In the big-screen video game "I, Robot," a Will Smith icon runs around a treeless Chicago futurescape blasting as many of the humanoid machines as he can. The Will Smith icon is also programmed to make disparaging remarks about the target devices, many of which were intended to be funny, one of which actually is. He is apparently the only carbon-based character in the game who understands that the robots are potentially dangerous, not the great technological slave-servants that their gigantor corporate manufacturer advertises and everyone else passively accepts.

Game strategy was composed by many screenwriters, producers, actor-producers and director Alex Proyas ("The Crow," "Dark City"), all of whom claim to respect the late Isaac Asimov, renowned author of the short story collection the "movie" is credited to be "suggested by." Resulting, purely mechanical scenario owes much to robot-think, but little to Asimov's scientifically informed humanism.

Except for Sonny. Sonny is narrative's most advanced robot design. Like much else about game/movie, it is a wholly computer-generated creation, but built upon a base performance by actor Alan Tudyk. Sonny may be first robot in game's world to commit murder, but he also has more winning personality than any purportedly human characters in same. Sonny also said to represent breakthrough in realistic cyber characterization, but nonetheless comes off as marginally more soulful Buzz Lightyear unit. Big digital deal.

Will Smith icon character called Del Spooner. He is typical cop-on-edge. He possesses predictable secret. He's considered paranoid loose cannon. Del's boss inevitably asks for his badge. Del continues investigation anyway because, as all such programs require, Del is right.

Del believes suicide at U.S. Robotics HQ is actually murder. Situation yields standard crop of likely suspects: emotionally hard-wired robo- psychologist Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan); greedy capitalist corpo-head Lawrence Robertson (Bruce Greenwood); Sonny; and about 50 million other robots, many of whom come equipped with red, glowing breastplates that make excellent point-and-aim bull's-eyes.

Scenario processes ideas from "2001," "Blade Runner," "Terminator" and "RoboCop" into easy-to-follow, if hard-to-swallow, mush. When in fight mode, robots move just like pixilated Spider-Man in rival movie/game franchise. Big chase sequence illogical; if vehicle brake simply applied, bad guys would win.

Cheap cat toss-in scare. Cat placed in car trunk, subsequently forgotten. Was it robocat? Or did it starve? "Movie's" other major moral conflict involves overcoming prejudice. Of machines. Fails to convince once game's over, at least in regard to Hollywood development machine that grinds efforts like this into uniform, lifeless product.