A.I. Artificial Intelligence [DVD] [2001]

This is a "tour de force" in special effects, mixed with good old cinema knowhow. The result is stunning at times and the young actor, Haley Joel Smith, playing the prototype robot David, excels in that role. William Hurt & Brendan Gleeson both appear in smaller parts, Jude Law as Gigolo Joe and Frances O'Connor as the "mother," are the other 2 main characters; all are excellent. This disc comes absolutely packed with extras, only a commentary track from Spielberg "is missing."

A sad film that seems to be based on a future that's looking like it could well come to pass.Haley Joel Osment deserved an Oscar for this performance.The film does not reflect well on humans and their treatment of mecha/robots, there's not a single human in the film that deserves our sympathy.I'll not give much away about the film as it needs to be watched but it looks great on the blu-ray format, listen out for the amazing score from John Williams.

This collaboration between Stephen Spielberg and the late Stanley Kubrick must be one of the more eagerly anticipated movies of recent years. It brings together the vision of two cinematic geniuses; Kubrick, a Director intent on examining the human psyche and Speilberg, a master of modern American cinema, who instinctively seems to know what his audience wants. Apparently good friends until Kubrick's death a couple of years back, this was a project they had been discussing filming for the previous ten years but is it any good? And has Spielberg succeeded in blending the seemingly poles apart vision of Kubrick with his own cinematic style? The answer is mostly yes and partly no.AI is a sentimental romantic sci-fi odyssey and it's also one of the saddest films in years. In an overpopulated world where the polar ice caps have melted, births are rationed to one per couple. When parents Monica and Henry Swinton's (Frances O'Connor & Sam Robards) son is apparently lost in an endless coma they are selected for the 'adoption' of David (Hayley Joel Osment) an experimental 'mecha' (robot) child. Initially David's prospective mother is freaked out by the idea but whilst still grieving for her apparently lost son, she soon becomes attached to David and takes the option of permanently encoding his circuits so that he will forever be tied to his mother. Everything seems to be going swimmingly only for the son Martin (Jake Thomas) to unexpectedly awake from his coma, which leads to David becoming a victim of his new brother's cruelty, his parents fears and now surplus to their requirements. Dumped into the wilderness with his super-toy Teddy, he goes on the run with Gigolo Joe (Jude Law) a robo-rent-boy also on the lam after being framed for the hotel-room murder of one of his clients. David begins a Pinocchio type voyage of discovery in the hope of becoming a real boy and being reunited with his mother.Personally, I thought this was an excellent film and I have been quite shocked and surprised at some of the very harshly critical reviews I've read in the UK's broadsheet newspapers. A.I. may not perfect by any means but I found it to be an extremely thought provoking, moving and in turns incredibly beautiful and incredibly sad film. Whilst visually very much a Spielberg movie both visually (comparisons can be drawn in style to both Close Encounters and ET) and narratively (he unusually takes a screenplay credit), the Kubrick influences are clearly in evidence in the somewhat cold and sterile beginning and the intellectualised Pinocchio themed (what is the essence of humanity) backdrop of the movie. It's a movie about love that is at times in a very Kubrickian manner, cold to the touch.The CGI in this movie is nothing short of excellent and must have had ILM working overtime. Among the robots or 'mechas' on show here are men and women with seamless half faces, eyeless sockets and heads that split open to show the androids inner workings. Also one of the most exciting and best things about the movie was Teddy, who was not just David's friend but also formed the true moral centre of the film. The effects were tremendous and if ever they can really invent such a toy, everybody will want one. Contrary to one review I read about the child acting being "some of the sickliest ever filmed" I think that Hayley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense) was once again superb and I do not believe I have ever seen a more talented child actor. I'm also a big fan of Jude Law but one of my few criticisms of the film would have to be aimed at his character Gigolo Joe. Whilst I don't feel that there was anything wrong with Jude's acting, I did find Gigolo Joe at times irritating, such as when he tweaks his head to create his own supposedly romantic (but in actuality mood killing) music soundtrack. It could also be argued that much of Spielberg's vision of the future was contradictory and dated with three wheeled cars, overpopulated cities, a drowned New York but leafy countrysides but to be honest that is probably nit-picking.It would also be fair to say that A.I. has an overlong ending, with a bit of a tagged on feel, which is a little too saccharine sweet (a Spielberg weakness). However, coming so soon after September 11th the final sequence set in a future New York city flooded by melted ice-caps, with the Manhattan skyline reduced to bungalows in the sea and the Statue of Liberty's hand poking up through the waves was incredibly pertinent, incredibly moving and incredibly surreal. It was almost as if Spielberg had somehow foreseen some incredible tragedy and this was his portrayal of Manhattan in a vale of tears.Whilst not Spielberg's best work, it's certainly not that far off and maybe if Kubrick had been around to oversee production we would have had a masterpiece. Although, what Spielberg has given us is a movie which is disturbing, perplexing and incredibly sad. If you're not moved then you haven't got a heart.

