Artificial Intelligence: AI
(2001) dir. Steven Spielberg
viewed: 04/19/02
I was genuinely surprised by AI. The Spielbergian interpretation of the previous never-filmed Stanley Kubrick project is something unusual and moving.
Spielberg shoots the first part of the film in a style true to Kubrick and classically cinematic in a way that seems quite daring for Spielberg. Beautifully constructed shots, cold and methodical, set up the world into which the robot boy will be “born” and “adopted” and reflect David’s (Haley Joel Osment) purely robotic state, before his emotions are “turned on”.
Haley Joel Osment is amazing as the robotic Pinocchio. As his mother initiates his “love” and as David imprints on her, the tone changes, and it seems that Spielberg injects more of his typical characteristics into the film. It works very well, as the stylistic changes flow with the narrative.
The film is a dark fairy tale, poetic, tragic, and stunning, particularly the middle sequence in which David is abandoned among the many other lost machines.
Don’t get me wrong, the film is far from perfect, in fact, it is seriously flawed. There are many acting aspects of the narrative and acting style that are the bland, emoted worst of Spielberg. The ending is bizarre and overly emotional, though I have seen one reading of it that poses that ending as pessimistic itself. There is also a horrible sequence with a Robin Williams-voiced computer interface that seems so poorly envisioned that it might truly date the film.
I have joked with people — and I will say it here — that since becoming a father I have found myself much more tuned-in to certain types of sentimental crap. And I wondered how much that played into my connecting so much with this film.
Overall, I found the film very surprising. There are some wonderfully designed visuals, and the story is very compelling.
