works comes in the form of a weapon capable of destroying a ‘surrogate’ and in doing so, killing the user. This is where Bruce Willis comes in as Det. Thomas Greer who, along with his partner Det. Jennifer Peters (Radha Mitchell), must discover just who is doing the killing. But like any sci-fi story worth its salt, there has to be a conspiracy wrapped up in a conspiracy, with a little conspiracy thrown in for good measure. Before you can say “Whoopie Kay Yea ******”, our heroes find themselves nose deep in a conspiracy that goes to the highest levels of the ‘surrogate’ regime.

When I saw that “Surrogates” was hitting Bluray, I was a little surprised. I knew the movie was coming out, but somehow I completely missed that it had even been in theatres. I had to wonder if it simply wasn’t a very good film and perhaps was on and off screens over a weekend. Popping in the disc, I was pleasantly pleased to find that “Surrogates” was actually a pretty decent action sci-fi flick. I got what I usually expect from a Bruce Willis movie, and aside from a handful of plot holes the size of Mac trucks, was into it from start to finish. The special effects were very good in that the ‘surrogates’ of the title were so CGI enhanced as to make them inhuman, and very creepy to look at. Even Willis has his own ‘surrogate’ for a portion of the movie, and it was like looking at the animated Tom Hanks in “Polar Express” only more lifelike.

Willis has proven himself over the years to be a strong character actor and not just an action hero. This movie allows him to play a little bit to both, in that he is given the chance to play what amounts to being two roles. That of his ‘surrogate’ and the real life detective. Actually several actors here are allowed this same opportunity and all rise admirably to the challenge.

The Bluray edition of “Surrogates” offers gorgeous transfer, which really lends the look of the ‘robots’ an eerily unrealistic look. The fact that details are so sharp makes the fact that these characters have no flaws really stand out. So much so that when you see Willis as a human, it is almost jarring. The sound mix is also enhanced here to allow for a very immersive experience as you move from chase sequence to chase sequence.

Touchstone has included a handful of deleted scenes, which normally I don’t recommend. But this time around I have to point them out as they were not CGI enhanced like the scenes in the movie. Seeing the difference in the look of the ‘surrogates’ kind of before-and-after is very interesting. Director Jonathan Mostow is on hand for an audio commentary, and he offers some interesting background on bringing the graphic novel to life. Additionally there is a featurette that looks at the technology of the film and where we are now, focusing on how we might actually be going in that direction. You’ll also find a featurette on the graphic novel and how it was turned into a film. Finally, there is a music video for Breaking Benjamin’s “I Will not Bow.”

“Surrogates” was a much better movie than I expected, though I wouldn’t go so far as to way it was awesome or anything. If you go in with low expectations, you’ll find yourself pleasantly surprised as I was.

Directed by: Jonathan Mostow
Starring: Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamond Pike, Boris Kodjoe, James Cromwell, Ving Rhames
Extras: Deleted Scenes; The Science of Surrogates; Breaking the Frame; “I Will Not Bow” Music Video by Breaking Benjamin; Audio Commentary by Director Jonathan Mostow
Specifications: 1080p High Definition (2.40:1); 5.1 DTS-HD MA
Studio: Touchstone
Release Date: 1/26/2010
MPAA Rating: PG-13
http://www.BHVEBluray.com

We'll give Surrogates (Bluray) a B.