Los sustitutos

Película de calidad de casi clase B, pero de alto presupuesto. Una idea interesante, que alegoriza acertadamente la artificialidad de la cultura contemporánea de la compra de peróxidos. Sin embargo, necesitaba un guionista más ambicioso que escribiera algo más que una película olvidable llena de acción que se hizo comercializable gracias a Bruce Willis. En la película encontramos motivos familiares de Hijos de los hombres («chicos con rastas» en los márgenes de la sociedad), cuenta con los atractivos efectos visuales de alta tecnología de Yo, Robot de Proyas y quiere ser tan mortalmente seria como la de Spielberg Minority Report de Spielberg. Pero a diferencia de esas películas, no se atreve a dar un solo paso en su propia dirección y prefiere trabajar con giros ya probados, intenta parecer inteligente al ser innecesariamente artificial y al menos en una escena (la final), es incluso ridícula debido a la futilidad de su guión. El personaje del «Profeta» con rastas interpretado por Ving Rhames no está bien interpretado. El propio Bruce está bien como el único vínculo entre el espectador y el mundo real de las personas vivas, pero desafortunadamente sin frases geniales o humor, lo que podría haber proporcionado el alivio cómico necesario. (15.09.2009)

Bruce gave himself a nice old bit of action, but so why not, it didn't look awkward at all... only the hairpiece in the robo-creature was really funny... :-D I think it's a shame that the movie got such a low rating, I don't think it deserves it, but I get it. It's such a tired, long-winded, bland and flavorless film, even though it's only 88 minutes long. Which is a pity. For such a rip-off... ;-)) [SPOILER] And once again, everyone survived, and once again, Bruce was so awesome, brilliant and moral; coincidentally, the idea of wiping out 98% of the human population isn't so bad... X-D (24.10.2009)

The square root of film adaptations of Phillip K. Dick, both the good and the bad ones. A generic and stupid sci-fi B-movie with a not stupid idea that the right hands could be the base of a new Blade Runner. In the end, it’s actually like Total Recall, but without the action. (05.10.2009)

If Mostow has been considered a solid craftsman up to now, he will now be considered a desperate routinist... and a thief to boot. As long as it still follows the popcorn rules à la I, Robot, we can enjoy the slightly B-movie atmosphere, which is carried by Willis's cynical smile and funny toupee. Then we get some mentoring according to Issac Asimov and Phillip K. Dick in the visual diction of Terminator 3 and everything goes to hell. It wouldn't have had to be this way if someone had bothered to add some extra runtime, given the characters some life, and if the film had at least one memorable scene. The result is the most ridiculous blockbuster of the year, which I predict will become a cult film in a few years and a must-have in the "guilty pleasure" collectors' kit. (23.10.2009)

I like positive sci-fi and because the genre has received a nice beating from fantasy in the last two decades, and pure sci-fi films are currently quite rare. I should thus appreciate any film not teeming with wizards, elves, dragons, or mythical powers. Unfortunately, a lot more is needed for a quality experience and one of the fundamental things I insist on is for the fantastic world to be logical and fully functional within its system. Unfortunately, Surrogates completely fails in this regard. Practically the whole film submits to the superficial spectacle with slick visuals, top-notch special effects, a star-studded cast, and an overall bombastic production. However, the screenplay is full of holes and I would have to completely turn off my brain for this spectacle to become bearable for me. Some films only take a part of their source material and forfeit deeper meaning, but if they function within their invented world, I have no major objections to a popcorn spectacle. But Mostow's world is built on nonsense. It is simply subservient to us watching flashy chases ending with a helicopter crash or robot surrogates jumping from one car to another. It is even more disappointing considering the involvement of several excellent actors and the wasted budget. Overall impression: 25%. (30.04.2010)