Review: A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Dustin Putman
Directed by Steven Spielberg.
Cast: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, William Hurt, Sam
Robards, Jake Thomas, Brendan Gleeson, April Grace.
2001 - 145 minutes
Rated PG-13 (for profanity and sexual situations).
Reviewed by Dustin Putman, June 30, 2001.
Loosely based on the story, "Supertoys Last All Summer Long," by Brian
Aldiss, and the late Stanley Kubrick's dream project up until his death in
1999, "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence" is as accomplished a motion picture as
anything director Steven Spielberg has ever made. Following Kubrick's
unfortunate passing, Spielberg, who had prior been collaborating ideas with
him concerning "A.I.," decided to make it his next directorial effort, both
as a movie that he was passionate and excited about, and as a loving tribute
to one of the great masters of the cinema.
The end result of the long, arduous, 25-year journey of "A.I." is a
science-fiction film filled with endless imagination and wonder; a mature,
almost devastating fairy tale; and a thought-provoking rumination on the
importance of love, and determined hope, in one's life. The movie is, indeed,
a Spielberg production, although it does feature an icy, somehow bleak,
emotional core that is certainly Kubrickian in spirit, and undoubtedly
intentional. Using the approach of differing styles of moviemaking (with
Spielberg more of a wide-eyed optimist) turns out to work extraordinarily
well in this film's case, as the picture is deeply touching and effective
without being maudlin, and occasionally sterile without coming off as
cold-hearted.
Set in a futuristic setting, following the melting of the ice caps which has
drowned entire U.S. cities (including Manhattan), Professor Hobby (William
Hurt) has created a string of mechas--robots with the physical appearance of
humans--to live in the world. With all mechas having been made into adults up
until this point, Hobby introduces his most life-like creation yet: an
11-year-old boy named David (Haley Joel Osment). Programmed to be able to
love (the first of his kind to be able to do such a thing), David is taken in
by Monica Swinton (Frances O'Connor) and her husband, Henry (Sam Robards), as
a child "substitute" for their own young son, Martin (Jake Thomas), who has
been cryogenically frozen while they await a cure for the disease he has.
At first creeped out by David, Henry and Monica quickly warm up to him, and
in Monica's case, falls in love with what is now her new son. Aside from not
being able to eat or sleep, David is exactly like a regular boy, delighting
in mimicking and picking up new information, as well as being able to play
games. When Martin suddenly awakes from his comatose state and begins to get
better, he rejoins his parents' lives, and in the process, David
progressively loses the attention and, through a series of circumstances out
of his control, made to look potentially dangerous. Forced to get rid of him,
but not wanting him destroyed by the company for returning him, Monica drives
David into the forest one day, and leaves him there alone, with only a
mechanical, talking teddy bear as company.
Leading up to its release, "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence" was purposefully
advertised in an obscure manner that didn't give away much of its premise, or
hardly any scenes from the film itself. This was the wisest choice anyone
could have made, as "A.I." is a gloriously creative film that prospers from
its sheer unpredictability, and constant reminder that it is not just another
"dumb sci-fi movie," but a motion picture overflowing with exciting ideas and
relevant themes.
Believing that Monica will love him if only he becomes a real boy, David sets
off to find the Blue Fairy from the fairy tale, "Pinocchio," whom he
earnestly believes is the only one with the power to grant him his wish. On
his journey, he meets a fellow mecha named Gigolo Joe (Jude Law), whose name
reveals what he has been programmed to do. Joe is a cynic, but forms a bond
with David, and consequently, helps him to accomplish his mission, even if it
is a lost cause. It is never clear to the viewer if the Blue Fairy does
genuinely exist, and this mystery is what fuels the entire second half of the
film.
Haley Joel Osment (2000's "Pay It Forward") is a revelation as David, even
more so than in 1999's box-office smash, "The Sixth Sense," which led him to
an Oscar nomination. At only 13-years-old, Osment's ability to convey utter
realism and subtlety in each of his performances is remarkable, to say the
least. This has never been so apparent as right here, in a difficult and
complex role as a sympathetic character who is, nonetheless, not real, but a
machine. Osment must carry the whole movie solely on his shoulders, and he
hits every note exactly right. Simply no other child actor could have done as
refined and impressive of a job.
