A.I. Artificial Intelligence (DVD)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Ian Watson, Brian Aldiss, Steven Spielberg
Starring: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O’Connor, William Hurt

Over the years we have seen many science-fiction concepts develop from fantasy to reality with startling accuracy. Time has proven many of our most popular science-fiction writers to be more clairvoyant prophets than they are imaginative storytellers, and yet I can think of one particular recurring sci-fi gadget that still eludes us, even in the 21st century. I am speaking of so-called “intelligent” robots. It’s true that much progress has been made in the field of A.I. and robotics, but we are still a light years away from creating complex beings like Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation or even that junky-looking “Danger Will Robinson” robot from Lost In Space.

Still, I am surprised that up until now there haven’t been more films that deal with the subject of robots in a serious manner. It seems only inevitable that one day we will create robots that look and act like humans, and (much like the current controversy over human cloning) there are a whole host of issues and implications that would come with the creation of artificial life.

Enter director Stanley Kubrick and a pet project he called “A.I.” This was a film idea that he had been working on since the mid-80’s, after he acquired the rights to a short story entitled “Supertoys Last All Summer Long” by Brian W. Aldiss (which had actually been published back in 1969). The story is about a robot boy named David who is built with the capability and objective to “love”, but who cannot make his human mother love him back, no matter how hard he tries. For many years Kubrick slowly collected his thoughts on the subject, trying to come up with a workable storyline, and gathering as much technical information as he could about the capabilities of current special effects technology. He had also taken into his confidence his good friend Steven Spielberg, whom he had considered bringing on as director of the project. Eventually, however, the time came when Stanley Kubrick passed away, leaving the A.I. project stalled in its formative stages. Steven Spielberg was offered the chance to pick up where Stanley Kubrick had left off, and he went forward with it as a way for him to honour Kubrick’s memory, and also because it was the only way the film would ever see the light of day.

It is easy to see where a lot of people might be thrown off by the thought of Spielberg trying to recreate Stanley Kubrick’s original vision. Kubrick is seen as the ultimate film auteur and an obsessive perfectionist who has a fondness for dark, cynical films, while Spielberg is perceived as a mainstream Hollywood director who directs feel-good family movies. Many of Kubrick’s hardcore fans will have a hard time accepting this “collaboration”, but it is important to realize that Kubrick wanted Spielberg to be involved with A.I. in the first place.

It has taken me a while to sort out my feelings towards this movie. When I first saw A.I. in theatres, I knew from the very beginning that I was seeing a wonderfully thought-provoking film with a unique vision, but a rather extraneous ending left that vision a little blurry, so to speak. If you’ve already seen the movie, you’ll know what I mean. If you haven’t seen it, I’m willing to bet you have still overheard other people debating the ending of this film at great length. It’s not so much that it creates an unexpected surprise plot twist, it’s just that it goes really far out on a limb and stretches the film’s credibility to the limit.

The DVD release of A.I. has given me a chance to re-evaluate this film, and it has lead me to the conclusion that it is a great movie that gets better and better with each viewing… but somehow the ending still does not click for me. It didn’t wrap up any of the issues that the rest of the movie had explored, it only clouded them further, not to mention the fact that it goes way beyond the realm of believability that the rest of the film worked so hard to establish. At the very least, the ending should have been shortened, because it just drags on and occupies much more screen time than it really deserves.

However, I want to make it clear that the ending, although flawed, does not overshadow the many other finer points of A.I.

The film resembles a modern day fairytale and it is layered with references to a number of other works of literature, most notably Pinocchio. David’s mother reads Pinocchio to him one day, which eventually leads David on a quest to find the “Blue Fairy” so that he too may be granted Pinocchio’s wish to be a real boy. The parallels between Pinocchio are quite obvious, but there are additional references too, some more obscure than others. A.I. is very clever in its ability to weave together many different sources into a new kind of fairytale. The story does feel like it consists of a few distinct acts that have been stitched together (the first being my favourite), but it is like the stitching of a beautiful tapestry as opposed to awkward and ugly patchwork.

Like all science-fiction, A.I. requires some suspension of disbelief in order to raise important questions about the nature of humanity. One of the reasons we are able to suspend our disbelief is because the acting in A.I. is superb. Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law blend human and robotic characteristics together in a way that is both compelling and eerie. Osment in particular has almond-shaped eyes that strangely resemble a mecha out of a Japanese anime. They don’t move and speak like stereotypical robots; for the most part they act like humans, but there are certain subtle movements and mannerisms that they use to remind us of their mechanical nature. An interesting tidbit to be learned from one of the special features on the DVD is that Osment and Law do not blink throughout the entire movie. It really is fascinating to watch their performances, and it makes one realize that the story wouldn’t have been nearly as engaging if David had been portrayed through animatronics (which is what Stanley Kubrick had originally hoped would be possible). It should also be noted that the rest of the cast does a great job too; they provide interactions with the artificial beings that appear genuine and plausible.

This film was also beautifully photographed, and from a purely aesthetic standpoint it is a lot of fun to watch. The cinematography and lighting showcase Steven Spielberg’s affinity for backlighting, giving much of the film a soft, dream-like feel, and giving David in particular an angelic glow much of the time.

The special effects… well, they are obviously quite impressive, and in fact, they were nominated for an Academy Award. Some of the coolest things are Teddy, David’s robotic toy bear, and also the flooded Manhattan cityscape. It is important to note that although A.I. benefits largely from special effects technology, it does not rely on it too heavily. The world of A.I. is futuristic yet also believable, similar to the environment portrayed in Back To The Future 2 (with less pop culture references mind you). The only point where the computer effects are a little too prevalent comes during the conclusion of the film, which is one of the reasons why the ending seemed so cold and out of place.

The DVD for A.I. consists of two discs, and as you might expect for a film filled with cutting edge special effects, there are a lot of behind the scenes featurettes. These are interesting, and I was also happy to find some featurettes examining the evolution of A.I., and how it came to be passed on from Stanley Kubrick to Steven Spielberg. With some of the excellent feature-length documentaries that have been coming out lately, it would have been nice if they took a cue from the Star Wars Episode 1 DVD or The Matrix Revisited, and combined some of the featurettes into one long documentary. Alas, a number of short, easily-digestable featurettes no doubt gives the illusion of a much more jam packed DVD, thus making it more attractive to consumers.

Even with all the behind the scenes footage on these two discs, however, it still seems like something is missing. I guess the most notable omission is an audio commentary from Spielberg, and to me, DVDs just don’t seem complete without commentary tracks. While there are plenty of people who never bother to listen to them at all, I tend to listen to them specifically for movies where I am interested in learning more about the director’s intentions, and A.I. is definitely one of these cases.

There’s no question that A.I. is an ambitious movie, and because it aims high, this can lead to a sense of disappointment when it doesn’t quite get where we want it to go. I can’t call it a masterpiece, but the film is a fascinating collaboration between two great filmmakers, and this is perhaps its greatest strength, and its greatest weakness. Mainstream viewers will be bored by the slow Kubrickean pace, while hardcore film buffs may be turned off by Spielberg’s touchy-feely sensibilities. Just don’t try to tell me that Spielberg ruined this movie, because he clearly had a hand in both the good and the bad.

If you are watching this movie for the sole purposes of eye candy or fantasy escapism, it is enjoyable. If you are interested in searching for symbolism and deeper meaning you will find this movie even more rewarding. On the other hand, if you crave action and explosions, then you’re definitely looking in the wrong place, as A.I. has very little of either. — Sean