Part I. The Plot

Sequence 1 Asmiov’s “Three Laws of Robotics” are presented one by one. In between each law, the camera cuts to images of two people trapped in separate cars. One car contains Spooner who is saved by the robot. Next, Spooner awakens and the nightmare ends.

Sequence 2  We are introduced to a futuristic Chicago in the year 2035, where humans and robots share the streets. Spooner arrives at his grandmother’s house where she informs him of the robot lottery. This is where we learn of Spooner’s distrust of robots. When he leaves, he sees a robot running with a purse and chases after it, accusing it of stealing. He was wrong and at work, he is teased him about it.

Sequence 3   Spooner receives a call from Dr. Lanning’s hologram. At the scene, he finds Dr. Lanning dead. He speaks with Lawrence who does not question the death being a suicide. Spooner remains skeptical and begins to search the facility. He is introduced to Viki, USR’s supercomputer, and looks for surveillance footage. Finding none, he enters Dr. Lanning’s room where he finds and fights with Sonny.

Sequence 4   Spooner and Susan arrive at the robot construction facility to find Sonny. Sonny attacks him and leaves the building where he is captured and detained.

Sequence 5   Spooner questions Sonny who denies killing the doctor. He, instead, mentions that Dr. Lanning has taught him human emotions. Lawrence, calling Sonny an anomaly, orders for him to be destroyed. Later, Spooner searches Dr. Lanning’s home where he is almost killed after the demolition time suddenly changes. He tells Susan, but she does not believe him.

Sequence 6   Susan learns that Sonny can dream. Next, Spooner is attacked by robots that were summoned by Lawrence. We learn that one of Spooner’s arms is robotic.

Sequence 7   Susan learns about the accident and Spooner’s robotic arm. Spooner proposes that Lanning gave Sonny a way to keep secrets. They visit Sonny who draws a picture of one of his dreams.

Sequence 8   Spooner visits the location in Sonny’s dream and finds the new robots killing the old ones. Meanwhile, Susan is “destroying” Sonny while Lawrence watches.

Sequence 9   The robot revolution begins and Susan and Spooner sneak into the USR, with the help of Sonny, to end it. They walk to Lawrence’s office to override the system and find him dead. Here, they learn that Viki is in charge of the revolution, so they work to kill her.

Sequence 10 Sonny retrieves the nanites, causing Viki to send robots after Susan, Spooner, and Sonny. At Viki’s brain, Susan and Spooner fight off robots. Sonny enters with the nanites. He saves Susan (because Spooner tells him to) as Spooner jumps down to inject the nanites into the “brain.” Viki dies.

Sequence 11 The robots return to normal and are called to be stored away. Spooner and Sonny settle their differences. Last, we see Sonny standing on the hill from his dream surrounded by other robots, fulfilling the prophecy.

                                                                                                                              (493 words)

 

Part II. Scene Explanation

            In this scene, Susan has learned about Spooner’s relationship with Dr. Lanning—the man who attached Spooner’s robotic arm after he lost it during the car accident. She is amazed by how real it looks and takes it upon herself to feel the arm. She squeezes and touches Spooner’s left arm, beginning with his hand and ending at his shoulder blade.

In this frame, particularly, the director provides us with a close shot of Spooner’s chest, with a specific focus on the area where the robotic arm meets Spooner’s shoulder blade. The position of Susan’s hand place emphasis on what appears to be veins, but are actually wires that connect the human and the mechanical parts of his body. This reveals how closely related Spooner is to the beings he hates. Although he is not a complete robot, one of the most central parts of his body is and is the only thing that allows him to appear and behave as a “normal” human being. Had he not received this prosthetic arm, he would have probably lost his job, however, a piece of robotic equipment has allowed him to live his life as he had before the accident. Nonetheless, despite Spooner experiencing firsthand, the wonders of robotics—including being saved by one—he remains skeptical of them and continues to detest them.

Additionally, the way that Susan touches Spooner’s arm serves as a way of humanizing him, even after we have learned that he is part robot. With dark lighting, Susan’s white hands bring light to Spooner and his mechanical arm, showing that the arm, although not real, is not a bad and scary thing. This is contrasted with the first time we learned about Spooner’s arm; he was fighting a robot and punched the ground. As a viewer, we expected his hand to break, but it did not, highlight the damage and dangers of the mechanical arm. This scene, on the other hand, shows that the arm is just an extension of a human Spooner. The cameras angle serves to make Spooner appear less threatening as a black man; the frame is shot from below, cutting off the heads of both Susan and Spooner and making them appear closer in height. The height and build of black men is what has been used in the past to describe them as aggressive and menacing, but now the camera angle and Susan’s hands are telling the viewer that Spooner is good—he is safe.

Contrarily, the frame also others Spooner in a way. It is slightly reminiscent of a slave auction in which auctioneers and prospective slave owners felt and squeezed the arms of male slaves to gauge how strong they were. This reminds the viewer that Spooner is black and that even though he is a human, he is still different and not necessarily, in a good way.

                                                                                                                              (478 words)