The cast that surrounds Osment is truly fine, as well. Jude Law (1999's "The
Talented Mr. Ripley") is self-assured and appropriately cocky and cool as
Gigolo Joe. Law plausibly paints Joe as a person (read: robot) who is suave,
undeniably sexy, and devoted to pleasing women. As the increasingly
distraught, yet caring, Monica, Frances O'Connor (2000's "Bedazzled") is
heartbreaking, particularly in the bravura sequence in which she takes David
on a trip that she knows will only have one of them returning home. Finally,
William Hurt (1998's "One True Thing") is emphatically low-key and memorable
as David's inventor, Professor Hobby, who may have an ulterior motive behind
his creation of a mecha child.
The technical credits of "A.I." are awe-inspiring. Spielberg regular Janusz
Kaminski's cinematography is both beautiful and understated, as is John
Williams' unusually poetic music score. And the production design and visual
effects, by Industrial Light & Magic, are a sight to behold. There are images
throughout that will stick with you long after the lights in the theater have
gone up, especially the depiction of New York City engulfed in an endless
sea, as well as the haunting underwater creation of Coney Island.
A tragic, if inspiring, motion picture event, there are impassioned issues
about humanity that are brought up which will resonate with every viewer. And
the imagination and artistry which the film has been made with is
second-to-none. To watch "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence" is to experience a
visually astounding and emotionally rewarding triumph that, in time, is sure
to go down as one of the all-time brilliant achievements in modern
moviemaking. Stanley Kubrick sure would have been proud.
- Copyright 2001 by Dustin Putman
http://us.imdb.com/ReviewsBy?Dustin+Putman
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Dennis Schwartz
screenwriters: Ian Watson (screen story)/Brian Aldiss--based on his short story
"Supertoys Last All Summer Long'' by Brian Aldiss; cinematographer: Janusz
Kaminski; editor: Michael
Kahn; cast: Haley Joel Osment (David), Jude Law (Gigolo Joe), Frances O'Connor
(Monica Swinton), Sam Robards (Henry Swinton), Jake Thomas (Martin Swinton),
Brendan Gleeson (Lord Johnson-Johnson), William Hurt (Professor Hobby), Jack
Angel (Voice of Teddy), Robin Williams (Voice of Dr. Know), Ben Kingsley
(Narrator); Runtime: 145; Warner Bros./DreamWorks; 2001)
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Stanley Kubrick until his untimely death was working on a project that weighed
for a long time on his mind -- the subject of artificial intelligence. He worked
on a treatment
he prepared with Ian Watson based on the 1969 Brian Aldiss short story and the
many drawings he'd done with Chris Baker, which were both handed over to Steven
Spielberg. He also hired an engineer to live on his English estate and build the
perfect child robot, waiting all these years for technology to advance before he
made his film. Steven Spielberg is given the blessing by the Kubrick estate to
take over that project, and he brings his great craftsmanship skill as a visual
story teller to the film while paying homage to Kubrick's intentions and themes
he wanted developed. He succeeds for most of the film in keeping it tight while
presenting an occasional riveting psychological moment or two, as he tells a
fairy tale for adults; it's a version which will go way over the heads of
children and many of the adults. What he does is put the Pinocchio fairy tale,
the Frankenstein story, and the Oedipus myth in his warm-hearted blender and
gives them a good mixing up. He also takes full credit for the script and does
not include Kubrick as co-screenwriter; he only credits him with the film's
idea.
What Spielberg fails to do is tell the fairy tale ending in the same artistic
way a Kubrick would have displayed his mastery of telling a good mystery story.
He does turn the climax into one which should have critics wondering about his
intentions for a long-time to come, as in his use of the academic voiceover
lecture to end the film on. It was a thoughtful climactic touch but what the
film demanded for it to be considered as a masterpiece, is a more lyrical note
to end it on; which is the most glaring fault of the film.
What Spielberg delivers is a film that leaves you thinking about what the end of
human civilization means and how close to artificial intelligence can the world
be as its reality, and about how love is something that can't be programmed
without something being amiss about it. It also does not have Spielberg's usual
dosage of sentimentality, which has played havoc with most of his previous
films.
It's a splendid film that pays homage to both himself and Kubrick for their
noteworthy films. Spielberg for his Close Encounters of a Third Kind/E. T..
Kubrick for his 2001: A Space Odyssey/Eyes Wide Shut.
It's a Hollywood film that defies what a Hollywood film is about, while in
essence still being a Hollywood film of excesses and special effects. This is
one of the best films Spielberg has ever made, and his most thought-provoking
one. It has much of both giant filmmakers locked into this story, though it's a
Spielberg film and not a Kubrick one.
A.I. is set in the near-future, mid-21st century, as narrator Ben Kingsley
explains that the melted ice caps are a common sight. The sight of NYC submerged
under the ocean is both bleak and visually satisfying. Most of civilization is
submerged in destruction of their land mass, and it's common for families to
have robots to do their work out of necessity because of the labor shortage.
