Reel Critic:

The plot of “Surrogates” borrows elements from a string of successful sci-fi adventures. Viewers will be reminded of the androids from “Blade Runner,” the futuristic police work of “Minority Report” and the chase scenes from “The Matrix.” It even contains some social and political ideas that might have suited Stanley Kubrick.

The story takes place in a world where technology provides any human with a realistic robot to live their life vicariously. People direct their robot’s actions from the safety of a simulator chair. Most of the human race is reduced to sad couch potatoes.

Their good looking “surreys” go to work, earn a living and go out dancing Saturday night. They can behave recklessly without personal injury.

If a surrey gets hit by a bus, only the robot is destroyed. Its owner lives on at home and simply buys a new one. Things start to change when a real human dies after his surrogate gets attacked on the street.

Bruce Willis plays a burned-out cop who tries to solve the mystery. James Cromwell is the flawed scientist at the center of the investigation.

The screenplay has some interesting twists and turns. Overall, it’s a well-crafted example of the genre: a futuristic crime thriller wrapped in top-notch special effects with a crisp 88-minute running time.

JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator for the Orange County public defender’s office.