Rating: Summary: Is This Movie As "Artificial" As Everyone Says It Is? Review: To people who know me this will come as quite a shock. I'm going to "defend" Steven Spielberg's latest feature film! I'm not a fan of his work. There are only two films by him that I like, and infact I'm kinda embarrassed to mention them because it's become almost cliche to say that these movies are his best. I like "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan". Everything else he's ever made I dismiss. I find his movies to be "childish". He himself once said in an interview (It was "Inside the Actor's Studio" to be exact)that "(he) likes to make movies from the view of a child". He said this in a positive way, I use it as a negitive. I don't find his movies to be "personal" I don't get the feeling he puts himself into his work. I mean unless he has lead the life of Indiana Jones, I just don't see it. So, now that I have wasted your time explaining this to you, you might find it odd for me to be saying that "A.I." is a wonderful, touching, and extremely impressive movie on a technical level. We should all know the "behind the scenes" story with this movie by now. Stanley Kubrick wanted to make this movie after reading Brian Aldiss' short story "Supertoys Last All Summer Long". But, he decided that Steven Spielberg might be a better choice to direct it. I'm not to sure about that, but, this is one of Spielberg's best movies on my scale of things. In the very begining of this movie we see Professor Hobby (William Hurt) discussing the idea of making a robot that would actually be able to love. Can a robot ever love? Wouldn't emotional feelings, like tears make it rust? lol. I'm kidding of course. But seriously, this is an idea that Hobby has put much thought into. His final product is David (Haley Joel Osment). Monica and Henry Swinton have a child, Martin (Jake Thomas), that is in critical care. This is something that Monica cannot deal with. But everyone knows this part of the story already. Her husband decides perhaps it would be a good idea to buy a robot, not so much to replace their child, but, to try and ease her pain a bit. This is where the movie really starts to take off. The first 90 minutes of this movie was great. It truly had that Kubrick feeling to it. Then the movie goes on, and on, and on, until a certain part of my body started to hurt from sitting way too long lol. After the 90 minute mark the film becomes odd, not so odd that it's uninterresting, but odd enough to keep a distance from the viewer and the characters. As far as visual effects and such are concerned the only real competition for this movie might be "Moulin Rouge!". "A.I." was made at the highest quality of technical advancement, for sure. Like all of Spielberg's movies, this one is a fairy-tale, and I'm not joking, it's heavily borrowed from believe it or not "Pinocchio". Serval refernces are made to that story. But, for some reason I didn't mind that this one was a fairy-tale. I still enjoyed this movie. And I think others will too. If you haven't seen it yet, it's a must. The only thought I came away with when watching this movie is, it might of been better had Kubrick directed it himself. Try and spot cameos by Meryl Streep and Chris Rock. Ben Kingsly and Robin Williams do voice overs too! *** 1\2 out of *****
Rating: Summary: The Best Movie of the Year Review: A.I. is definetly the best movie I have seen since Jurassic Park. It is the best movie this year and on my Top Ten Of All Time. This movie is absolutely unforgettible. Spielberg has definetly created a masterpiece with this one. He and Haley Joel Osment deserve an Oscar for this. The special effects are mind-boggling, the story touching, and it DOES NOT have a ... ending. The ending is one of the best and touching endings I have seen in years. Those you have not seen A.I. have been missing a incredible experience
Rating: Summary: I wish for an alternate ending! Review: This is a great flim. The effects are not over done and the acting is decent.However, I just hate the ending of a movie that leaves you with regrets. I have not read the book by Kubrick, but why can't Steven Spielberg just rewrite the ending that Osment reunites with mommy(Frances O'Connor)? Who cares about reality when watching a movie? Come on! Grant the poor child his "not-so-simple" wish! Let's have the alternate ending in the DVD that the blue fairy came along and grant his wish and everything ends well! I would certainly give this movie a 5 stars if it weren't for the sad ending!
Rating: Summary: I should have left the theater 20 minutes earlier.... Review: I would have left thinking the movie was great. The acting was great; the set/ costume design was beatiful. I'm really a fan of the "robot" genre, so I really looked forward to this film, and I really liked this film... up to the end. The end departs (rather bizzarly) from the rest of the film and leaves the viewer feeling kind of cheated.
Rating: Summary: A Fairy-Tale for the Ages, Not to be Missed. Review: A.I. is a great movie. Great preformances from everyone in the movie. Also the script is gripping and sad. Hale Jole Osment plays a boy robot who is the first programmed to loved and be loved. Even though Osment gives another great preformance, but he is always to serious, they need to give him a comedy fun role, or else he is going no where as an adult star. A great flick all around, good acting, good script, not to be missed.
Rating: Summary: The End of the Human Era Review: One noted scientist (whose name, alas, escapes me) has written, "Soon, computer intelligence will equal human intelligence. Soon after that, the human era will end." Superintelligent computers will change everything, and will usher in a posthuman era whose weirdness is really beyond our speculative abilities. Sure, AI is flawed - Steven's script is clunky. But for anyone interested in the future - man, what a movie! (SPOILERS AHEAD) For me, the beginning of the end of the human era occured in AI when the "Flesh Fair" audience refused to destroy David. Mechas had hitherto been just that, but with David, complete parity with the Orgas was attained. Computers had become human. To see Spielberg's, Kubrick's, and Aldiss' depiction of this turning point gave me chills. Again, AI is a flawed masterpiece, but 2001 was/is also considered a flawed masterpiece, and together these are, for me, the two best "future shock" movies.