These robots are created to function as humanoids and are known as "mechas."
The film opens when the optimistically brilliant NYC robot designer, Dr. Hobby
(William Hurt), in the middle of lecturing his colleagues about his latest
revolutionary creation -- "a robot child with a love that will never end." The
robot can dream, has an unconscious state and can feel both pain and love. Hobby
fields all question and with the self-satisfied air of a true believer in the
prevailing biblical myth, mentions to his doubters: "Didn't God create Adam so
that he might love Him?" What is hinted at, is that we are just beginning to see
what the possibilities there are in A.I.. Until now all the robots have to be
programmed by us but, perhaps, in 50 years these robots will be able to not only
program themselves and surpass their creators, but give us eternal life if we
can feed into their system and give up our human life (after all the mind is
what makes us human and not our body parts). But in order for the robots to have
a live intelligence and not merely a programmed one, they will have to be
created like nature creates its plants and animals. It is this possibility that
will always leave them flawed, but with the potential to push evolution to new
levels. In that time, possibly by the middle of this century, the robots will
become real creatures.
Hobby's creation is the angelic blond named David (Haley Joel Osment), and he's
awarded twenty months later for adoption to a couple, Henry (Sam Robards) and
Monica Swinton (Frances O'Connor), whose six year old, Martin (Jake Thomas), has
been frozen the last five years with a critical illness. David, the cybertronic
simulation of a boy, is Henry's surprise gift to his wife, hoping that the
child's programmed unswerving love for her will make her forget her real son's
debilitation.
David's initial programmed response to Monica is: "Mommy, will you die?"
For the first hour or so, the story takes place in the couple's suburban upscale
home and the action is limited to how they adjust to each other. When Martin
suddenly recovers and returns home, a jealous Cain and Abel sibling rivalry for
their mother's attention ensues. Into the mix is thrown a robotic Teddy bear,
Martin's supertoy, who can walk and talk, and he now becomes a constant
companion of David's. In the meantime Martin replaces his Teddy by making David
his new supertoy. What results is that the family has many misgivings about
David and what his love means to them. After a few questionable incidents they
decide to dump the robot. In one incident David sneaks into mom's bedroom while
she's asleep to clip a lock of her hair because of Martin goading him to do it.
When mom awakens to see the scissors in his hand, she instinctively feels more
love for her flawed real son than her programmed loving one. There's also an
alarming swimming pool incident where David almost drowns the sneaky Martin, and
there's a spinach eating incident that Martin goads David into (robots can't eat
and if they do it messes up their inside circuitry). They decide to return David
to the cybertronic lab in New Jersey, in the same way a disheartened pet owner
might do when taking their unwanted pet to an animal shelter. In this case it
means destruction and a trip to the scrap heap (which is like a junkyard for
autos). But mom can't bear to have her artificial son destroyed, so she sends it
out into the woods with Teddy Bear as a companion and tells the boy to learn how
to survive and not to trust humans -- but to never come home again. David is
touched by human feelings and only wishes he could be created again as a real
boy (the film's main theme), and once again be with Monica. Having absorbed the
Pinocchio story read to him by Monica at bedtime (even though he has no need to
sleep), he believes if he can find the "Blue Fairy" he can get his only wish in
life and be once again reunited with Monica as a real boy through her making him
real, just like she made the wooden Pinocchio real.
The second half of the story becomes layered with more complex themes and harder
to answer questions. It's a spiritual odyssey about creation that David takes in
the hardened nocturnal world of what remains of urban civilization, which is a
reflection of a literary hell. It's here that Spielberg asks questions about
humanity that he has never asked before in his more lightweight films: he
questions family values and wonders about scientific and religious definitions
of creation, and he most of all wonders if humanity is only one link in
evolution that raises consciousness and that if it becomes obsolete what will be
the other ways to evolve.
In these scenes to find the Blue Fairy, David and Teddy team up with an agile
mecha gigolo named Joe (Law). But they must escape from "antirobot human bounty
hunters on motor bikes'' and their mean leader (Gleeson), who captures these
stray mechas for Roman gladiator-like entertainment events and takes them to a
place called Flesh Fair. Here the amusement park operators find gruesome novel
ways to kill the mechas off to entertain their thrill-seeking audience. The trio
escapes to a neon-lit Rouge City, a seedy place where the animated stud, Joe,
had previously pleasured his women clientele and claims to know all that there's
to know about women. It's here that the trio encounter a wizard answer man
called Dr. Know (voice of Robin Williams). He sends them on their way to the
"End of the World" to meet the Blue Fairy, in the submerged New York. It takes
David a mere 2000 years to reach his destination, but once there he has the
entrancing showdown with what life means and finds out that the best you can do
is return to the dream world.
