Review of A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) by Steven C — 06 Apr 2011

Visually, this film dances before your eyes from beginning to end. Spielberg is a director who know how to get things done visually in his pictures, and here he does not hold back. The film's style reminded me a lot of the visual style in Minority Report. Almost like they could be from the same earth at the same time, but just different stories in different parts of the world.

The story's kind of a futuristic retake on Pinocchio and has Haley Joel Osment giving a fantastic (amazing actually) performance as a one of a kind boy model Mecca (robot), that can love and long and fear.

Jude Law plays the role he was born to play, as a lover model Mecca, basically a too-slick-for-words male prostitute.

There's lots of other great performances too, but the real treat again is the visuals. This is probably one of the best films visually I have ever seen. The special effects are some of the best I have ever seen and still look ahead of their time today, ten years later. No big surprise though considering you've got the combined forces of Spielberg, Stan Winston and the miracle makers over at Industrial Light and Magic at the helm. But the effects aren't the only impressive visual aspect of A.I. The camera work and use of light and shadow are still further examples of why Spielberg is, without doubt, one of the absolute greatest directors and filmmakers in the history of the cinema. And that has nothing to do with ticket sales.

The story's a simple one, but very, very emotionally effective. At times sweet, at times scary, but mostly sad. It provides a great commentary on the power of love, even in soulless creations, and the potential dangers in making machines that function beyond the capabilities of humans.

The end of the movie is a disturbing, unsettling experience. It is also where the film goes from contemporary futuristic, to complete and total sci-fi, taking place farther into the future than many movies dare to go. So does Spielberg go too far? Well, probably. If the film had ended with the oceans freezing and the narrator saying what he says about David and the Blue Fairy, A.I. would've been better. In fact, that might've taken it from being a movie I greatly admire, to being one of my favourite movies of all time. Endings at times seem to be Spielberg's only weakness. And while I didn't hate the ending, it did feel like his odd attempt at sending the audience off on a sweet note, even though I still personally found that note to be fairly disturbing upon reflection.

But don't worry! It isn't an ending as bad or over the top ridiculous as the ones in War of the Worlds, or, even worse, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. And thank God for that.