SCI FI PI

Starring Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, James Cromwell, Ving Rhames
Directed by Jonathan Mostow
Rated M
Released March 1

The futuristic people as robots thriller, Surrogates is out now on Blu-ray and DVD. We've got some cool clips and a quick peek at the extras.

If you didn't read our theatrical release review, here's a little refresher on what Surrogates is all about:





The film is set in a future where 98% of the world live life through their Surrogates, robotic avatars that are better than human bodies in every way - better looking, with better reflexes, strength and resilience. Crime rates have plummeted, but people spend all their time strapped to a chair, living life through their robotic counterparts, safe and sound from harm.

Which is all fine and dandy until someone gets killed. A new weapon that can zap people's brains by zapping their surrogate mean that the entire concept of surrogacy is under threat. Bruce Willis, as Tom Greer, has to track down the killer, and finds himself ending up in one of the few remaining zones where 'humans only' reside. These ghettos remain the last bastions of 'reality' and seem to be the best place to look. Of course, that's not quite the case.





Whilst on the hunt, Greer has to deal with the ramifications of losing a child - his wife has embraced the artificial barrier and comfort of surrogacy to protect herself from her grief, and in so doing, separating more and more from a husband seeking to return to the 'reality' of their relationship.


What is a film filled with intriguing ideas and moments is not quite the Sci Fi extravaganza that we had hoped. It's a little bit in the Minority Report category, where a great concept boils down to a fairly rough shod police drama. There are some good action sequences, a pretty good ending (although you may see it coming) but ultimately it's something to watch whilst chewing hamburgers, rather than smoking a contemplative pipe considering the future of humanity as portrayed on film. Fun, sure. Action, you bet. Cool moments - no worries. But... it's a little bit... roller-coastery. It's fun while you're on, but that's about it.

EXTRAS

Blu-ray Exclusives:
Deleted Scenes
A More Perfect You: The Science of Surrogates
Breaking the Frame:A graphic Novel Comes to Life

On BD and DVD
"I Will Not Bow" Music Video by Breaking Benjamin
Audio Commentary with director Jonathan Mostow






We've got some exclusive clips from the extras on the Blu-ray disc for your enjoyment:


The first clip is from the featurette about the transfer of the story from the original comic to the big screen.






The second is a deleted scene featuring some awesome home surgery.






The third is another deleted scene from the first part of the film, with Bruce Willis and Radha Mitchell as creepy Robot detective having a look at the massive engineering floor of the Surrogate factory. Kinda cool.