‘Surrogate’ bother

Blame it on Wii, but 2009 is fast becoming the year of the “avatar.” First Gamer, now Surrogates, and before we know it James Cameron will throw them at us in 3-D with Avatar. Set in a future where humans live in virtual isolation and interact mostly through robotic doppelgangers called “surrogates,” the film stars Bruce Willis as a cop who hasn’t actually left his house in years but ventures out to investigate the planet’s first murder of some of these life-like androids. As he digs deeper, he uncovers a conspiracy that could threaten mankind if he doesn’t ditch his own surrogate and do all he can to prevent disaster. Ving Rames, Radha Mitchell and Rosamund Pike co-star. Rated PG-13. (Image courtesy Touchstone Pictures)