The future is here, and it looks like Bruce Willis in a bad wig. You might have missed Surrogates when it opened this past September, since its opening weekend only pulled in $15M or so -- I guess the combination of Bruce Willis + action doesn’t carry the weight it once did. Quite frankly, you didn’t miss that much. While the script flirts with plenty of promising ideas, they’re largely ignored in favor of standard action clichés and Willis glowering a lot. Still, there’s a bit of fun to be had, and if you’d like to watch Bruce Willis save us all from gorgeous, dead-eyed robots, Surrogates hits Blu-ray and DVD January 26th.

Willis stars as FBI agent Tom Greer, policing a near future where nearly everyone lives their life by proxy through idealized robot avatars. You can do anything you want without fear of injury, be anyone or anything you like, but not everyone is crazy about this brave new world. After the destruction of two avatars kills their human operators as well, Greer stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens the whole world. To make matters worse, Greer’s own avatar is soon destroyed, leaving him overwhelmed at having to deal with the world first-hand for the first time in years.

Surrogates is a robotic reunion for screenwriters Michael Ferris and John Brancato and director Jonathan Mostow. The trio previously worked together on the so-so Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Like that film, Surrogates has its moments, but is it worth $39.99 for the Blu-ray or $29.99 for the DVD? Maybe make it a rental first.

The DVD comes with a commentary from director Mostow and the Breaking Benjamin music video for “I Will Not Bow.” If you’re craving extras, the Blu-ray’s definitely a better buy. It comes with both of those, as well as:

A More Perfect You: The Science of Surrogates -- The world of Surrogates is not far away! Mind-controlled robotics is already in use in today. This featurette explores the realities of this technology and offers an in-depth look into the creation of the superhuman versions of the cast created for this film.

Breaking the Frame: A Graphic Novel Comes to Life -- A visual exploration of the evolution of Surrogates from graphic novel to major motion picture, from the earliest designs and sketches. Pivotal sequences come to life in a dazzling 3-D animated experience.

Four Deleted Scenes

Share |