Once upon a time there was a man named Stanley Kubrick. This man had a
vision
to make a movie based on a short story named Super-Toys Last All Summer
Long.
In a sad twist of fate, he passed away before beginning work on this
project.
Legend has it that he had a wonderful friend named Steven, who would
bring
this idea to life. Unfortunately, this is where the vision gets a
little
blurry.
From the trailer, the actual plot of A.I. is a little hard to discern.
It was
clear it had something to do with Steven Spielberg (1st instant appeal
factor). It had something to do with a Pinocchio-esque robot boy who
wants to
be real (2nd instant appeal factor) and Spielberg was merely seeing
through
the vision of Stanley Kubrick, one of the most intriguing filmmakers of
the
last 30 years (3rd instant appeal factor). What wonders would a
collaboration
between such masters of film present to the audience?
The truth is A.I. is a stark contrast from the trailer's assertions.
It is a
dark, at times downright creepy movie. If you are expecting a
heart-warming
ET-esque romp, this is not the film for you. A.I. follows the struggle
of
David; a robot programmed to love his mother Monica (O'Connor). Luck
isn't
on David's side when Monica's son Martin wakes up from his coma and
returns
home, leaving no room in the house for the little robot-boy. For the
remainder of the movie, David treks around attempting to become a real
boy so
his mother will love him again.
A.I. is visually awe-inspiring. It thrusts the audience into a variety
of
almost virtual-reality-like futuristic worlds, full of color and
vibrant
atmospheres, a testament to Spielberg's imagination. As David enters
Rouge
City, it feels like one is witnessing the unfolding of a movie that
will
become embedded in cinematic history. For all its innovation, it is
A.I.'s
lack of substance which makes it place on future AFI lists highly
questionable.
One cannot deny that A.I. is helped by the wealth of acting talent it
displays. Osment is wonderful as the bewildered David and equally
engaging
performances are given by Jude Law as the charismatic Gigolo Joe and
William
Hurt as robot creator Dr. Hobby. It is Frances O'Connor who provides
the
greatest disappointment and creates a serious doubt as to the
believability
of the story's main conflict. O'Connor plays David's mother who,
by all
accounts, is not particularly thrilled about having a new addition to
her
family and when faced with the choice, it seems she has few qualms
about
throwing David out. So why would David spend the rest of the movie
trying to
prove his love for a woman who obviously cares so little for him? Is it
because he is programmed to do so? Hard-wiring hardly seems like
adequate
motivation and this is where the emotional appeal of A.I. falls flat.
Another of A.I. biggest flaws is the lack of focus on its themes. There
are
issues of love, in particular how David's unquestioning love is
received by
his human family, but Spielberg also introduces a conflict between the
Mechas
[robots] and humans. It then becomes an issue of outsiders versus
insiders,
but this is hardly explored during the film. There is also a strange
incident
involving Gigolo Joe and a dead woman which is never explained.
There is no doubt that A.I. gives glimpses of pure genius, especially
the
eerie nature of Davids personal conflict and the visual journey his
spiraling alienation takes. There are also times when the movie
provides
comedic treasures, especially in the form of the absurd Snuggle-Bear,
Teddy,
a soft-toy manifestation of David's conscience. Even with little
screen time,
Jude Law is brilliant as the quirky robot-prostitute. His portrayal is
perfect, even down to the minutest mechanical mannerisms.
It is hard to give A.I. a fair assessment as it is the kind of movie
that
begs at least a second viewing, if not third or seventh to truly do
justice
to its complexity. It seems more like a work in progress than a final
product
and maybe 10 years from now, when the special edition DVD comes out,
the
feeling of completion it lacks will be resolved. Until then, A.I. feels
like
a movie which was directed for the first two hours by Stanley Kubrick,
then
handed off to Spielberg who made a touchy-feely last half an hour with
little
regard for the tone his friend tried to create.
When it comes to collaborations with the deceased, Spielberg should
have
taken note of Nat "King" and Natalie Cole's success and made sure he
was in
tune with Kubrick's aspirations. Maybe then A.I. would have truly
been
unforgettable.
—Priti Ubhayakar
While we would never encourage anyone to destroy a video... 
