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A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Widescreen Special Edition)

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Widescreen Special Edition)

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Almost a masterpiece
Review: When I first saw this in the theator I loved it. It was dark, deep, and cold. This somehow wasn't nominated for Best Picture and Cinematograhpy. Everything about this movie is great; the acting, direction, and cinematography. Spielberg really went out of his way in making this movie feel like Kubrick. For that I praise him. About the ending, I didn't like it when I first saw it, but i'm willing to watch the movie again to see if it changes my mind. Oh, and the "aliens" were robots.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What Are You People Talking About?
Review: Nuts to all you who said that this movie is anything short of a masterpiece. Firstly, I am a student who has studied (both independently and formally) the work of Spielberg and Kubrick respectively.

The cinematography of Janusz Kaminski reflects Kubrick's dark style perfectly (see: A Clockwork Orange for the best example). Spielberg said himself that he tried to capture, to the best of his ability, Kubrick's complex and unique artistic direction.

The acting by Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law was spectacular. You liked the people you were supposed to like and hated the people you were supposed to hate. A mark of good casting and good acting.

As for the ending, thematically, it fit in with Spielberg's other movies (ET, Catch Me If You Can, Empire Of The Sun, and Schindler's List most notably).
Would Kubrick have ended it differently? Probably.
This movie is an exploration of what makes us human, correct? Without Spielberg's (often referred to as) "tacked on" ending, it would have left us with a considerable plot hole.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Artificial Intelligence? Exactly my point.
Review: Sentient viewers will recognize Speilberg is in way over his head when this dog opens with written text that explains its premise, then moves immediately into a scene in which a professor actually LECTURES us on the film's alleged theme. We are then taken on a formless, haphazard journey through a spectacularly ill-conceived future in which bad guys round up robots while floating around in moon-camouflaged hot-air balloons (yes, you read that right) and the general public congregates in outdoor arenas to watch glorified toasters get thrown into kevlar fans. The word "assinine" doesn't even come close. Towards the end of this flick we get the words "Two Thousand Years Later" superimposed on the screen, which is one of the best unintentional laugh-getters I've ever witnessed in a theatre. Thankfully, this turkey only SEEMS to last two thousand years. Without question, "A.I." is one of the worst big budget movies ever foisted upon the public.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: On Circle Jerks and Robots: A Cry For Help
Review: Sitting in the theatre, watching this movie for the first time, as Teddy Ruxbin robot boy stares through the thick deep at the blue fairy I wonder why the reviews are lambasting this film. The acting is good, the story well-plotted, why the complaints? Then Jesus comes down in a space ship and poor Teddy's oedipal lust object can be brought back for JUST ONE DAY and the emotional circle jerk that ensues is just too much for me to bear.

I see the DVD at Hasting's and wanting to give Spielberg another chance I put down my $3.50 and rent it for the weekend. Pressing pause after the robot starts his long sad stare makes this movie a great film. It should?ve ended that way, but instead Spielberg wretches all over a wonderful story of futility and desperation.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Truly UNwatchable
Review: This is definitely being added to the top 10 Worst movies I have ever seen. There is nothing original about the entire story. It is a hodge-podge of plagiarism drawing from numerous sci-fi and fairy tales. To name a few: Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Robot Dreams, What makes this terribly bad is that these sources don't even seem to be disguised at all. It is like there is a blatant reference to all the original stories.

The characters are extremely un-captivating, which leaves you with sense of not identifying with nor caring about their plight. But wait, it gets worse the lighting throughout the film is terrible. What should be lit isn't and what should be dark is lit. It seems like the back ground was more important that the actors. I guess it was to draw the viewer's attention away from the thin story line. I found myself just wanting the main character, David, just to die, or better yet rust away.

Do yourself a favor, and save your money for something else.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An intelligent idea for a film
Review: CAST: Haley Joel Osment, Frances O'Connor, Sam Robards, Jake Thomas, William Hurt, Jude Law, and Brendan Gleeson.

DIRECTED BY: Steven Spielberg

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for some sexual content and violent images.

The thought of computers and machines coming to life is fascinating, since they are getting smarter and smarter these days. Legendary director Stanley Kubrick actually bought the rights to this film, but sadly passed away in 1999, thus giving Steven Spielberg the honors. The film itself, while lengthy, still is a fascinating and intriguing film all the way through. A major highlight of the film is the awesome scenery used to portray the future. Turning an artificial life form is not a new idea in Hollywood, as films such as "Bicentennial Man" and "Pinocchio", which is what part of the story of this film is based on, have already been done. Haley Joel Osment, as in "The Sixth Sense", does another great job in his role as David, the android robot desperately seeking to become a real boy, with strong feelings for his mother played by Frances O'Connor. One negative thing about this film is the ending, which to me failed as a point to end the film. Had the film ended a little earlier, before the final scene, it would have been a much better ending. Robin Williams provides the voice for Dr. Know, the animated wizard, which aids David in his quest for becoming real. The animatronic teddy bear, appropriately named "Teddy" (how long did it take them to come up with that name) is also fun to watch. The closet scene in the beginning is a direct rip-off of E.T., as the animatronic teddy bear is a descendent from HAL from "2001: A Space Odyssey". Jude Law does a nice job as his role as "Gigolo Joe", as well as William Hurt, who plays the professor that designed the robots. All in all though, a neat idea for a film. Had Kubrick done it, it probably would have been better.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: For anyone who loved their mommy
Review: This wonderment of a film takes place in a future that presupposes the ice caps have melted from the greenhouse effect, and that man is mastering the art of making robots who look so real that you can only tell them apart from people because they look perfectly healthy and, well, man is not. Robots to be soldiers, servants, even lovers. In this environment a scientist takes the next step and creates a robot child, and finds a way to make him feel love for his human "mommy." What happens along the way is not formula and is not forced. What happens is magic.

