Avatars come alive

Bruce Willis is back to save the world... for the tenth time.
���Or is it the eleventh?��� he chips in. And, this time, it���s from people who are living their lives remotely, via robotic surrogates.
Bruce himself is at a loss for words when it comes to explaining the Surrogates phenomenon. ���It���s difficult to explain,��� he says, ���It���s like carrying a hi-tech phone.Do you remember the time when you didn���t have such technology, when you weren���t in constant contact with the world? Surrogates is about extrapolating that technology to the point where one can create a walking visual form that is impervious to danger and protects the actual person that is driving that hi-tech phone and is telling it what to do, what to think and how to move. It���s an interesting concept that brings up our real life obsession with beauty and technology,��� he elaborates.
And, it���s this obsession with technology that gives Bruce the chills. ���When I first read the script, it alarmed me. For example, the news of the death of Michael Jackson went around the world in about four seconds. That wouldn���t have happened 10 years ago. Information continues to be compressed to move faster. I���m not a fan of the social networking technology or electronic technology. If the power went out, we���d all have to go home right now,��� he shudders.
And, Bruce is not happy with the way things are. ���One of the by-products of surrogacy is that people tend to hide behind masks, which is, you know, not a bad thing. I bet there are a lot of people in the world who���d like to hide behind masks and probably do,��� he signs off.