Review of A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) by Daniel K — 15 May 2011

3: This is the kind of picture one remembers snippets of in absolutely vivid detail, but the complete story seems elusive and ephemeral. By this I mean that the actual plot isn't terribly important, but the themes explored, feelings evoked, and images displayed are terribly relevant and memorable.

So many shots seem framed for perpetuity, as if they were destined to be made into giant movie posters or placed in film textbooks. It is a brilliantly photographed and designed picture, as one would expect from a Spielberg picture made to honor Kubrick's vision.

It certainly would have been interesting to see Kubrick's version; I have to think it would have been superior to Spielberg's, but I imagine it would have taken a decade to film, edit, and produce for the art house and not the multiplex.

Osmont is perfectly cast, although he doesn't give what I would call an Oscar-worthy performance. He is hampered by the fact that he is meant to be playing a robot, just as Brent Spiner is in Star Trek; The Next Generation.

William Hurt's gravitas is essential for his character, as is Jude Law's charisma for his. It is an incredibly expansive and long-reaching story that takes in much, much more than most films would even dream of attempting.

An interesting, visionary, and cautionary moral fairy tale indeed.