I can understand why there's such a wide variance of opinion on this film. Amid the long stretches of beauty and heart-wrenching emotional themes, there are inserted jarring moments of seediness, violence, and echoes of many Spielberg & Kubrick films, including "2001," "Close Encounters," "A Clockwork Orange," and "E.T.," with a little "Mad Max" thrown in for flavor. It's a lot to take in, and its unevenness makes one uncertain if it's a kid's movie (it often seems like one) or not (no, I won't be explaining to my child what a gigolo is).

But this long-awaited film receives my highest praise for several other reasons. First, life itself is a bit uneven, isn't it? The film's jarring moments prevent it from being predictable in any way, and that's welcome in a world filled with movies written by pea-brains who seem to have Xeroxed somebody else's script and changed the names and locations.

Beyond that, the phenomenal talent of kid actor Haley Joel Osment, perhaps better known for "The Sixth Sense." This little guy is a better actor than most grownups; there's not a false note in his performance. Also the magical sheen of music that hangs behind the visual like a luminescent backdrop, the special effects that rival anything seen in any "Matrix" film, the believable and understandable relationships of the characters, and above all, the story itself, which is a sure draw for anyone who, like me, is a sucker for unrequited love.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Kubrick and Spielberg
Review: Just like most Kubrick films, there is an unconventional disposition to the structure and other basic elements of this film. Spielberg should be applauded for bringing to life the late director's uncultivated concept while being faithful to his style at the same time.

Just like most Spielberg movies, a coherent and inspiring film is created out of an unbelievably out-of-this-world premise.

Hayley Joel Osment plays a great role, and is careful in showing us a very thematic characteristic--the ability to appear non-human but also grasp the sympathy of the viewer beyond belief. It is a strange dichotomy, one that appears nonsensical to many viewers. You can only enjoy this movie if you rid your mind of real-world limitations and take the movie for what it is--a fantasy.

However, A.I. is not a fantasy without logical bounds. Much of the logistics are explained quite logically and entertainingly in the movie. The opening scene introduces the premise of Artificial Intelligence and draws you in.

By the time you have watched the entire movie, which essentially takes you on this "boy's" journey, you can't even believe that the plot took you all this way. It's like you've watched several movies, yet this long-winded film has a purpose for every which way it takes you.

The film is absolutely beautiful. The creation of an alternate world here (arguably meant to portray the future)
would intrigue any imaginative individual. The progression of the plot and the themes that surface would evoke joy and passion from any emotional human.

If you watch it with the right attitude, it has benefits for you far beyond the myriad of average films.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: The only reason I watched this movie until the end was Teddy
Review: I loved Teddy, that is the only reason this bore of a movie held my attention. Pinochio meets wizard of Oz and robots. This movie was long, the ending stupid and somebody, please, tell me why if this robot kid is so smart, why did he sit in front of a blue statue for 2000 years? After the first hundred years would he not figure out that his wish waw no coming true. .

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Lost Opportunity
Review: One thing I would like to comment on, is the fact that this film was touted as being the project that Stanley Kubrick wanted to make before his death. And after watching AI, I would safely say that with Speilberg it turned out to be less 2001 and more ET and Pinnochio,less thought provoking masterpiece as I suspect it would have turned out to be from a genuis like Kubrick, and more sentimental dribble that a very talented director like Speilberg finds himself trapped in lately.
Is Speilberg overrated? I don't think so, for films like Duel,Jaws and Colour Purple(in my opinion his best film to date and a cinematic masterpiece) demonstrates a very able and talented artist, yet he seems to have lost it lately.
Haley Joel Osment as the robot kid with human emotions is one of the best child actors around today, and delivers his role flawlessly. Jude Law is also one of the best Brit exports today, an actor with immense capabilites..Yet what I have problems with is the script which seems to be lost between sentimentality and epic scale science fiction. The marriage of these two is very delicate and the right balance should have been found, given the subject matter, which alas was not found here.
Speilberg's direction seems uneven, the first half being the more coherent, the second a bit lost.
Yet the DVD itself is of top quality and full of extras to satisfy any digital afficiando.
A disappointing film on all counts, and a lost opportunity to film and understand Kubrick's vision, by a director that I know can make much better movies, if only he sheds the excessive sentimentality that has become a staple of his moveimaking of late.


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