Review of A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) by Mrmoviebuff — 03 Mar 2016

'A.I. Artificial Intelligence' is a flawed movie, without a doubt...but it's hardly Spielberg's worst movie, nor is it one of the worst movies ever made.

The idea was conceived by the late Stanley Kubrick ('2001' and 'A Clockwork Orange') for some 15 years, but was unwilling to take the project further because he thought that the CGI special effects were not advanced enough for his vision of the film. It wasn't until Kubrick saw Steven Spielberg's impressively detailed 'Jurassic Park' (1993) that he decided to collaborate with him and maybe even give him directing rights.

The movie stars Haley Joel Osment ('The Sixth Sense') as David, an 11 year old boy robot, or "mecha" that looks like an actual human child, feels like a human child, and can even display the emotion of love. But how can anyone love a boy if he is not real?

The couple that take him and look after him are parents; Monica (Frances O'Connor) and Henry (Sam Robards). Monica seems very frightened and emotionally disconnected from David, there is not much he can understand that humans do. David also doesn't sleep at night, but he is willing to imitate such an activity, he also doesn't eat, but likes to sit at the table to make him feel part of the family.

Eventually, Monica grows fond of David as he calls her "Mommy", and they begin to understand each other better.

One day, after David begins doing some dangerous things even though he was unaware, Monica decides that he is too unsafe to have around the house, and so she abandons David like someone would abandon their pet dog maybe because he accidentally attacked the youngest child.

All alone, David tries to find out where he must go, he remembers the story of "Pinocchio" and how the Blue Fairy is the one who changed the wooden Pinocchio into a real boy, and was able to live his life joyfully.

On the way, the young and vulnerable David meets a male, robotic prostitute named Gigolo Joe (Jude Law) who helps David find his way to the Blue Fairy in Manhattan. David meets his creator, Professor Hobby (William Hurt), who tells him all about his origins, David is shocked and upset to discover that he is not one of a kind, nor was he ever a real boy.

I liked this movie, I'm aware that the ending may have been too drawn out and long-winded for some, but I found myself almost emotionally drained in the moment. I felt sympathy for the young, robotic child who just wants to be loved by his mother, I wanted there to be a happy ending just like the way everything was solved in Disney's 'Pinocchio' (1940).

Without spoiling too much, some say that this movie is like watching two different movies at once, the first half feeling more like a Stanley Kubrick film due to the bleak and almost eerie atmosphere the tone sets itself out to be. The second half was said to be more sentimental and innocent, like most Steven Spielberg films.

The movie is 2 hours and 25 minutes long, and like most good or great films, all those minutes fly by as if it was half that run-time. I cared for the characters, I believed the story and the way it was executed, and I admired Spielberg's commitments to finishing off what Kubrick had trouble with. A story like this is no easy task to complete, Spielberg's execution may not be the most seamless, but he would have done a better job than most directors.

Good, but not great Spielberg.