Artificial Intelligence-Get Out of Here! I Can Screw This Robot! Freaking Awesome!
Look guys giving a nod to Pinocchio, which Spielberg and company do, doesn’t mean you didn’t rip it off. I mean lets face it, AI is basically a twisted, gnarled futuristic retelling of Pinocchio. Wooden boy swapped out for silicon and latex robot boy. In a crude sense, that is brilliant. Yes, this is an oversimplication, but it is also accurate.
The story of AI in a nutshell (a term perhaps forever ruined by Austin Powers, if you get the reference) is a couple’s little resource stealer (A.K.A. child) dies and they send in a robotic replacement that has been “imprinted” to love the family. This is ultra creepy, of course, but makes for some nice drama. We learn that robots are ubiquitous across this somewhat dystopian society and are used for all sorts of purposes including sex, which would never happen, right?
Also, much like we do with the vast majority of humanity now, when the robots are no longer useful we toss them aside (I’m looking at you old folks homes) and we let them fend for themselves. The abandoned robots “roaming the countryside/circus” stuff is pretty twisted and these scenes alone make AI worth a rental. While the film borrows and borrows and borrows from all sorts of other sci-fi and stories at large, it is still entertaining and even thought provoking in regards to how technology will be transforming our lives in the near and distant future.
In this regards, AI represents the best of sci-fi movies for it forces the audience to address where emerging and soon to be emerging technologies may take us and what their impacts will be for humanity. This is what science-fiction should be, not simply fairy tales and epic battles, set in space, which has been so much of what popularly consumed “science-fiction” has become. AI excels in that it forces the audience to contemplate the issue of what is human as well as ponder how we should treat artificially intelligent creations. Normally, I refrain from using the “c” word, contemplate, because let’s face it, normally when a film reviewer uses a term like contemplate you know he spent too much time in academia or is a pompous ass or both. Yet in the case of AI, its okay to do so.
AI does wonders to make you care about the characters and by the end most audience members will be moved by Haley Joel Osment’s performance as David, the robot boy. In fact, the ending of the film, is in a very odd way, one of the most powerful ending of any film you will see. It is goofy to use language like haunting, haunting in a film reviewing is much like using the word contemplate only worse, but the ending is, well, haunting and really leaves the audience with a odd awkward feeling. For those who let the ending linger (could have used contemplate here, but didn’t) it may leave them deeply pondering what humanity could become in the distant future. As avid movie-goers know, endings are hard, and a movie that has a memorable, coherent and solid ending is a rare thing. With that said, many of you may hate the ending, but I’m not giving it away.
The other acting is strong. Jude Law is fantastic as Gigolo Joe and William Hurt delivers one of his better performances in recent memory. In fact, I was glad to see Hurt have the courage to select another science-fiction script after the very problematic Lost in Space. Many actors could have been scared for life by such a decision, however, the fact that Stephen Spielberg was directing might of made the decision a bit easier.
Excellent visuals, CG, sets and robot designs really compliment the acting performance to make AI a rememberable and beautiful film. No doubt it is a lot of fun to see numerous elements come together and produce a fine film. AI is a cerebral film at times but there is enough action to keep the prehistoric among us entertained. I think Spielberg and company overall did a good job taking the roughly $80-$90 million dollar budget and translating it onto the screen.
The movie looks big and feels grand much of the time, of course, it could have been done for far less, but that is another article altogether. That aside, this is one of those rare sci-fi films that even snobs may enjoy for there is much humanity seeped into every frame of AI. Additionally, there is not so much “science talk” as to make the scientifically illiterate feel threatened. AI is a special film that is unlikely to ever see a sequel, which in the long-term, will make AI all the more unique.
Story A (In some ways this is one of the darkest dystopian visions of the future to date, although many may not see it upon first glance. Look closer, this is one dark movie.)
Acting A
Visuals A (Trust me, there is some crazy stuff in this flick.)
Originality/Innovation A- (Yes, they definitely rip some other stories off, no doubt, but there is quite a bit that is original in terms of the total product.)
Enjoyability Grade A
Home Theater/HD Factor A
Overall Grade A
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