Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers (WGA):

Brian Aldiss (short story "Supertoys Last All Summer Long")
Ian Watson (screen story)

Release Date:

29 June 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

David is 11 years old. He weighs 60 pounds. He is 4 feet, 6 inches tall. He has brown hair. His love is real. But he is not.

Plot:

A highly advanced robotic boy longs to become "real" so that he can regain the love of his human mother.

Plot Keywords:

Futuristic | Fairy | Future | Affection | Forest

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 40 nominations

Cast

Haley Joel Osment	...	David
Frances O'Connor	...	Monica Swinton
Sam Robards	...	Henry Swinton
Jake Thomas	...	Martin Swinton
Jude Law	...	Gigolo Joe
William Hurt	...	Prof. Hobby
Ken Leung	...	Syatyoo-Sama
Clark Gregg	...	Supernerd
Kevin Sussman	...	Supernerd
Tom Gallop	...	Supernerd
Eugene Osment	...	Supernerd
April Grace	...	Female Colleague
Matt Winston	...	Executive
Sabrina Grdevich	...	Secretary
Theo Greenly	...	Todd

Also Known As:

A.I. (USA) (working title (promotional title))
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (USA) (poster title)
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and violent images.

Runtime:

146 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES | Dolby Digital EX | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:Livre | Canada:14A | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIA | Iceland:12 | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 (re-rated) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Gresham, Oregon, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Includes many of the trademarks of Stanley Kubrick. Among these are the narration at the beginning; portrayal of dehumanization and the dark side of human nature; the shots down the length of tall, parallel walls, and "The Glare", with David's head tilted and eyes looking upwards; the scene in the bathroom; the three-way conflict between David, Monica and Martin; an obsessed hero; imaginary worlds; a journey towards freedom/knowledge; the use of previously composed music in Richard Strauss "Der Rosenkavalier".

Goofs:

Continuity: When the robots are in the cage at the Flesh Fair, the little girl tells her dad about the boy in the cage. On a screen above his head, we see a replay of the "spider" type robot with the human-like head destroyed. He is then taken moments later when David grabs Joe's arm. He is then destroyed in the same manner as the so-called replay.

Quotes:

David: My brain is falling out.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Haley Joel Osment: An Actor Comes of Age (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Dodo, l'enfant do

A.I.--A Film With Heart And Brains

Steven Spielberg's latest movie A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, which he took up at the encouragement of the late, great Stanley Kubrick, has caused widely divergent comments. And I can't help wondering if the most scathingly negative reviews of this movie aren't just an open desire to see Spielberg crash, as he had with "1941" and HOOK.

For my money, Spielberg has done it again with this futuristic science fiction drama, regardless of what the negative reviews say. Its story of a robot boy (Haley Joel Osment) who desires to be a real boy in a far future in which humans (Orgas) and machines (Mechas) exist side-by-side but not always in harmony is very much modeled on the Pinocchio story, though it is actually based on a 1969 short story by Brian Aldiss. It raises some interesting and sometimes unsettling moral dilemmas that few films of late have done. Can a parent love a child, even if that child is not real? What might happen if that child desired to be real? How will Man and Machine be able to co-exist?

Like all intelligent science fiction, such as Kubrick's own 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and Spielberg's own CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, A.I. forces us to ponder where we've been and where we might be going. It's an incredible combination of Kubrick's icy intellectual and clinical mind and Spielberg's emotional heart; and I think it works exceedingly well. But it forces the viewer to not leave their heart and brains at the door, which I think is why it is being so negatively received in this season of mindless summer movie fare. It may be too intelligent for its own good, and many don't have the 145 minutes of patience needed for the movie. I did, however; and I would call this an absolute masterpiece. Out of ten stars, give this one a 10.