A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm7qlQ2E0iE

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

It is not easy to pick up the pieces left behind by a fellow legend. Stanley Kubrick was the original choice to adapt Brian Aldiss’ “Supertoys Last All Summer Long”, but ultimately passed the responsibility to Steven Spielberg before passing away because he felt he was better suited to do it justice. Needless to say, he reached those expectations.


PLOT


2001’s AI Artificial Intelligence takes place in a fictional 22nd century where most of Earth has suffered from climate change and humans have created robots known as ‘mechas’ to fulfill various roles in society to cope with the decline of their population. The story follows David, a child prototype of Cybertronics capable of experiencing love. He is given to employee Henry Swinton and his wife Monica as they cope with their actual son Martin in suspended animation  following a rare disease. They do get used to overtime that they gift him Martin’s robotic teddy bear. When Martin eventually gets cured, he gets jealous of David’s presence that he goads him into cutting a piece of his mother’s hair, resulting in her being poked in the eye accidentally. After already making him malfunction after tricking him to eat food, one of his friends would also trigger his self protection programming that causes him to almost drown him. Worried of putting others in danger, Henry tells Monica he must be returned for their protection. Instead, she abandons him in the forest with Teddy, telling him to find solace with his kind. Remembering being read ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio’, he goes on to a quest for the Blue Fairy, believing a wish to be human would make him worthy of her love. When passing through Flesh Fair, a circus where mechas are destroyed for entertainment, he meets a sexbot named Gigolo Joe who is on the run accused of murder. Joe takes him to the resort town of Rogue City hoping to find the answers he’s looking for. They go to a holographic answer engine dubbed ‘Doctor Know’ and when asking for the Blue Fairy, he guides to them to the flooded ruins of New York City. Above the Rockefeller center does David finds himself stunned when seeing duplicates of himself as well as female variants dubbed Darlene. When meeting the creator Cybertronics, Professor Allen Hobby, he explains to him that he’s inspired by his late son, but has already become somewhat human by learning how to pursue dreams after already learning how to love. Disheartened of this reality, David tries taking his life by jumping off a skyscraper until Joe saves him. Just when he gets swept by an electromagnet, he and Teddy dive into the sea via ‘amphibi-copter’ to still find a Blie Fairy after spotting a figure resembling her underwater. What they find is only an old statue attraction from Coney Island. When getting trapped by the Wonder Wheel, David still thinks the Blue Fairy and keeps pleading to be a real bot until he and Teddy deplete of power. 2000 years would pass and both bots would be found from the glaciers by alien androids dubbed ‘Specialists’ who are interested in humanity. When awakening them both, the leader explains to David that he cannot become human and the only way humans can be recreated is through genetic material. Luckily, Teddy still has the strain of Monica’s hair and they use to bring her back just for one day at least. David would spend the best day of his life with her and the film would end with the two closing their eyes together as Teddy watches.


