Surrogates is not a perfect film. Its plot is linear, its villains are somewhat underdeveloped, and the ending resolves a little too neatly. Yet, its imperfections mirror its message. In a cinematic landscape full of explosive blockbusters, Surrogates is a quiet, gray-toned warning.
The plot ignites when two college students are murdered—not their surrogates, but their real, reclusive bodies, found dead in their chairs. This is supposed to be impossible. The surrogates are designed to take the damage; the humans are safe at home. When Greer and his partner (Radha Mitchell) investigate, they uncover a weapon that bypasses the robot and directly fries the user’s brain. Surrogates
Crime, as a result, has plummeted. The world is polite, clean, and superficially happy. The inventor of the technology, Dr. Lionel Canter (James Cromwell), is hailed as a savior. But this utopia is a fragile shell. Surrogates is not a perfect film