Robots Go Gaga For Smartphones In This Quirky Short Film
If we’re to believe the majority of written and visual science fiction, then the future of this planet will come under the rule of a massive army of robots intent on turning mankind into a distant memory. Of course, it’s just as easy to consider that human-made robots could eventually turn out to be just as petty and shameful as a large percentage of the people on this planet. Or at least the U.S. The visual effects company Big Lazy Robot (no relation) has created a short film with satire sharp enough to slice the Internet in half.
iDiots doesn’t really tell a story so much as it raises a distorted mirror up to our tech-obsessed culture, featuring a workforce of robot drones that all become obsessed with the latest smartphone. You’d figure a robot with such an immersive product would immediately create something even more useful for society, but alas, these guys have similar tastes in time-wasting activities. They text each other, they look at pictures of cats, and they take non-essential pictures of their environments. They get on Facebook, they get on Amazon, and they buy apps that are more or less useless, like one that makes a whip noise.
But then one big jerk of a ‘bot comes out and ruins everyone’s fun by turning all of their phones into paperweights. But maybe he’s not so bad after all, as everyone is now able to rush to the “store” to get an updated iDiot 5. Commerce is alive and well! (Though they aren’t actually paying money.)
There’s something so quaint and happy about this video, despite its vague implications that we’re all doomed. The plucky music works well with these seemingly aimless robots who are all obviously just looking to have a good time. We’ve seen more interesting ways to use a cell phone here at GFR, but few that make me feel as terrible about myself. Just wait until these guys get a hold of a smartwatch.
(Checks Twitter and email.)
Now that I’m back, we can talk about another Big Lazy Robot video, Keloid, which they’ve been working on for years. It features a group of far more terrifying robots, and depicts an even more depressing universe than one in which robots think cats are cute. Sure, iDiots will probably get more people talking, but Keloid is what makes these guys huge in the digital effects game. Be afraid.
