Review of A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) by Brandon V — 05 Aug 2011

Well, damn. I've tried to convince myself that there's something here for such a long time, maybe a grand message relating to the existential dissatisfaction of a being that doesn't really even truly exist. Hell, I've watched this movie three times and that element still doesn't seem to be quite intact. As a visually driven story, I guess it kind of works, but definitely not to the extent that some say.

Two big names influence this sci-fi/fantasy/drama, a somewhat impressive cluster-fuck. It's Kubrick and Spielberg, two big guys on campus, both equal masters on their own turf. Together? They're completely opposites so it all feels rather confused, likely to bust a leak.

The cast all hold their own, and Haley Joel Osment is at his crying-and-whispering best. Yes, that is a hint I think the kid can get annoying as hell when not left in moderation. My favorite is probably Jude Law the male prostitute lover bot. He's the only one that gives us a break from the semi-religious, extraordinarily pretentious mumbo jumbo. And I really, really dug his character.

Some scenes are really effective, here. It's certainly not all bad. Every moment involving the 'flesh fairs' is surprisingly compelling, and evokes the most emotion and sentimentality. The special effects are also fantastically advanced for their time and well implemented into practical atmospheres.

"A.I." is, as I've been pounding in, a mess. Neither good nor bad, success or failure, it's an uneven, over-realized collection of philosophy and intriguing futuristic science fiction. I hold a strange affection for it, and I don't have a clue what it is, so this is just a really hard movie for me to talk about. Hope you can understand. If you can handle two and a half hours of nonsensical wonderment, you'll enjoy it. If not... You won't. Simple.