Surrogates, based on novel by Robert Venditti - Seven out of 10

Surrogates, based on novel by Robert Venditti

Seven out of 10

Surrogates is a good science fiction motion picture, although it is not sharing the gallery of classics with 2001 A Space Odyssey, The Matrix, Planet of the Apes, A Clockwork Orange or Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

Bruce Willis and Ving Rhames share the big screen again, but this is very different from the cult movie, probably one of the best ten of all time, Pulp Fiction.

In the distant future, people would be able to let robots or Artificial Intelligence take the risks for them, going out in the world through the Surrogates, while enjoying the comfort of their homes, the serenity brought about by pills that tranquillize and offer an artificial equanimity.

This is probably the most important aspect of the film, the fact that it purports that the future could see humanity on a dangerous trajectory, isolated in homes and engaged through AI, which to some extent is a tendency we can observe in the present.

People are obsessed with their smart phones, continuously watching, consulting them to see if they have any new message, something happened in the virtual world where more and more spend their lives, if not completely, almost all of them.

This a frequent joke now, the fact that humans attend concerts that they do not experience, for they are concentrated on recording them on their phones, to upload them on Facebook, so that friends can see how well they are enjoying themselves, when in fact they are not savoring the moment, they just ignore life for an illusory, false parallel reality.

It has even been suggested, amusingly, that when they film their daughter’s school events, ceremonies where they get a prize, anniversaries or dances at parties they should place yet another smartphone in front of the one they are filming with, so that later, if they watch it – which most often never happens anyway – they could recall the “experience’ just as it has been – filming the moment, not taking it in.

The metaphor of the Surrogate is therefore very meaningful and poignant.

There are advantages in the advanced technologies and they are apparent in the film, together with the serious drawbacks, for Artificial Intelligence is already helping humankind in the medical, transport, military, cinematic and other fields, where drones and other intelligent machines can take the risks and allow the people to control them from the ground, when they are not completely autonomous.

The serious dangers are exposed in the motion picture, where FBI agent Greer has to investigate serious crimes – at one stage; a billion people can die when an inventor, Canter, is willing to take revenge on the world by killing humans by means of the Surrogates, hacking into the computer system.

The hero has been through a personal tragedy, when his son has died, and he is now facing another calamity, given that his wife is a recluse, lying on the bed and ingurgitating pills, while a much more beautiful, nearly perfect simulacrum is living her life, appalled when the FBI agent does not show the handsome, young substitute to the world.

Maggie, Greer’s wife, is played by Rosamund Pike.

The plot is interesting at times/

That notwithstanding, the major attraction of the film seems to be the invitation to think about the future.

We could look at present trends and worry that some of the dark aspects could and would be continued in the future.

The other day, a distinguished professor from Yale University talked about the message from his book that worries about the effect Russia has and would have while abusing the instruments offered by the new technologies:

The internet, Facebook, twitter

The Russian disinformation machine has managed to create a sense of uncertainty, hacking into the American elections of 2016 and preparing to do so again, helping extremists there and in other countries.

A feeling that it is hopeless, people do not know what to think anymore, it is useless to act anyway helps these monsters and they have had a series of victories in attacking the pillars of democracy in the west- less educated men and women do not trust the mass media – some of which is controlled by evil forces anyway – and they have been brain washed to the extent where they vote for clowns like Trump.

It could be argued that this impostor is the Ultimate Surrogate.

He has proved on a multitude of occasions that he is unable to think for himself, he is the Epitome of the Narcissistic Liar, self-obsessed beyond the pathological limit – this is a medical case, as a prestigious doctor from Harvard has explained on CNN –and he operates as a

Putin surrogate