It’s funny how movies with similar themes seem to arrive together. Fresh from the thought-provoking but underwhelming Gamer comes Surrogates. In this dystopian world, robotics has advanced to such a degree that people have replaced themselves in everyday life with leaner, faster, more handsome, less laugh-lined robot surrogates. The world is a sunnier, happier place, as crime drops and everyone looks buff (the casting calls for this movie must have been a hoot) and all the rest of humanity hang out at home in their jarmies. But something’s amiss, as a new weapon can kill both surrogates and their human controllers. Bruce Willis is dragged out of bed to solve the crime, shed his blonde fringe, and save humanity.
Although it’s not a great movie, it’s not without it’s charms, and the locations in and around Massachusetts are spot on. The city of Worcester was one of the most profiled, the result of a collaborative effort between Destination Worcester (who knew?!), the Worcester Sales Task Force (a hotel and restaurant group), the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the city manager, Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray, and the Massachusetts Film Office….. See, this stuff doesn’t just happen……