Based on the comic series of the same name, Surrogates is set in a not too distant, semi-utopian, future where crime is virtually non-existent and people almost never feel pain or fear.
This utopia was essentially created by a man named Dr. Canter (James Cromwell), who almost single-handedly developed the technology behind surrogates; flawless robotic versions of their owners that are operated through a special chair (connecting the owners to the surrogates like a virtual reality videogame) and can carry out all of their owners day to day functions. And as the owners do not feel the pain of their surrogates they are free to live their lives free of the fear of being murdered, mugged, or even getting into a simple car accident as surrogates can be completely destroyed without any harm coming to the owner, or at least that was the idea.
After a short introduction explaining how almost everyone lives the entirety of their lives vicariously through their surrogates, and how this came to be the norm, the story begins when two F.B.I. agents, Tom Greer (Bruce Willis) and Jennifer Peters (Radha Mitchell), are called upon to investigate the first homicide in years; a homicide that technically should not have been possible as the death occurred after an unknown weapon was fired at a surrogate and, bypassing the inbuilt fail-safe’s, fried the user in his chair.
On the course of the investigation the two agents are led to the creator of surrogacy, the army, V.S.I (the largest surrogacy corporation on the planet), and even to the Dread’s; a group of people that set up surrogacy free zones within major cities as they do not agree with the idea of living their lives through a robot; and their enigmatic leader, a man known only as The Prophet (Ving Rhames).
Greer’s pursuit of the Dread’s doesn’t go down too well, and not only stirs up the political unrest between the two factions (Dread’s and surrogate users), but ends up with him losing his surrogate and having to venture outside without robotic protection for the first time in years, something he is both terrified of, and grateful for. Terrified because of the pain he might feel and the fact that his body can’t move as well as his surrogate, but grateful for the chance to actually feel something; something which he has been attempting to get his wife to do for a long time as she has refused to see him, other than through the use of her surrogate, for quite some time as she suffers from severe depression as a result of the untimely death of the pairs son.
The case is plastered with conspiracy theories, surrogate thefts, and jurisdictional issues, all of which cause problems for the two agents, but make for an interesting and engaging watch, because the style of storytelling resembles a late 80’s to mid 90’s police thriller; being busy with action, but having plenty of clues to take the lead detectives along the trail of the bad guys, and keeping the audience guessing as to who has done what and, more specifically, why.
Obviously being set in the near future and featuring near perfect robots roaming the streets, as well as other types of updated technology, Surrogates was going to have its fair share of effects; which, for the most part, look extremely good, although they will most likely date fairly fast. The best effect however, is a fairly simple on that involves airbrushing actors for the scenes where they are playing Surrogates, and, despite some minor flaws and inconsistencies, it is very effective and fairly subtle.
Character wise there is nothing especially new or original going on, but the entire cast play their respective parts with effortlessness. Bruce Willis’ Tom Greer is the typical lone detective who’s fed up with life and fancies a chance; a fairly standard role for him and one he slips into with ease. Ving Rhames is also excellent as The Prophet, expelling a perfectly believable preachy and cultish magnetism to him, yet simultaneously being as cool, collected and calculating as his character, Marsellus Wallace, from Pulp Fiction.
James Cromwell plays a carbon copy of his character from i,Robot in Dr. Canter; the creator of a wonderful new robotic technology that revolutionized the public’s entire way of life, but got forced out by his own company and regrets some of his former life choices. Essentially a repeat performance but one handled perfectly by an undeservedly underrated actor. The only problem acting wise comes from Radha Mitchell who, regardless of her overall adequate performance, is the most wooden member of the cast, and completely forgettable in the role.
In short, Surrogates is just the film it should be; perfectly showy with stunning effects and a nice visual atmosphere, intriguing and containing enough possible plot twists to keep everyone guessing, with some interesting moral dilemmas that could easily stem from the realistically plausible presented future, as well as some strong emotion and a grand finale. It’s everything that an action/sci-fi flick should be, and while it won’t win film of year and may start to look dated fairly quickly, it more than holds its own against old favourites like i,Robot.
Picture:
Surrogates picture presents a naturalistically flawed future by having a picture that is so crystal clear that small nicks and thin layers of dirt can clearly be seen on most objects, giving the films future a lived in look. The surrogates themselves are clearly airbrushed, although that is a stylistic choice, and realistic looking, apart from some differences between frames where movement has altered the characters angle and the airbrushing hasn’t been so effective or implemented as well (a minor issue).
Other than that, there are no plainly visible print errors or flaws, colours are fantastic, with excellent contrast levels providing some rich and vibrant colours with nicely saturated hues. Blacks are inky and deep and fleshtones are naturalistic, while surrogate skin looks realistically ‘perfected’ and plastic like.
Overall a brilliant 1080p transfer that is nearly as flawless as the robots it showcases, and thankfully nowhere near as dreadful looking as the real people (who have all their high-definition flaws intact); Surrogates picture is nothing short of stunning.
Audio:
Surrogates has been provided with a DTS HD MA 5.1 soundtrack that is simply fantastic, being both dynamic and exciting throughout. All speakers are almost constantly in use, be it for impressive action sequences, or just dialogue and background noise. There are a good many transitions which are made flawlessly, and placed perfectly, yet never overshadow the well positioned and accurately crisp dialogue.
Action sequences come with a good deal of effective surround usage, and some truly deep and powerful (yet not overused) bass effects, all of which combine to create an all-encompassing, immersive, reference quality soundtrack.
Extras:
Surrogates also comes with a hefty bundle of extras, many of which are exclusive to Blu-ray, and include an audio commentary, trailer, music video, deleted scenes, a featurette exploring the graphic novel that inspired the film, and an interesting sounding feature on the science behind surrogacy and real world steps that have already been taken to create lifelike mind controlled robots.
The audio commentary, headed by director Jonathan Mostow, is very informative and interesting; discussing a range of aspects about the production including location shootings and the differences made between the comics and the film, making for a full on and very engaging commentary that will be enjoyed by fans of the movie.
The 15 minute long science featurette is also very interesting, in its attempts to show how close we are getting to creating some of the technology used in the film, and the deleted scenes are worth a watch, although it is obvious why they were cut because they do little to further the film as a whole (some scenes are also presented in an unfinished state). The featurette that explores the graphic novel in more detail is of particular note, as it provides a brief summary of the comics as a whole, again talks of the differences between comic and film, and even has interviews with the series creators, something that be sure to please any avid comic fan. The final feature, the music video, will be a hit or miss depending totally on individual music taste, but is nevertheless a worthy inclusion.
To recap, Surrogates comes supplied with some interesting and worthwhile special features that are definitely worth a look and sure please most fans of the film and comic series alike.
The Bottom Line:
Summing up, despite a few minor plot-holes, Surrogates on Blu-ray is exactly what it should be, an interesting and engaging film that is clever and thought-provoking as well as visually stunning, realistically plausible, and fun to watch. Not only that but the picture and sound quality are both superb which, combined with a solid film, and extras that will please not only film but comic fans, make for a brilliant disc. A film that can be summed up best with a slight modification to V.S.I’s corporate slogan; Surrogates is… i,Robot… only better.
