MANILA, Philippines?It?s best not to think too deeply about the premise that lies at the core of ?Surrogates,? because it doesn?t hold up well under close scrutiny. On the surface, it?s believable enough. Many of us today already lead semi-virtual lives, and the idea of people living vicariously through a mechanized simulacrum of themselves?or the self that they wished they were?is not that far-fetched.

In ?Surrogates,? which is set in the not-so-distant future, people have chosen to let robots live their lives for them. Androids, which all have smooth, plastic surfaces reminiscent of Hollywood starlets, are the ones sent out into the big, bad world, with their owners directing their movements while lying comfortably ensconced in loungers. It?s like playing ?Sims? or ?Second Life? for real.

In this world, the folks walking the streets are pore-less, toned and wrinkle-free, as well as virtually indestructible. The few people resistant to the idea of living through machines have walled themselves off in reservations. There?s hardly any crime, and war is fought as though it were just another arcade game, with robots doing the fighting for their plugged-in human controllers.

Things seem to be running smoothly enough?until two surrogates get zapped, and their controllers? brains literally get scrambled. Suddenly, the world no longer seems safe and perfect.

Graphic novel

Directed by Jonathan Mostow, the action flick is based on the graphic novel of the same title by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele. Starring Bruce Willis as Greer, a battered, rough-around-the-edges FBI agent whose droid self looks like Willis? younger porn star version, the movie centers on Greer?s and his partner?s (Radha Mitchell) quest to uncover the whos, whats and wherefores of the two unprecedented murders.

The plot itself is standard thriller fare, featuring high-level intrigues and conspiracies, as well as a few half-convincing red herrings. There are two major figures on opposite sides of the fence?the surrogates? inventor, Dr. Lionel Canter (James Cromwell), and the Prophet (Ving Rhames), the leader of the Resistance?and it?s up to Greer to figure out how or why they?re involved.

In the meantime, Greer also has to deal with his grief from his son?s recent death, as well as the increasing distance between himself and his wife, Maggie (Rosamund Pike), who deals with her own sorrow by hiding behind the pretty, plastic façade of her surrogate.

While the action sequences and the detective plot manage to hold your interest, what?s more fascinating are the deeper, more human-centered concerns that are engendered by this kind of society. It?s not easy to explore these issues in an action movie, however, especially since the production chooses to focus instead on sticking to its catch-the-bad-guys storyline.

Special effects

Willis does a good job playing the Everyman caught in extraordinary circumstances, and you can?t help wishing that ?Surrogates? had given him more to work with?if it had leaned less toward gloss and special effects and more toward a deeper exploration of its already interesting premise.