It's an imaginative film, that has a lot going for it except exciting dialogue.
I couldn't ask for anything more from Spielberg; he has taken on Kubrick's depth
and artistic integrity in filmmaking, at least, for this film; he has paid
homage to Kubrick, and has made a highly personal film. This might disappoint
many in the mass market audience that are attracted to Spielberg for other
reasons and might expect to see another kiddie pic like E. T.. But the film will
also attract a more sophisticated sci-fi film crowd, that should connect this
film with a "2001" cyberspace experience.
The acting accolades go to Haley Joel Osment -- who carries the film as an
innocent, albeit, unreal child, left alone and vulnerable in a very cruel world;
he only wants to return to the only home he has ever known; and, to Jude Law,
who is refreshingly daffy as a gigolo and friend to David.
REVIEWED ON 7/6/2001 GRADE: A -
Dennis Schwartz: "Ozus' World Movie Reviews"
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DENNIS SCHWARTZ
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Homer Yen
by Homer Yen
(c) 2001
In a movie season when most audiences show a
propensity to see light-hearted or action-packed fare,
a film like "A.I." is a puzzling offering. The Steven
Spielberg/Stanley Kubrick collaboration about a
sophisticated robot boy programmed to love is an
intellectually demanding film that requires far more
brain power than most summer moviegoers want to
muster. Stately paced, it is an incredibly ambitious
effort that inspires discussion over its message,
contemplation over its perplexities, and debate over
its cryptic ending.
"A.I." is a triptych of curiosity, wonderment, and
ultimately, ambiguity. It is a futuristic story about
a 'mecha' named David (Haley Joel Osment who
impressively strikes a balance between robotic
woodenness and human neediness). Mechas are highly
sophisticated androids that resemble humans in both
appearance and emotion. However, none had ever been
programmed to love -- until now.
The production of David creates a fascinating
quandary. For, even if he could love a family, would
the family love him back? And would this technology
somehow threaten the frail structure upon which
humanity currently sits? This intriguing question,
however, is only explored to a certain degree.
"A.I." veers during its second act, becoming an
adventure film. David is ultimately rejected by his
family. However, the adoptive mother (Frances
O'Connor) does not return David to his creators for
destruction, but instead sets him free. David, who
still loves and may now even dream, sets off on a
personal quest that borrows elements from Pinocchio
and The Wizard of Oz.
The journey is absolutely wondrous. He meets boon
friend, Gigolo Joe (Jude Law), a sleek-looking mecha
(thanks to aggressive makeup) that oozes with lusty
optimism. He possesses a sultry charm and his
performance is balletic and memorable. And the places
they travel to are jaw-droppingly stunning from the
carnal Rouge City and its festive air of hedonism to
the post-apocalyptic landscape of a now-submerged
Manhattan in which skyscrapers jut up like reeds in a
swamp.
In the final act, however, the audience may feel as
confused as they are awed by the spectacular
visualizations of the future. It is in this final
segment that David tries to find that elusive bridge
between machine and humanity. But the film doesn't
offer any concrete resolutions. Perhaps this is
because in science fiction, much of what's seen is a
product of the filmmaker's imagination, and so too are
we left to conjure an interpretation of the final
scenes. What any of us eventually come up with will
surely be debatable.
Yet, a sense of wonderment may have been the entire
purpose of this film. There are dozens of scenes that
emphasize hand-holding. This may remind you of when
you were young and your parent took you for a walk to
the zoo or some other exotic location (at least by a
10-year old's standards). You would look around in
amazement although you frequently didn't understand
where you were. But your parent would continue to
point things out to your delight. And it seems that
the filmmaker's are perhaps doing something similar
but on a much grander scale. It challenges you to
look at the incredible sights, to look and try to see
the meaning of it all, and to look and formulate your
own thoughts.
After emerging from this film, you'll feel the fuzzy
sensation that you had seen something
thought-provoking. "A.I." is undeniably audacious and
technically brilliant. Yet, it should have engaged us
more meaningfully, given us more answers, and been
more moving. What it did was to only spark our
curiosity, burden us with unanswered questions, and
leave us in a trance.
Grade: B-
S: 1 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 2 out of 3
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Steve Rhodes
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2001 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2
Steven Spielberg’s A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE is a captivating, science
fiction story about the quest for motherly love. A Pinocchio-like tale, it
features another astonishing, guileless and certainly Oscar caliber performance
by Haley Joel Osment as a robot (“mecha”) named David. Frances O'Connor
(MANSFIELD PARK) plays his human “mother,” Monica Swinton.
