When someone is killed while plugged into a surrogate, something that is supposed to be impossible, Willis's character questions his world's reliance on surrogacy. "Surrogates" explores not only the core concept of technology taking over our lives, but also the emotions surrounding each person's decision to live life second-hand. The movie is a solid action thriller with some particularly affecting scenes. "Surrogates" is not all it could have been, with the primary performances and internal drama sometimes coming up a bit short, often for the sake of the movie's pacing.
The special effects are well-conceived and presented but limited in the course of the movie. The film likely had some budgetary constraints which kept the action sequences shorter and less innovative. The plastic sheen to the skin of the surrogates worked well to establish that these were artificial beings which were too perfect. The stiff mannerisms and lack of facial expressions in the robots are consistently performed by the actors throughout the film. Once Willis's character, Tom Greer, must shed his robotic visage and travel in this artificial world as a regular person, his appearance is all the more striking. I liked the grizzled look of Willis against the backdrop of physical perfection.
The relationships Tom has with his wife, Maggie (Rosamund Pike; "Fracture"), and his partner Peters (Radha Mitchell; "Silent Hill"), are equally important to the course of the film. Tom and Maggie's relationship is obviously strained due to a significant loss in their past. This goes towards explaining both people's reliance on the surrogacy system. It is heartbreaking to see Tom's frustration when Maggie refuses to come out of her artificial shell. Pike's performance is successful in establishing the heart behind the story. Tom's partner is a woman but he treats her like a male partner, because in this world surrogates can be deceiving. Someone's user could look completely different than his/her surrogate. He trusts her implicitly and she acts as the voice of reason in their partnership. When a turn of the plot causes Peters' loyalties to be questioned, the story takes a surreal but fascinating twist. Both relationships could have been given a bit more time to develop.
Director Jonathan Mostow ("Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines") infuses some substance and emotion into his action fare but not quite enough. Surrogates felt moving and dramatic in parts but not as a whole. The murder mystery drama and set action scenes make up for the occasional lack of story or character development. Willis' performance is relatively solid with a few quirky moments that didn't quite mesh with the tone of the scene. The world created within the film is well-conceived and believable. There are enough twists in the course of the film to keep the mystery fans in the audience guessing. I liked Surrogates and would enjoy seeing it again but it may not translate to non-science fiction fans as the best of the genre can.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing images, language, sexuality and a drug-related scene.
