i, ROBOT (cert 12A, seen at Dundee Odeon) is set in 2035 and robots are part of everyday life.

They do the most of the service jobs in the community and most people have their own personal robot to carry out chores.

The robots follow a set of rules, which dictate they must follow human orders and protect human life.

It’s only Detective Spooner (Smith) who is wary of the robots and when a robot is the only suspect in the death of a top scientist he starts to discover the robots are starting to think for themselves.

i, ROBOT is a big, brassy blockbuster, with some spectacular set pieces and great detail put into its futuristic landscape.

But this is also a blockbuster with soul. This isn’t a by-the-numbers Will Smith action movie. The film raises questions about what differentiates humans from robots.

The robot Sonny, who is originally suspected of murder but comes to help Spooner in his investigation, gives heart to the film.

Sonny has been uniquely programmed and feels human emotions, making the difference between him — or should that be it? — and humans very small.

The film also has a level of horror to it, tapping into an increasing fear of computers becoming too intelligent for humans to understand.

It’s pretty hard for special effects to impress these days, but the effects in i, ROBOT are breathtaking.

The robots seamlessly integrate into the live action background and their movements seem totally believable.

The film, unlike the summer's other action blockbusters Spider-Man 2 and King Arthur, totally delivers on its action sequences.

A scene in which Spooner's car is attacked by hundreds of robots is spectacular.

i, ROBOT is effective right to its conclusion, with a plot that goes in unexpected but believable directions.

The film’s only wrong move is its insistence on Will Smith one-liners, which seem out of tone for the film’s tone and Spooner’s serious character.

VERDICT: An intelligent and spectacular blockbuster, which perfectly blends action, horror and drama. Highly recommended.

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IT has been heavily rumoured that Home on the Range (cert U, seen at Dundee UGC) will be the last 2-D animated feature made by Disney.

If this is the case then Disney is not going out with a bang, more of a shrug.

Home on the Range is the latest in a long line of average-to-poor Disney toons. It’s sad to think that on the studio’s recent record no one will miss the annual animated Disney release all that much.

But films like Brother Bear, Lilo and Stitch, Atlantis and Treasure Planet just aren’t up to scratch when compared to the dazzling images of the Pixar films or Shrek.

I don’t doubt that 2-D animation will survive — foreign films like Spirited Away and Belleville Rendez-Vous are still making animation interesting. It’s just unfortunate that the once wildly inventive and daring Disney has gone so stale.

Home on the Range is a western with a neat twist — it’s the cows rather than the cowboys who try to save the day.

The owner of dairy farm Patch of Heaven can’t afford to pay her debts, forcing the farm to be put up for auction.

Three cows — voiced by Judi Dench, Roseanne Barr and Jennifer Tilly — elect to raise the money by capturing notorious cattle rustler Alameda Slim.

The film is painfully in need of more drama — the little action is rushed and seems like more of an afterthought.

A key factor in Disney’s demise is that it has been pitching its films at too young an audience. The studio’s recent films might impress under-5s but older children will opt for the far more sophisticated like Monsters Inc, Shrek and Toy Story.

VERDICT: Younger children will find much to enjoy and Home on the Range is a painless sit-through for adults but ultimately this is another reason why Disney has been told to get out of the animated town.

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(18, Warner Home Video)

A DVD release sure to have you high-kicking in your living-room.

Starring Bruce Lee, Enter The Dragon is widely regarded to be the best kung-fu film of all time.

With the recent flurry of high-profile kung-fu influenced films like The Matrix and Kill Bill, now is a perfect time to re-examine a kung-fu classic.

Shaolin monk Lee (Bruce Lee) is sent on a mission to investigate the private island of renegade gang boss and opium baron Han (Kien Shih) while taking part in his legendary kung-fu tournament. The mission becomes personal when Lee learns that his sister committed suicide rather than submit to a gang of Han’s henchmen.

Despite its by-the-book plot, Enter The Dragon still stands up today thanks to its charismatic lead and the film’s inventive fight scenes.

The movie is also spectacularly shot and features one of Lalo Schifrin’s best funky scores. But it’s the fight scenes that make the film worth watching, full of colour and movement, making this DVD a must for fight fans.

EXTRAS: An amazing set of additional features over the DVD’s two disks.

Disk One not only features a pristine print of the film and 5.1 Dolby sound but a commentary from producer Paul Heller and a new making-of documentary.

The second disk has two feature-length extras — Curse of the Dragon, an examination of the Lee legacy, and Bruce Lee: A Warrior’s Journey, that includes a meticulous reconstruction of Lee’s intended cut of The Game of Death.

VERDICT: Worthy of its acclaim, Enter The Dragon still packs a punch.

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(15, Warner Home Video)

ARELIC from the short-lived blaxploitation period in the early 1970s, Cleopatra Jones sadly isn’t a match for her contemporaries Shaft and Foxy Brown.

Cleopatra Jones (Tamara Dobson) is a secret agent fighting drug trafficking in the US and abroad.

When Jones destroys a Turkish poppy field, drug baron Mommy (Shelley Winters hamming it up) enlists a string of dodgy cops to terrorise Jones’ friends and leave our high-kicking heroine open to attack.

The film’s plot could have come out of a textbook and the action sequences look cheap and amateurish.

But Cleopatra Jones, like the blacksploitation genre as a whole, is more about attitude and style than content.

The statuesque Tamara Dobson always looks beautiful and wears a variety of wild costumes throughout the film.

EXTRAS: None.

VERDICT: Trashy fun but horribly dated, Cleopatra Jones is a woman and a DVD you’ll probably want to stay away from.

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This year’s Van Helsing received the same treatment, but the animated film, and the full-length feature, disappointed. Dark Fury is out on August 16 in time for the Pitch Black sequel, The Chronicles of Riddick, on August 27. Lasting just half-an-hour, Dark Fury takes place right after the events of Pitch Black and is based on a story drafted by Pitch Black writer/director David Twohy. The original Pitch Black is re-released with an improved set of extras on the same date.

n If only you could go back in time and refund a DVD purchase… Donnie Darko is to get its third release on DVD on October 4, in a two-disk special edition. The release will feature the original cut of the film and the extended director’s cut, which will come to cinemas later this month. Donnie Darko was originally released on DVD in May 2003 complete with two commentaries and 20 deleted scenes.

The film was then released again last year on a vanilla disk to capitalise on the success of Gary Jules’ Mad World single, which came from the film. Its latest DVD incarnation will feature the original extras with the original (and by all accounts best) version of the film as well as a new production documentary and, intriguingly, “The Cultural Impact of Donnie Darko in the UK” featurette.