Originally the creative baby of Stanley Kubrick (2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and EYES
WIDE SHUT), this joint collaboration of Spielberg and the late Kubrick shows
more of Kubrick than Spielberg. Divided into 3 sections, the movie is two and
one-half parts brilliance and one-half part unnecessary, feel-good ending.
Reportedly, it is this last part that is uniquely a Spielberg touch. Kubrick,
who wasn’t involved after the development stage, is given only a concept credit.
The film is also dedicated to his honor.
Set in a time in the future after an ecological disaster has caused Manhattan
and other coastal cities to be under a few hundred feet of water, the movie
features a lot of wealthy people who are coping with the help of human-like
mechas. These mechanical wonders look exactly like humans unless you penetrate
their skins with knives or X-rays. What mechas can't do is have genuine human
emotions. They are, however, great at faking everything, including love.
Professor Hobby (William Hurt) makes a truly radical proposal. He and his team
will build mechas who can truly love “with love that will never end.” David is
serial number one in this new line.
The professor believes that he has found an ideal couple to bond with David in
the Swintons. Mother Monica is racked with grief over the "death" of her “real”
son, Martin (Jake Thomas, THE CELL), who has been cryogenically frozen until a
cure is found for his disease. Her husband, Henry (Sam Robards), is a
remarkably unimportant character whose only contribution is to attempt to get
his wife some happiness by bringing David home.
The story raises intriguing moral questions at every turn with the greatest of
these being: what does it mean to love, what responsibilities do we have as
humans and what does it mean to be real? It also poses such eternal questions
of childhood as David's of, “Mommy, will you die?” His question takes on extra
poignance since it seems that he will live indefinitely while she is mortal and
therefore quite perishable. What David wants most of all is to be a real boy so
that his mother will love him.
A computerized teddy bear (voiced by Jack Angel), who asserts “I am not a toy,”
is the film’s most endearing character, calling to mind Spielberg's famous and
loveable E.T. David is the film’s most tragic character.
The intricate script recalls parts of many movies, including Sid’s toy chest
from TOY STORY and the bar scene from the original STAR WARS. Stan Winston's
robotic special effects are amazing, as always. His pièce de résistance comes
in something called the Flesh Fairs. These garish and ghoulish spectacles are
gladiator bouts as the World Wrestling Federation would stage them. Mechas are
chopped up, blown up, melted and otherwise slaughtered to delight a cheering
crowd. “Let he who is without sim cast the first stone,” Lord Johnson-Johnson
(Brendan Gleeson) asks the crowd. Humans, who have an organic brain and
therefore no need for a simulator ("sim"), are deemed superior and therefore
permitted to crush those inhuman bits of fake flesh known as mechas.
Jude Law, as Gigolo Joe, is a lovable mecha who befriends and is befriended by
David. With a snap of his head, Joe can play music to soothe the ladies before
he beds them. And with a flick of his hand, he can change his hair color. He’s
a love doll, who does not really love, but can only “make love.”
Robin Williams -- who else? -- does a nice turn as the humorous Dr. Know, a
franchised, electronic knowledge dispenser, to whom David turns for advice.
Content providers who have had trouble figuring out ways to make a profit from
the Internet might look to Dr. Know as a model of possible salvation.
Adopting a mecha into the family has some frightening consequences that aren’t
easily guessed. John Williams’s music with its creepy undercurrents reminds us
to always be on our guard. Filmed in a beautiful haze by Janusz Kaminski
(SHINDLER’S LIST), the movie keeps you on the edge of your seat as you are sweep
into its mysteries and its characters.
After reaching an absolutely perfect concluding spot, the last act tacks on a
long feel good ending that is more likely to infuriate than to please. The
result is less than a masterpiece but much, much more than the typical movie
fare. And it is, thankfully, a summer movie with something on its mind.
A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE runs 2:20. It is rated PG-13 for some sexual
content and violent images and would be acceptable for kids around 12 and up.
My son Jeffrey, age 12, gave it ** 1/2. He thought it was interesting and had
impressive images. He was troubled by what he thought were many logical holes.
He also complained that it ended at the wrong place, saying, “not all fairy
tales have to end perfectly in happy endings.” He, independently, wished that
the film would have ended in exactly the same spot that I did.
The film is playing in nationwide release now in the United States. In the
Silicon Valley, it is showing at the AMC and the Century theaters.
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