Subject: Review: A.I. (2001)

From: Laura Clifford <[email-masked]>
Date: 7 Jul 2001 03:41:16 GMT

A.I.
----

For over twenty years, the late Stanley Kubrick worked on developing "A.I."
Initally based on the short story "Super-Toys Last All Summer Long" about
a child robot yearning for the love of his human mother, Kubrick extended
the tale as a sci-fi retelling of 'Pinocchio.'  Having once been told by
Kubrick that the project was better suited to his sensibilities, Steven
Spielberg took over the reins after Kubrick's death.  Haley Joel Osment 
stars as the boy robot who wants to be real in "A.I."

Anticipation for "A.I." began with a web campaign built around a murder
mystery beginning with fictious researcher Jeanine Salla.  The film,
which doesn't touch on these elements, begins with Professor Hobby (William 
Hurt) explaining the next robotic advancement - a child substitute that can 
be programmed to 'love' human parents in a society where natural birth is 
largely restricted.  His prototype, David (Haley Joel Osment), is brought home 
to Monica Swinton (Frances O'Connor, "Mansfield Park") by her husband Henry 
(Sam Robards, "American Beauty"), hoping to snap her out of the despair she's
been in since their natural child, Martin (Jake Thomas, "The Cell") fell
into a coma.

Monica's resistent at first, but her need for a child's love soon has her
making the irreversible 'imprint' that will bind David to her (after
imprinting, these 'mechas' must stay with their owner or be returned to 
Cybertronics for destruction).  David's given Martin's supertoy Teddy (his
Jiminy Cricket) and all is well until Martin makes a surprise reversal and
is brought home.  Martin's competitiveness combined with misunderstandings 
result in Monica abandoning David (with Teddy), who begins his search for the 
Blue Fairy which will make him a real boy, regaining his mother's love.

His journey has him cross paths with other, zombie-like, abandoned robots
trying to keep clear of the Flesh Fair, where cheering fans watch their
like be tortured and destroyed.  David's picked up and meets Gigolo Joe
(Jude Law, "Enemy at the Gate" - this film's version of Honest John).  They 
escape and travel to Rouge City (evoking both Pinocchio's Pleasure Island 
and "The Wizard of Oz") where Dr. Know gives advise that lead theme to a 
submerged Manhattan and David's dreams.

"A.I." is a hybrid that suffers from not being fully Kubrick or Spielberg.
The film plays in three parts.  The first hour establishes David and his
life with the Swinton's and plays very much like Kubrick, slowly paced and
quiet, with a slightly ominous score.  Reflections are significant, making
us question what makes us human when we see David's reflection on the glass
over a Swinton family portrait.  Futuristic cars travelling through forests
recall "A Clockwork Orange."  This part of the film is wholly satisfying.

Spielberg begins to peak through in the second segment.  While Gigilo Joe
and his backstory are Kubrickian (by way of "Blade Runner"), the Flesh Fair's
flying mercenaries (Brendan Gleeson, wasted) and their spotlights begin
the parade of "Close Encounters" visuals (a film where Spielberg featured
Pinochhio's theme of 'When You Wish Upon a Star').  The Flesh Fair itself is a
half-baked concept, a colliseum for the destruction of broken, fleshless
mechas which has more in common with a monster truck rally.  A political
subtext is hinted at by Gleeson's character, but not enough to make the
sequence work.

Rouge City provides visuals which seem inspired by everything from "Metropolis"
to "Roger Rabbit."  Spielberg links religion to fairy tale when David mistakes 
a neon Lady of the Immaculate Heart for his blue fairy.

When the duo arrive in Manhattan, Gigolo Joe departs and the film's final
third begins.  It's here where Spielberg loses his grip with apparent
indecision.  Not content to leave his film at a natural ending point,
Spielberg unsuccessfully plays with multiple concepts involving alien-like
evolved mechas, memory and resurrection.

"A.I." represents Spielberg's second screenwriting credit after "Close 
Encounters of the Third Kind."  While his faithfulness to the Italian
fairy tale mostly serves him well, clearly he had difficulty resolving
the tale.  In fact, in this film which recalls so many others, a bit of
"Child's Play" would have had Teddy kill off Martin, making for a more
economical route to a Spielbergian happy ending.  Several nonsensical
pieces of plotting had me scratching my head as well - why did Monica
drive David out towards Cybertronics, then tell him not to go there?
Why did Professor Hobby tell David he'd meet his makers, only to vanish
from the story?  

Haley Joel Osment once again turns in a performance which belies his years,
although a tentativeness keeps him from hitting this one out of the ball
park.  O'Connor does well portraying Monica's confusion and wrings
real emotion in the abandonment scene, but Spielberg betrays her in the
film's finale.  Jude Law gives a witty reading of sexbot Joe, but the
character never feels fully intrigrated into the story.

"A.I." is certainly more thought provoking than any summer blockbuster
we've been presented with yet this season, but it leaves us wishing
Spielberg had applied more of Kubrick's obssessive fine tuning.

B-

For more Reeling reviews visit www.reelingreviews.com

[email-masked]
[email-masked]

--