Surrogates Blu-Ray Review

Surrogates begins with an admonishment: We are not meant to live our lives…to experience the world…through machines. The irony that you’re reading these words on a computer that you might use to surf the Net, play World of Warcraft, or communicate to distant friends or relatives via email or Skype should not be lost on you as you view it. Machines have become an integral part of our lives, for better or for worse, depending on your situation or your viewpoint.

In “A More Perfect You: The Science of Surrogates”, one of the Blu-Ray exclusive extras on the disc, we’re shown how the technology for what you see in this movie isn’t as far-fetched as you might think. Already we’ve seen advancements in artificial limbs, robot technology, and eerily-real humanoid robots. Heck, only a few weeks back there was an article about the first humanoid-shaped robot created for sexual stimulation. So while it’s fun to marvel at the amazing technological breakthroughs in the documentary, you should also keep in mind that the world of Surrogates is maybe not so far in the distance.

Based on the popular Top Shelf graphic novel, Surrogates paints a world where humanity has withdrawn from…well…humanity. Projecting their conciousness into lifelike robots (the “surrogates” of the title), they look better, perform better and live better (in a manner of speaking) than their users do in their actual lives. So what happens when a surrogate is murdered, causing the death of its end-user? That’s what Bruce Willis is determined to find out, and of course that leads to uncovering a bigger conspiracy, and that leads to a lot of introspective moments where Willis and crew figure out just what it means to be human.

I started watching this with my wife, and she had to stop because the surrogates creeped her out. If I were the makeup or special effects person on this movie, I’d take that as a compliment. The surrogates are creepy, because they’re almost too perfect. Take a minute and imagine what your ideal you would be. Mine would have chiseled abs, a rugged jawline, no beer gut, and a lot fewer moles. In short, no imperfections. Now think about just how out of place that would look among regular human beings – a walking, talking, fully functional Ken doll, so to speak – and you’ll get the idea of just how different the surrogate world actually is.

Because of that, however, this film looks absolutely awesome in hi-def. Science fiction movies almost always do, but this one really shines. In a world where everyone is designed to be the embodiment of physical and cosmetic perfection, the blu-ray player seems to putting in overtime to really bring that across. Not only do the surrogates fail to show any wrinkles or scars, when Bruce Willis steps out of the machine as a human, you see every age line, cut, and bruise. The line is absolute between human and surrogate, so you owe it to yourself to catch this one on as high a definition as you can muster, so you can see that variation.

It’s also a nice nod that they include a brief documentary about the graphic novel itself called “Breaking the Frame”. Brief interviews with the creators of both the book and the movie talk about how one vision leaked into another and gave us two fairly unique products. I’ll own up to not reading the graphic novel, but after seeing this movie I want to. Based on what I’ve seen in the panels they’ve shown, there are two separate ways of telling a similar story going on, and I think it’ll be worth my while to check out both versions.

Surrogates is not the greatest science fiction story ever told. You’ll find elements of countless sci-fi yarns that came before it as you watch – from Blade Runner (the movie) to I, Robot (the book) That said, it’s one of the best ways to tell that familiar story that I’ve seen in some time, and it truly shines on Blu-Ray. Whether you’re a fan of the graphic novel or you just want to see Bruce Willis do what he does best, this movie is well worth your time. And when you’re done, make sure to go outside and breathe in some fresh air, okay?