Rating: Summary: Close Encounter with Huge Turkey Review: Where to begin? In a word, long, way too long. Could-a, should-a, if only would-a ended it for good at the two or three opportunities that clearly presented themselves. The film is actually physically painful to sit through, not because it was two and a half hours long, but because it seemed like five. It felt like weights were being piled on top of me, a pound a minute. There is no God if a 'director's cut' is ever issued with extra footage. The effects were quite good, but only CGI good. The novelty of this technology is already dissipating, giving every film that uses it a flat, canned, feel and appearance. I'm really starting to believe appliances, miniatures, and puppets produced much better FX. The bear should be given his own movie, though. If only this had been 'Teddy's Story', told through the innocence of his point of view. Him, I cared about. How is he built? Where was he made? What does he think? How long do his batteries last? Can he crochet or do needlepoint in addition to mending? Will he suddenly jump to his feet and amble off the set in disgust? -- the most human/sensible member of the entire cast. Logical holes abound -- important corporate offices and manufacturing facilities in dangerous, rusting, semi-inundated buildings; catastrophic global flooding has destroyed the world, yet natural resources and high technology apparently abound; mom dumps robo-kid in Disneyesque black forest in cruel, weepy scene instead of putting an ad in the robot-trader magazine (or hitting his 'off' switch); an hour after it should have mercifully ended, aliens/super-robots (???) appear, speaking swell English, yet explaining practically nothing; alien/super-robots can somehow revive one particular person on one particular day for robo-kid's fulfilling enjoyment, but for only one day, tops; and others too numerous to mention. ...well, maybe just one more, a very basic and important one. The robot's attachment I can understand, it's programmed, but an emotional-ditz mothering what's essentially a GE toaster-oven? Nope. What's the deal, do the kid's robo-pores exude some sort of futuristic, psycho-hypnotic, maternal love potion? Taking nothing away from H. J. Osmet's fine effort, the robot's programming is neither that good nor that convincing, if that's what we're supposed to be led to believe. He acts and sounds like a robot, period. Mr. S. has invented a new film genre, a genre called 'saccharine noire' or perhaps 'dark schmaltz'. Apparently, this genre was never invented prior to this because the illogic of the two strands causes them to completely annihilate one another, thus neutralizing any meaningful, sustainable plot-line and anaesthetizing a large part of the paying audience in the process.
Rating: Summary: One of the best movies I have ever seen! Review: I love this movie so much! Haley Joel Osment is just one of the best actors I have seen, and he is just brilliant in this film. Before I saw this movie, I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch it because I was very afraid of robots. (Short Circuit was the the scariest movies I had ever seen because I'm petrified of robots) But I decided to watch it because I just love Haley. I am so glad I did. Jude Law was also very good in this movie. Great plot, great setting, great actors, great everything!
Rating: Summary: Incredibly well made movie, but no point Review: It took me awhile to get around to seeing this movie because I didn't feel like wasting over two hours on a movie that had been hyped up as an intellectual, thought provoking film. I think Speilberg is a great director, and I think Kubrick is terrible. And half of this movie was good, and half of it was not. First, the acting was great. Haley Joel Osment is a great actor, and so is Jude Law. I enjoyed watching the robot boy David's mom, Francis O'connor. The first 3rd of the movie ends with David beginning a journey into the wilderness. This is the best part of the movie. The flesh fair where the robots are destroyed is a creative combination of a carnival and a spectator sport. After David and Gigalo Joe escape they go to a city where David searches for the Blue Fairy that will make him a real person. The city is a feast for the eyes. It looks a lot like the way Vegas will be in a few years. Then the ending comes. This is where the Kubrik part comes in and it makes no sense. Or maybe it did make sense but its point was meaningless. Anyway, I liked this movie, but I can see why it was not a summer blockbuster. The ending, by paying tribute to a dead, overrated director, leaves the viewer with an empty feeling because AI could have been a great movie.
Rating: Summary: All hail to Spielberg. Review: "Big Thumbs Way Up!" Haley Joel Osment, plays a robot in search of the Blue Fairy, whom, if he finds her, she will turn him into a real boy, so he can go home to his mother, and his mom will love him once more. What do you think? Pinocchio, I know. But it is the sci-fi side to that story with a really dark theme to it. Along for the ride is Jude Law, who plays Gigolo Joe, and Teddy- David's (Osment) mechanical robot teddy bear. Steven Spielberg's version of Stanley Kubrick's 1984 plot idea, turned out to be a fascinating motion picture, in my eyes. The one mistake Spielberg made in this film, was the end, which isn't too shabby, but makes you think too hard, as an inevitable destiny of mechas control the world two-thousand years from now. I know the end is bad, but not terrible. I thought, when David was able to spend his last day with his mother in the year 5000 A.D. or so, that was a real impact to the story. The women will really cry for Haley Joel Osment's tear jerking, Best Actor worthy performance as the mistook young robot who is basically in search for the love returned from someone else, that he was built to give to everyone. Steven Spielberg, again triumphs as a director. This is a very underated film, that should live in everyone's hearts as a true message forever. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence is a glorious film, made for the next generation of fantasy movie-goers.
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