Surrogates is a 2009 science fiction film, based on the 2005–2006 comic book series of the same name. The film is directed by Jonathan Mostow and stars Bruce Willis. Surrogates was released on September 25, 2009.
In 2017, humans live in near-total isolation, rarely leaving the safety and comfort of their homes, thanks to remotely-controlled robotic bodies that serve as "surrogates," designed as better-looking versions of their human operators. Because people are safe all the time, and damage done to a surrogate is not felt by its owner, it is a peaceful world free from fear, pain, and crime.
Agent Tom Greer (Bruce Willis) is an FBI agent who, through the use of his own surrogate, investigates the first murder in years: Jarod, the college student son of the man who invented the surrogates, and who uses multiple surrogates himself. The case grows more complicated, however, when several humans are murdered when their surrogates are destroyed, something which is not supposed to happen, as the human operator is normally safe from the damage done to his/her surrogate.
Greer begins investigating the murder and is lead to the Dreads, a group of humans led by a mysterious man known only as The Prophet (Ving Rhames) who are against the use of surrogates. Greer and his partner Peters (Radha Mitchell) determine the identity of the murderer is a Dread named Miles. Miles used a unique weapon called an O.D. (Overload Device) to kill Jarod as well as five cops tracking him with the weapon. Greer barely escapes death by the weapon. He survives by disconnecting himself from his surrogate as the weapon is fired, and then resumes his connection to the surrogate afterwards. Although his surrogate is physically damaged, it is able to pursue Miles before his surrogate is destroyed by the Dreads. Greer is badly hurt by the weapon despite disconnecting. He is found in his apartment by his wife Maggie (Rosamund Pike). She prefers interacting through her surrogate, even with her husband in the privacy of their home. We learn that the couple is particularly distant from each other as they grieve over their young son who died in a car accident. Greer is taken to the hospital and survives, although he is suspended and will not be issued another agency surrogate while his actions are investigated.
At the Dread Reservation, Miles is approached by The Prophet who demands information about the weapon. Miles is apparently killed by The Prophet or his followers. When Greer goes into the Reservation, he stumbles upon Miles' funeral and then approaches The Prophet, asking about the weapon Miles used. As Greer leaves the Reservation, it is revealed that The Prophet has the weapon. Greer meets with Dr. Canter, again using one of his surrogates, who suggests the weapon was manufactured by the military. Greer meets with a member of the military and learns that the weapon sends a computer virus into the surrogates that shuts them down, but it also disables the failsafe mechanisms and kills the operator.
A mysterious surrogate goes to the home of Greer's partner Peters and kills her, then transfers control of her surrogate to an unknown party who uses it to go through the financial records of the FBI. The Peters surrogate learns that Stone, Peters and Greer's boss, is apparently behind the death of Jarod, having been assigned by the company that creates the surrogates to kill Dr. Canter which he in turn assigned to Miles. Jarod was using one of his father's surrogates and as such was mistaken for him. At the Dread compound, The Prophet orders delivery of the weapon to Peters just before the military attacks. The Prophet and his men are killed, but The Prophet is revealed to be a surrogate of Doctor Canter. The Peters surrogate tricks Greer into getting information about the weapon from Stone's computer. The Peters surrogate then flees from Greer, taking the information and the weapon. Greer chases her, but she escapes and goes to FBI headquarters where she takes a human system administrator (who does not use a surrogate) hostage and hooks the weapon up the surrogate network to kill all the surrogate operators.
Reviews
Surrogates received mostly mixed reviews from Rotten Tomatoes, Based upon 91 reviews it has an overall 40% with critics giving the film a positive review. Metacritic gives the film an average score of 47, based on 19 reviews.
