A.I.: Artificial Intelligence Review

by Joel B. Kirk (joelkirk AT sbcglobal DOT net)
October 20th, 2003
Artificial Intelligence: A.I.
A Film Review by Joel B. Kirk

WHAT IT'S ABOUT:

In the not-so-far future the polar ice caps have melted and the resulting raise of the ocean waters has drowned all the coastal cities of the world. Withdrawn to the interior of the continents, the humankind keeps advancing, reaching to the point of creating realistic robots--called mechas--to serve him. One of the mecha-producing companies builds David, an artificial kid, which is the first to have real feelings, especially a never-ending love for his 'mother,' Monica. Monica, along with her husband Henry, is the woman who adopted him as a substitute for her real son, Martin, who remains in cryo-stasis, stricken by an incurable disease. David is living happily with Monica and Henry, but when Martin returns home after a cure is discovered, David's life changes dramatically.

MY TAKE:

Spielberg films tend to have stories dripping with tacked on sentiment, used as a crutch in order to goad the audience into transparent feeling. A.I. is no exception.

Based very loosely on the 1969 Brian Aldiss short story, 'SuperToys Last All Summer Long,' A.I. is a project that Kubrick wanted to do in the early 80s but held back due to the cost of effects. After his passing, the last film he would direct, EYES WIDE SHUT was hailed and derailed by critics. Spielberg would direct the planned A.I. from Kubrick's notes, even writing the screenplay, his second since 1977's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND.

Here, we get is a long drawn out flat film. Frequently, we hear that David wants to find the Blue Fairy. However, after the 2-hour mark, we want him to find this being so the movie can be done already. The resolution we get leaves us confused and disappointed, as we don't get one, but three cryptic endings.

Positive/Negative Nitpicks:

-The trip to Rouge City, where he is to ask a know-it-all computer (voiced by Robin Williams) called Dr. Know, the location of the Blue Fairy. This is where the movie takes a turn, giving us a feeling that this film has gone on for too long.

-Gigolo Joe, the sex mecha, seems almost a character in his own film, especially since he is the only one with any feeling in his demeanor. As David searches for his Blue Fairy, Joe searches for acceptance as an artificial being, as robots have taken positions as lovers, laborers, upsetting some of the humans, who put these mechas in a Flesh Fair, or demolition show in which the robots are destroyed for amusement.

-As aforementioned, the three endings:
(1) Why is it when David discovers that he is a robot, after meeting Professor Hobby, there is a look of surprise? This is filmed as some sort of revelation. Hasn't he wanted to become real throughout the entire picture? (2) After fleeing in a police copter over sunken New York, the film supposedly ends after finding out his Blue Fairy is not so real as he was led to believe. We pan away leaving him and Teddy in the police copter, contemplating in the underwater depths, coincidentally facing a porcelain Blue Fairy from a sunken carnival. (3) David meets aliens, years, or centuries later? Where are they from? What is their purpose? What happened to the human civilization? What are aliens doing in a film about robots finding acceptance? (Note: I actually found out these are advanced robots; but, for the average moviegoer, is he or she really going to pick this up?)
Final Comments:

Unfortunately, because this is a Spielberg film, many of these sloppy inconsistencies will be forgiven. When he is given a tight script, Steven Spielberg can do wonders: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, JAWS, INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE, SCHINDLER'S LIST, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, and MINORITY REPORT.

What we get here is artificial nonsense.

RATING:
** out of *****

DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
WRITER (S):
Ian Watson
Steven Spielberg
CAST:
David Swinton-Haley Joel Osment
Gigolo Joe-Jude Law
Henry Swinton-Sam Robards
Monica Swinton-Frances O'Conner
Professor Allen Hobby-William Hurt
Martin Swinton-Jake Thomas

RUNNING TIME: 145 minutes
GENRE: Science Fiction
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2001 by Warner Bros.

Email: joelkirk@sbcglobal.net

Copyright 2003 Joel B. Kirk

More on 'A.I.: Artificial Intelligence'...

---

Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.