THOUGHTS


Expectations were high going into the new century for Spielberg having to be Kubrick’s successor and needless to say, I think he met them. It’s hard to know what the latter would do differently from his previous films that all fall into something experimental. However, the former is able to make this story his own with the assist of writer Ian Watson. Ideally, it hits all the checkmarks you want from his past blockbusters. Compelling score by John Williams? Check. Beautiful blend of practical visual effects for a robotic dystopia caused of global warming? Definitely surreal to witness. I was stunned of seeing New York in ruins like so, but the various mechas you get to see definitely make the experience all the more exciting. You can laugh at Chris Rock’s Comedian Robot being shot out of a cannon, but I felt most enthralled for Robin Williams to be most hyperactive as Dr. Know. Even the Specialists looked intriguing in their given time from the climax and because of them, they make an angelic iteration of Blue Fairy for David that gets voiced by Meryl Streep on par to Ben Kingsley as the narrator and the leader who helps David with his wish. For a story of global warming inevitably leading to aliens studying what’s left of our history of mistakes, you’re left to wonder what is the point of such an adventure. In the long haul, it brings up something that wasn’t explored enough in Pinocchio that there is always a form of responsibility when it comes to creating anything full of life. So if a human were to create a robot that can learn emotions like love, it cannot be discarded nor misguided of its purpose otherwise you defeat the purpose of its creation. At this point, those that are true human in this generation are the ones that are defined by the connections you yearn for. At first, William Hurt portrays Hobby as one who starts out ambiguous until his true colors are shown. You want to relate to how the grief of losing his real son is what drove him to Davids and Darlenes, only to feel your heart sink when you see more concerned with viewing his evolution of AI as his grand achievement. Had he been more precautious on this would play out, he wouldn’t create something filled with more conflict than him. Haley Joel Osment steals our hearts as David because he never truly understood his purpose until he went searching for belonging. He doesn’t intend to be obsessive nor get anyone hurt, but he is most unconditional in said quest which is why he is easy to root for. Once the truth blows up in his face, you can relate to all the confusion not knowing what to to after until luck leads to you to the happy ending you seek. The specialists go out of their way to give David what he wants because he is the last link to humanity at that point as part of their research and if he can still feel when his maker is long gone, then something was done right on our end. Even if he can learn hate and anger as Henry predicted after learning his purpose, then that does prove he connects better than that also proves he can do more than what he was meant to for the right more than the wrong than many would worry. I do not want to straight up say Martin is a villain the way Brendan Gleeson comes off as Flesh Fair’s impresario Lord Johnson-Johnson, because Jake Thomas shows that he’s got bitterness that his parents were willing to adopt a robot to fill the void he left behind. Little would he think there would be ramifications shortly after his return. You also can’t exactly dislike either Henry or Monica since neither couldn’t have prepared how close they would get with him, especially the mother. Sam Robards showed Henry as one who wanted to bring a sooner resolution to shared grief that he thought a product of his work would be enough for them both. By the time Frances O’Connor builds a stronger bond as Monica, it became a dynamic bound to end tragically. Because David is able to remember the good more than the bad, it defends why she’s brought back in the un-compromised version he wanted to be at peace. Besides the specialists’ advanced technology, the last piece of the puzzle goes to the first friend he had. I do think Jude Law is a big standout as the charismatic Gigolo Joe because he’s got enough emotions in him to empathize with what he wants, hence sticking around until he couldn’t. Teddy however is the true ride or die for David because Jack Angel voices him as one who is more cautious yet pragmatic compared to Joe given that he’s older than the two. He kept the hair because he empathized with the boy’s intent to connect and relates to the feeling of abandonment since he was shelved when Martin was away. Had he not known what he was feeling, who knows what could’ve been done differently. At first, it did feel anticlimactic for Teddy to be alone while David rests in peace, but I do think he will stick around with the specialists to continue sharing as another aspect of humanity for them to reminiscence. And off of that, it does further prove how beneficial technology can still be in the long run. However so, the time he’ll have left will reflect the good that was left of humanity and that is something to be proud of as creators. This movie is aging well, but there are still some things that confused me when looking back on it. Like for starters, a lot of the conflict could’ve been avoided had Monica & Harry were more strict towards Martin when it came to wanting keep David within the illusion. Would it feel unfair for David? Yes, but at least there wouldn't be any situation where he’d put himself and the family in danger on accident. Hell, I don’t think David should’ve been on when getting cleaned. It is a good Deus ex machina that Teddy is in the room to confiscate Monica’s hair, but why was he there anyway let alone have a pocket for this scenario? He and David should be programmed to sleep at night to avoid getting caught with scissors. Also, why doesn’t Joe have a recording device planted on him? If it was disabled, that should be implied since he is only a witness to the crime. Also, how is plain acid entertaining to destroy robots? It happens so fast that there’s no true buildup to it. I don’t want these robots to be tortured but Johnson-Johnson is clearly not putting enough effort apart from the cannons. And why wasn’t he or Teddy not pulled from the magnet? I mean the amphibi-copter could’ve been pulled as well. If the magnet is specifically targeting Joe because he’s a fugitive, that should be clarified as well. Ignore these things however, then you can still say AI Artificial Intelligence is another fantastic sci fi experience from Spielberg’s filmography while still thriving in being thought provoking. If you love that kind of narrative of said genre, see this as soon as possible.