Rating: Summary: Another Triumph for Osment Review: "A.I." is based on a short story called "Super-Toys Last All Summer" by science fiction author Brian Aldiss. Haley Joel Osment is absolutely amazing as David, a futuristic Pinocchio, that has been programmed by Professor Hobby (William Hurt), to love humans. David is adopted as a test case by a Cybertronics employee (Sam Robards) and his reluctant wife (Frances O'Connor), whose own terminally ill child has been frozen cryogenically until a cure for his disease is found. David becomes part of the family just in time for the couple's own son, Martin (Jake Thomas), to return home in good health. After Monica reads the boys the story of Pinocchio, a forlorn David wishes for the Blue Fairy to grant him mortality. And the adventure begins. The movie's special effects are awesome, combine the brillance of Kubrick and the magic of Spielberg, AI is a must see for all Sci-Fi fans.
Rating: Summary: A way to spend a boring afternoon Review: Other than that, I would skip it and wait until rental. I did enjoy the performance of Jude Law. He stole the show. Found it quite "Spielbergian" (is there such a word?). You realize as you watch it that it has the same feel as the rest of his movies. Teddy was quite fun, and I wait for the day I can have one. Not that I dislike Haley Joes Osment, and I am aware he is the principal character, but he is not the reason I found the movie enjoyable. Jude Law is the best reason to go.
Rating: Summary: So close to being great, then look what happens Review: It's rare anymore when a mainstream Hollywood film actually makes you think long and hard after you've seen it. I think the last one that fits the bill for me is probably Fight Club. While not a big Spielberg fan, I am awfully big on Kubrick, so I was intrigued into seeing how Spielberg can give his own interpretation of the master.For the most part the film is quite enjoyable, maybe a little too cuddly in parts but very effective in the message it was trying to bring across. You actually feel for an individual whose emotions aren't even real.Unfortunately the last half-hour or so is a major, major, MAJOR letdown. It simply does not work at all, like a train wreck meeting of the worst impulses of Kubrick and Spielberg (stiff and sterile meets mushy-gushy)...Credit must be given to Spielberg for taking on such an ambitious, uncommercial project (I'll give him a extra star for that). He could have easily made a sure-fire no-brainer blockbuster movie but he didn't. But he should have controlled his excesses, something that he most obviously did not do here. So I guess for the best impression of this movie, walk out when the narration starts again a couple of hours in. Then you can easily say, "Hey, that was a great movie!"
Rating: Summary: SPECTACULAR!!! Absolutely amazing Review: I can't believe people are giving this movie bad reviews! I went to see A.I. with fairly high expectations, and the movie completely demolished them. I was blown away by A.I.; never had I seen a movie that touched me so deeply. A.I. penetrated me to the soul, and when I walked out of that theatre I was a different man. The story is incredible, but the best thing about the movie is that child prodigy, the amazing Haley Joel Osment. I can't believe how good that little boy is. He definetly deserves an oscar for his performance. A.I. really struck a chord with me; some people didn't like the "ending act" (i.e., the last 20 minutes), but I loved it. I couldn't stop crying through the last 10 minutes of the movie; the ending is quite brilliant (although bittersweet and utterly heartwrenching), and I almost never cry at movies. A.I. is now my second favorite film of all time, and I'm certain it is one of the greatest films ever made. It's probably the most tragic and heartwrenching film of all time as well. I've seen it 3 times already! However, after seeing other peoples' reviews, I understand this film to be very controversial; you either love it or hate it. If you haven't seen it yet, I guess you'll just have to watch it and decide for yourself.
Rating: Summary: Save your Money! Review: This movie was so awful that I'm not even going to waste time writing a review about it. Just take my advice... don't waste your money on this piece of junk!
Rating: Summary: Artificial Intelligence AI Review: Artificial Intelligence was an awesome movie with an awesome character line-up. Jude Law and Haley Joel Osment were both superb. The story-line was cute and easy to follow. The ending was a little far fetched but it was still good. The costumes are great. The movie was really good.
Rating: Summary: Some people just don't understand... Review: A cute little robot bear, wolves that spit darts, a flooded New York, and sterio typical spoon-shaped aliens. That's all some people see. I see more. I see the story. The story of mistreated machines. The story of their revennge. The story about treating others, even robots, how you would like to be treated. All the tacky things I've listed at the begining DO have a purpose, however. I can't give away too much.
