For Tr Fred

Arnold Weaver

English Composition II

Media Analysis, Assignment 8-A

14 February 2009

All Joking Aside

Two nights ago, the much-anticipated futuristic robot film Robo

Jokesters premiered to a sell-out crowd. Set 2,000 years in the future, this

movie tells about a world operated entirely by robots. The robots faithfully

serve and entertain the human race until the day a mutated glitch in their

technology makes the comedians ruthless and power-hungry.

Unfortunately, the “Robo Jokesters,” as they are called, are still so funny

even in their quest for control that they continue down their path of

destruction and total domination. Predictably, the hilarious ‘bots take over

the world and enslave the human race. The storyline sounds simplistic, but

so much hides behind the easy laughs in this film. In addition to providing

hilarious one-liners and seat-gripping action, Robo Jokesters uses symbolism

and setting to develop a meaningful allegory for the dangers of unfettered

technology, which serves as a warning to us all.

The film relies heavily on the symbolism of the robots. These

mechanical actors are more than mere machines; they represent the

technology we use in today’s world. Today’s society relies on computers at

work, automated car washes on the weekends, and televisions in the

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evenings; in the film’s version of the future, these and other integral tasks

have been subsumed by robots. Some robots type or file documents at the

local law office while others cook and clean at home. Then, of course, there

are the Robo Jokesters, who perform nightly gigs for families around the

globe; people no longer gather for parties, go out on dates, or even walk

along the beach together. Instead, humans sit in front of their Robo

Jokesters until they fall asleep. Like those fictional characters,

contemporary man is slipping into a reliance on technology. How long will it

be, then, before we – like the characters in the film - wake up and find that

the Robo Jokesters (or our equivalent) have taken control? These

computerized comics symbolize the dependence modern man has on

technology and the complacency that that dependency can create.

Because this movie serves as a warning, it is appropriate that it be set

in the future. This movie is set far into the future when the world is much

different from our own but still quite similar. For example, the movie shows

robots, not people, driving cars to work; it also puts robots instead of

humans in grocery stores, banks, and schools. Therefore, our “normal” lives

still exist in this time period, but machines, not humans, are doing

everything. Showing the development of technology in 2,000 years and the

dangers inherent to an over-dependency on the robots provides an ideal

backdrop for the message this movie tries to export to the reader. Namely,

danger lies ahead, but we can still change our direction if we choose to.

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Indeed, the viewer will get a bargain with this movie, a real two-for-one

special. This movie provides entertainment for the whole family and lessons

for all of humanity. For, while enjoying the robot-filled two hours that this

movie offers, the viewer will suddenly understand the movie’s quite

philosophical theme: technology is not funny if humans are not there to

laugh.