This is a review of the two disc dvd edition of the movie. As ever the amazon system will link all the reviews of various formats together into one, so apologies if you read this on the blu ray page.A.I. is a science fiction movie which had a few big names involved in it's genesis. Based on a short story called 'Super toys last all summer long' by the writer Brian Aldiss. Which was a long gestating project for director Stanley Kubrick. Which director Stephen Spielberg brought to the screen in the end. As with most films of short stories, it takes the basic idea and plot of the original and does lots of it's own things to get it to movie length. But does still keep the theme and idea intact.In the near future, the world is a bit different following ecological disaster. Robots and androids are now prevalent. David [Hayley Joel Osment] is an android child. And a rather special one. First of a new kind. Who can be programmed to love. unconditionally. Taken in by a family whose son is no longer with them, David loves his new mother very much. But when her biological son returns, there's only room for one child in the household.Abandoned, David sets out on a quest to become real. Thinking that if he is, then his mother will love him again. A remarkable odyssey awaits...A.I. is a film that tries to do many things. And succeeds very well at all. Near future science fiction should create a world that is still recognisable as one not desperately far removed from our own, but still different at the same time. This certainly does that. It also considers some of the big questions of stories about robotics. Such as what is real life and is the mechanically created kind any different really? It gets all this in in a manner that doesn't lecture, and leaves you food for thought. Doing this by making the main artificial characters very strong, well acted and likeable.Hayley Joel Osment does a great job in the lead at making David likeable, and also convincingly not quite human at the same time. He gets great support from Jude Law as android Gigolo Joe. And Teddy, a CGI created teddy bear with a wonderful voice, some great acting from the voice actor for the part making him old and worldy wise.David's quest takes in some fantastical locations, and memorable set pieces. But it never loses focuses. Never slipping away from him and always keeping the focus firmly on him and his desire. Which, even though we know it can't happen, is never not touching anyhow.This leads to an ending that you won't forget for quite a while. If at all.This is a twelve certificate film because some of it may be too disturbing for the younger viewers, such as the emotional moments and some rather strong imagery of robotic destruction. But it's a film that does it's director proud. A very memorable bit of science fiction movie making, and a film well worth a watch.The dvd has the following language and subtitle options:Languages: English, French, Italian.Subtitles: English, French, Italian, Dutch, Arabic, Spanish, Portugese, German, Romanian, Bulgarian.The two disc edition, coming from an age when dvd buyers got lots of extras, contains quite a few features about the film:Acting AI; A portrait of David. A portrait of Gigolo Joe. Nine and six mins respectively in length, both about the two lead roles and stars.Designing AI: From drawings to set [seven mins] and dressing AI [five mins].Lighting AI: Four minutes all about the lighting.Special effects. Seven minutes about those.Robots of AI; thirteen minutes on the acting production and visuals for these.Animation:A five minute overview of this.The robots: three mins on these.The miniatures: Four mins on these.Sea scene: two mins on this.Animating: eight more mins about it.Sound and music of AI: Six mins on the sound design and five on the score.Closing: Steven Spielberg on our responsibility to artificial intelligence. Two mins, over which the production credits for the extras play, of Steven Spielberg making some good points about our relationship with technology.Then there's the AI archives:Two of the film's trailers.Three storyboards.Seven sets of drawings from one designers portfolio.Nine more from the production design portfolio.Six more sets of other production designs.Two sets of behind the scenes photos and the production.All the above are viewed by using the main keys on the dvd remote to move left or right through the pictures.There's also the filmography of the eight main cast members.And the filmography of many involved with the production.So if you like extras, or remember two disc dvds as they used to be, it's the edition to get.