Rating: Summary: Poor pacing brings down a potential hit. Review: The test of a worthy movie is its ability to keep audiences involved in its story without losing their interest in what happens to the central character(s). In my grade book, "Artificial Intelligence" fails this test for a number of reasons. With Steven Speilberg helming a project conceived by the famed Stanley Kubrick, you'll be surprised at just how uninvolving the film actually is. In a futuristic world where humans have developed robots referred to as "meca" (short for mechanical), a group of scientists makes plans to create a small child robot, something never done before. Their intentions are to give it not only human characteristics on the outside, but to give him the full emotions of a human heart as well. And so young David (Haley Joel Osment), who will forever be young, is built, beginning his life in the home of a family who is on the brink of losing their human son. The mother, Monica (Francis O'Conner), is quite skeptical at first, but soon warms to young David, even so after her own son, Martin, regains his health and returns home. After many silent battles in which Martin makes David out to be a bad child, Monica takes him far into the country and leaves him in the woods, unprepared for the harshness of the world outside of his once-happy home. Up to this point, the movie hasn't gained much momentum. The movie tries to build the relationship between mother and son to a point at which the pivotal scene in which she abandons him will have more of an impact. In fact, what the movie does is take certain scenes and make them too long for comfort, sometimes to the point of annoyance. And the movie continues to do so as it goes on, when David crosses paths with Joe (Jude Law), a Meca programmed to be a love machine, so to speak. David reveals his plan of finding the Blue Fairy, from the story of Pinnochio, so that she may transform him into a real boy (how ironic that a story such as that should end up in a story such as this). Their travels lead them to Rouge City, full of bright lights and millions of people, and to Manhattan, which is awash due to the melting of the polar ice caps. And through the entire experience, there is this feeling that nothing of importance is going on. The material wants to be emotional, but comes off as being detached in places and in-your-face in others. What is supposed to be a strong story about the will of the human spirit is turned into an exercise in patience as we are transported from setting to setting, and seemingly left there just as lost and confused as young David himself. The settings themselves can be quite spectacular, some of the best pieces of futuristic visions I've seen in any film. The woods in which David is left become the forest from Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" once night falls; nary a day goes by without intense cloud cover and rain, providing a dismal setting. The Manhattan scenes are the ones to wait for, from skyscrapers poking out of the water, to the looming ferris wheel in the completely submerged Coney Island, where the movie will come to its drawn-out conclusion. There are certain scenes with some impact, such as the scene in which David is left alone in the woods, his entire future resting in his fearful hands. But other scenes are handled in all the wrong ways. When David and Joe are captured, they are taken to what is called a "Flesh Fest," where Meca robots are taken to be destroyed in front of hundreds of cheering spectators. While this scene is supposed to be emotional and heavy-handed, it takes on a comedic tone, especially when a black Meca with a very close resemblance to comedian Chris Rock (could that be his voice, too?) is destroyed. The actors have some good work, this being the movie's sole saving grace aside from the set pieces. Haley Joel Osment is a brilliant young star, and is convincing as David, from the naivety he displays about his surroundings to the emotions of love and outrage later in the film. Francis O'Conner makes a nice segue from skeptical to accepting, and her maternal nature is something to appreciate. Jude Law practically steals the show as suave and debonair Joe, even if his screen time is limited. But sets and a sparkling cast cannot pull "Artificial Intelligence" out of its own shadow. The movie is just too long to be of any lasting interest, nor does it have a lasting impact after its final frame. Given the running time of the movie, you'd think the filmmakers would have some extra time to fit in some of the movie's themes and meanings. A nice try, but that and nothing more.
Rating: Summary: One of Spielberg's Best! Review: This movie was fantastic, I have never thought about a movie this much. I literally could not go to sleep after viewing this disturbing masterpiece. I'm surprised that there is such a negative public reaction to this film, maybe it's ahead of its time and will be praised as a masterpiece later i.e., 2001: A Space Odyssey. I've seen this movie in the theatre twice, both times the theatre got packed, and I never once did I see someone yawn or boo at the screen. The audience was literally awestrucken and silent. Some people were even crying when the credits were rolling. This movie is an emotional rollercoaster with beautiful imagery and plenty of hidden meanings. John Williams' score is brilliant in the movie, the cinematography is perfect, the special effects are magnificent and the acting is top-notch! Ever wonder why movie critics praised it before it came out? The answer should be self-explanitory...A.I. is for a person with intelligence and without ignorance.
Rating: Summary: Perfect blend of Kubrick and Speilberg Review: A.I. fullfilled and exceeded my expectations in everyway. Not being a big fan of Osment after the 6th Sense (I expected him to be simply used as a "cute" factor), his performance in this film was amazing. All of the actors played their roles well and strayed away from the sterotypical, static characters we're used to seeing in movies. The movie represented Kubrick well in its dark, often exaggerated, but extremely well written story. The Shining and even scenes from Full Metal Jacket come to mind after watching this film. The most blatant "Kubrickism" was Rogue City (I believe that's what its called) and its highly sexual overtones. Spielberg is represented equaly well in the finely tuned and not overused special effects. The environment he creates is simply stunning as well as remarkably believable. I think the suspense sequences are the brainchild of Spielburg as Kubrick probably would have not had any action in it at all. But this is a movie in which either approach to displaying the medium can be used, and I think they made a good decision as far as story structure and pace. The Flesh Fair screams Holocaust, and with Spielberg being a WWII buff it's no surpise. This movie is excellent in drawing out your emotions, Kubrick has a way of making you always feel in dispair and able to sympathize with the mecha child. The end of the movie left me teary eyed, the only movie other than Grave of the Fireflies to do so. The movie is sad for a good reason, not because someone fell off a piece of driftwood after a boat had a little accident off the coast of Newfoundland! I highly recommend this movie to anyone with emotion. That means you!
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