A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE is the story of David (Haley Joel Osment), the first mecha (a futuristic term for a mechanized human being) designed with the ability to love. A couple whose son is in a coma "adopts" David to help them recover from their loss. Naturally, things do not go as planned, and David is forced to leave the mother (Frances O'Connor) he's been "imprinted" to love, and make his way in the world. Traveling with Teddy, a hi-tech stuffed bear, David escapes the Flesh Fair, where angry humans destroy mechas to "purge artificiality," and unexpectedly... befriends Gigolo Joe (Jude Law in a wry performance), a robot designed to pleasure women. Joe agrees to help David in his quest to become human.Director Stanley Kubrick originally developed A.I., at one point asking Spielberg to direct it. When Kubrick passed away, Spielberg took the reins. Using a treatment and thousands of drawings commissioned by Kubrick, Spielberg wrote his own screenplay (his first since 1979's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND). Osment, perhaps the only pre-teen actor who can effectively convey existential angst, gives a marvelous performance, helping Spielberg create a gorgeous futuristic fairy tale that questions the very nature of what we call life. [show more]
The human race is capable of an immeasurable number of emotions and actions. We can work together to explore the furthest reaches of the universe but we are just as adept at designing weapons to destroy each other. We feel immense love for those close to us - mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and surprisingly even animals can be the object of our affections but what about objects?
A.I. Artificial Intelligence is a film that examines our ability to love a robot programmed to love us. Haley Joel Osment stars as David, a "mecha" child that is 'adopted' by a human couple who's real son is in a state of suspended animation until a cure can be found for his rare disease. Ultimately, a cure is found and David's 'mother' Monica, who finds herself unable to continue caring for him, abandons him to fend for himself in an ugly vision of future society.
Osment, who earned a plethora of awards - including an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor - for his role in 'The Sixth Sense' two years earlier, delivers a dazzling performance as David. You would imagine that even the most seasoned actor would be able to take on a role that hovers somewhere in the Uncanny Valley but he pulls it off hypnotically.
It's all too easy to be fooled by his human visage and the raw emotions he is capable of displaying but Osment portrays him so effectively that the subtle mechanical traits seep through the exterior, pervading the air around the character. For example: David doesn't blink, his posture is unnaturally perfect and his unwavering emotion towards Monica is too naïve to belong to even the simplest human. This devotion leads him to seek out the Blue Fairy of Pinocchio fame in order to become a real boy and regain Monica's acceptance.
Gigolo Joe, played by Jude Law, who is perhaps the most interesting character in the film, assists him in this quest. Joe is a male prostitute mecha who breaks through the programming barrier in order to go with David rather than continue satisfying customers. However, in contrast to David, he is quite noticeably non-human with an unnatural glaze to his exterior and the ability to change his appearance in order to achieve maximum satisfaction from his customers. His ability for belief is also significantly less than David's and on one occasion he directly confronts him about the likely non-existence of the Blue Fairy.
The film was directed by Steven Spielberg who took up the mantle after the death of would-be director Stanley Kubrick whose presence can still be felt in the finished product. Kubrick's vision was considerably darker but surprisingly, the emotion that the film manages to achieve was still present. Perhaps the emotional nature of the film despite the main character lacking a certain je ne sais quoi is it's greatest accomplishment.
Critics were mixed when the film was first released ten years ago and since then some have warmed to it's charms but others still haven't revisited what I consider to be a masterpiece. I suspect that they were expecting a bleak, profound sci-fi on a level with Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (which was also not warmly received on release) and became blind to what lay before them - a fascinating, emotional fairy tale that is every bit as contemplative without the cold, pessimistic atmosphere.
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Please note this is a region B Blu-ray and will require a region B or region free Blu-ray player in order to play. A.I. is the story of David (Haley Joel Osment), the first mecha (a futuristic term for a mechanized human being) designed with the ability to love. A couple whose son is in a coma "adopts" David to help them recover from their loss. Naturally, things do not go as planned, and David is forced to leave the mother (Frances O'Connor) he's been "imprinted" to love, and make his way in the world. Traveling with Teddy, a hi-tech stuffed bear, David escapes the Flesh Fair, where angry humans destroy mechas to "purge artificiality," and unexpectedly befriends Gigolo Joe (Jude Law), a robot designed to pleasure women. Joe agrees to help David in his quest to become human. Director Stanley Kubrick originally developed A.I., at one point asking Spielberg to direct it. When Kubrick passed away, Spielberg took the reins. Using a treatment and thousands of drawings commissioned by Kubrick, Spielberg wrote his own screenplay (his first since 1979's Close Encounters Of The Third Kind). Actors Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Jake Thomas, Brendan Gleeson, William Hurt, Sam Robards, Adam Scott, Kathryn Morris, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Clara Bellar, Keith Campbell & Miguel Perez Director Steven Spielberg Certificate 12 years and over Year 2001 Languages English - DTS-HD Master Audio (6.1) Additional Languages French ; German ; Italian ; Japanese ; Castilian Spanish Subtitles Dutch ; French ; Japanese ; Danish ; Norwegian ; Swedish ; Finnish ; Castilian Spanish ; English for the hearing impaired ; German for the hearing impaired ; Italian for the hearing impaired Duration 2 hours and 26 minutes (approx)
Directed by Steven Spielberg, and based on an unrealised project developed by the late Stanley Kubrick, 'A.I.' tells the story of David (Haley Joel Osment), the first lab-built artificial child capable of feeling real emotions. David is adopted by Monica and Henry Swinton (Frances O'Connor and Sam Robards), a couple whose own biological child has been placed in cryogenic suspension awaiting a cure for a currently fatal medical condition. The Swintons seems to adapt well to the new child in their lives, but when their own son is cured and sent home, it jeopardises David's position in the family and he soon finds himself all alone on a dangerous adventure in the outside world.
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