A.I. is a futuristic tale that takes place well into the future. The story is set sometime after the polar icecaps have melted and flooded major cities and the world. Due to a law limiting births, the science of Artificial intelligence is in full swing to off set the Orgas (nickname for humans)population, give the earth a chance to replenish itself and sort of set the tone of the past. The Mechas (nickname for the robots), though they look very real, are still machines. They are only programmed for certain things. So one of the scientist, Professor Hobby (William Hurt) sets out to create a Mecha with the ability to perform the one emotion every being has. The ability to love. The end result is David, (Haley Joe Osment) a Mecha who, no matter how hard he tries, can't win the love of his mother after her son, Martin (Jake Thomas) whom has been cryogenically frozen with an illness is awakened. After being abandoned with his super toy, Teddy, he sets out on a journey to find the that which will make him a real boy so his mother will love him.
If you are looking for a movie that will make you think, then A.I is it. It is very easy to see Stanley Kubrick in this film. Like `A Clockwork Orange', it is chock full of social commentary. The film asks quite a few questions. Questions such as: What defines a family? What are the boundaries of love? What does it mean to be human (like we know)? What is the meaning of life? It deals with rejection, discrimination, hate, competition, and the one thing we all are trying to do, connect with the world. Like we humans, once he is abandoned, David is forced to see the world as it really is. The only difference is that he sees the world through the eyes of a Mecha and realizes, with the help of Gigolo Joe (Jude Law), that the house he lived in was the rose colored world humans speak of. The question David must answer for himself is would he rather live the lie of the rose colored fairy tale world or connect with the world that is Mecha and Orga.
As mentioned earlier, AI deals with discrimination and hate. Though the narration tells you that the Mechas were created for the support of human, Spielberg doesn't miss the chance to tell you that they were also created to be hated. There treatment is quite holocaust like in the flesh fair scenes and even reflects back on the slave days in the statements that Mechas are workers andnot to be seen in any other way. But like the slaves, the Mechas find ways to improve themselves and thus carve out a place for themselves in the world.
The picture is a visual masterpiece. Kubrick has the gift of taking something that isn't eerie and making it that way. For example the house that David lived in was amazingly white. Other than the wood and the boys room, the house is glowingly white. In theatre and literature, colors have meanings. White is reverent, clean, honest, antiseptic, void of evil. If that's true, why are the Swintons living there when they speak so ill of David and turn on him once their son returns. The contrast between David's fairytale and the real world is as sharp and sudden as David's abandonment. For the first time in a while, we have a complete script with strong lead and supporting characters.
I can't say enough about Haley Joe Osment in this film. The fact that he never blinks in this film is astounding enough but the way he portrays the robot boy is just wonderful. I'm more than sure it was hard to play a character with artificial emotion and make an audience feel for him. An equally superb performance is given by Jude Law as the woman pleasing Joe. You will have to see it to believe it.I haven't heard much about Francis O'Connor, but after her performance in this movie, I hope she gets more notoriety.
A.I isn't for everyone, you have to be willing to think to like this movie. A.I is a vibrant, bold,intelligent, and tragically written Opera de Pinocchio that makes you take a look at the world around you and wonder about the future. A truly exquisite piece of cinema.
If you are looking for a movie that will make you think, then A.I is it. It is very easy to see Stanley Kubrick in this film. Like `A Clockwork Orange', it is chock full of social commentary. The film asks quite a few questions. Questions such as: What defines a family? What are the boundaries of love? What does it mean to be human (like we know)? What is the meaning of life? It deals with rejection, discrimination, hate, competition, and the one thing we all are trying to do, connect with the world. Like we humans, once he is abandoned, David is forced to see the world as it really is. The only difference is that he sees the world through the eyes of a Mecha and realizes, with the help of Gigolo Joe (Jude Law), that the house he lived in was the rose colored world humans speak of. The question David must answer for himself is would he rather live the lie of the rose colored fairy tale world or connect with the world that is Mecha and Orga.
As mentioned earlier, AI deals with discrimination and hate. Though the narration tells you that the Mechas were created for the support of human, Spielberg doesn't miss the chance to tell you that they were also created to be hated. There treatment is quite holocaust like in the flesh fair scenes and even reflects back on the slave days in the statements that Mechas are workers andnot to be seen in any other way. But like the slaves, the Mechas find ways to improve themselves and thus carve out a place for themselves in the world.
The picture is a visual masterpiece. Kubrick has the gift of taking something that isn't eerie and making it that way. For example the house that David lived in was amazingly white. Other than the wood and the boys room, the house is glowingly white. In theatre and literature, colors have meanings. White is reverent, clean, honest, antiseptic, void of evil. If that's true, why are the Swintons living there when they speak so ill of David and turn on him once their son returns. The contrast between David's fairytale and the real world is as sharp and sudden as David's abandonment. For the first time in a while, we have a complete script with strong lead and supporting characters.
I can't say enough about Haley Joe Osment in this film. The fact that he never blinks in this film is astounding enough but the way he portrays the robot boy is just wonderful. I'm more than sure it was hard to play a character with artificial emotion and make an audience feel for him. An equally superb performance is given by Jude Law as the woman pleasing Joe. You will have to see it to believe it.I haven't heard much about Francis O'Connor, but after her performance in this movie, I hope she gets more notoriety.
A.I isn't for everyone, you have to be willing to think to like this movie. A.I is a vibrant, bold,intelligent, and tragically written Opera de Pinocchio that makes you take a look at the world around you and wonder about the future. A truly exquisite piece of cinema.