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 It
isn't every day that you get to watch a movie and think about how
great it is while you're actually watching it. It also isn't every
day that a movie keeps you guessing with each passing scene, makes
you feel a wide variety of emotions, and stays with you long after
you leave the theater. Well, my friends, today is your lucky day!
After three long years since Steven Spielberg's last time behind the
camera (with the now-classic Saving Private Ryan), he returns
to the fore with the incredibly moving, riveting, provocative, haunting,
and sublime A.I. Artificial Intelligence.
The time is
the not-too-distant future, and the population is now under the
strict control of the government. When their son is cryogenically
frozen until a cure can be found for his disease, Henry (Sam Robards)
and Monica Swinton (Frances O'Connor) decide to "adopt" David (Haley
Joel Osment)—a robot boy that has genuine feelings--to help
them ease their pain. David slowly becomes a part of the Swinton's
everyday lifestyle, but when their son is miraculously cured, he
suddenly finds himself obsolete. David is banished to the cold,
cruel world where he sets out to find the love that will complete
him, but in doing so, he is horrified to discover the true purpose
of his existence.
The description
for A.I. may sound remarkably similar to 1999's emotionally
manipulative Bicentennial Man (not to mention various TV
episodes of The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and
Star Trek: The Next Generation), but that's where it ends.
The fact is, Stanley Kubrick had been toiling with A.I. (based
on Brian Aldiss's short story "Supertoys Last All Summer Long")
for more than a decade, and at one point, he even approached Steven
Spielberg about directing it. With Kubrick's untimely death in 1999
after the completion of Eyes Wide Shut, Spielberg took over,
and the resulting film is essentially a Stanley Kubrick film as
seen through the eyes of Steven Spielberg. Actually, it's more Kubrick
than Spielberg, right down to the intense pace, the surreal symbolism,
the moody music, and the dreamlike cinematography.
Kubrick built
his career on pushing a variety of hot-button issues—such as
war (Dr. Strangelove, Full Metal Jacket), violence (A
Clockwork Orange), and jealousy (Lolita, Eyes Wide Shut)—but
had he been able to complete it, A.I. would have returned
him to the concept of artificial intelligence that he first explored
with the HAL-9000 computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey. While
that film was a marvel to behold on an intellectual level, its overall
tone was too cold and detached to be engaging on an emotional level
(then again, that was probably the point).
That's where
Spielberg comes in. The two filmmakers actually compliment each
other, with Kubrick keeping Spielberg from going over the top with
his tendency for sentimental schmaltziness, while Spielberg injects
just the right amount of heart into Kubrick's intellectual material.
Since A.I.
represents Spielberg's first sole screenplay credit since writing
1977's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, it's not surprising
that both movies make numerous references to Pinocchio. In
Close Encounters, not only did Richard Dreyfuss try to get
his family to see the animated version of Pinocchio, but
its theme song, "When You Wish Upon a Star," was prevalent throughout
the movie. With A.I., the comparisons are much more obvious,
if for no other reason than the film is basically a futuristic version
of the same story.
A.I.
is a science fiction fairy tale in every sense of the word, but
it also has something to say. If the future that the film depicts
is any indication, then mankind will still be inflicted with the
same type of ignorance and bigotry that runs rampant in today's
society. The issue: how far are we willing to go before we take
responsibility for our advances in technology? On those terms, many
of the later scenes in the movie—including a Klan-type rally
against the "mechas" and a trip into sin city—can't help but
recall the dark future envisioned by Ridley Scott in Blade Runner.
Unfortunately,
while A.I. is an amazing film, it is not without its flaws.
There's no doubt that Spielberg was successful (perhaps too successful)
in his attempt to capture the essence of what a Kubrick movie is
all about, but there are times when it feels uneven and contrived.
As a result, the film loses steam midway through, and it turns into
a different movie. As it progresses, there are a couple of times
when it feels like it's going to end, but it just keeps on going.
Then again, that's okay, because when it finally does end, it is
unexpected and incredibly moving.
Spielberg
certainly has a knack for pulling incredible performances out of
kids (witness E.T. and Empire of the Sun), and Haley
Joel Osment is no exception. Where he was able to play off strong
leads like Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense and Kevin Spacey
in Pay It Forward, he holds down the fort in A.I.
and effortlessly captures the detached feel of the robot boy (take
notice—he doesn't blink once!), but he's so naive, curious,
and emotional that you can't help but go with him when he embarks
on his incredible journey with his mechanical teddy bear.
Jude Law also
puts in an incredible performance as the Gigolo Joe, the "mecha"
who's on the run with Osment, and despite his relatively brief screen
time, his presence stays with you for the whole movie. The same
can be said about Frances O'Connor, who plays the mother who takes
Osment into her home, only to realize the full extent of her responsibility
when it's too late.
In true Kubrick
fashion, A.I. Artificial Intelligence isn't just a movie—it's
an experience that needs to be observed, dissected, and absorbed
before it can be fully appreciated and understood. It's a flawed
masterpiece that will most likely haunt you for days, and as it
stands in Spielberg's hands, Kubrick would have been proud. Whether
or not moviegoers will like it depends upon how far down the rabbit
hole they're willing to go, but the fact is, there's nothing else
like it, and that alone makes it one of the best films of the year.
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