A.I: Artificial Intelligence (2001) Retrospective/Review - Spielberg Sci-Fi, Part 3

AI began life with acclaimed filmmaker Stanley Kubrick in the late 1970s as an adaptation of the short story, “Super-Toys Last All Summer,” by Brian Aldiss. Kubrick worked on the project off and on for many years. In 1985, Kubrick asked Steven Spielberg to direct the film while he would serve as producer. At first Spielberg, the master of whimsy, was hesitant, but after Kubrick died in the late 90s, Spielberg decided to bring A.I: Artificial Intelligence to life.

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00:00 Squarespace Ad
00:54 Intro
01:37 Development
03:59 Casting
05:51 Production
08:49 A.I: Artificial Intelligence (2001)
20:49 Release & Reception
22:29 Legacy
23:28 Outro

#ai #rowanjcoleman

[debestcanadian]

Haley Joel Osmont turned in the greatest child actor performance I've ever seen for this film. He was incredible.

[korrasera]

Monica isn't transported through time at the end of the film. If you go back to the scene where the Specialist is talking to David, he explains that they were able to resurrect people by finding the unique imprint a person leaves on space-time, allowing them to reactivate the imprint in a newly recreated body. The twist being that the resurrected person would only live for a single day. The Specialist explains to David that they believe that space-time pathway can only be used once and cannot be reused, so the imprint cannot persist. The resurrection is just a cheat that buys a brief window in which the person is conscious again. Once they fall asleep they are gone forever.

[nickporter]

There is no film that messes me up as much as AI. It ruins not just my day, but my week. It's a kind of horror that hits so much deeper than any actual horror movie I've seen. Incredible piece of work, but not something I can watch regularly!

[Scarlett]

I had this on vhs when I was young, it was one of those films I'd end up watching every night, I love films like this that have so many seperate parts that it feels like a true journey from start to finish

[Vg]

Rowan jumping from Star Trek to Stargate to one of my underrated favorites to Minority Report is just perfection.

[darrinlettinga]

I have only watched the movie once and the ending killed me. I was in tears. I have not watched it since, even though, despite the sadness, I loved the movie. After watching this though, I may finally try again.

[meiketorkelson]

I remember coming out of this movie at the cinema and someone asking us if we'd been in a car crash. Very emotional journey...

[kaitlyn__L]

Funnily enough, my (neglectful) mother thought the ending was lovely. “Oh, well, at least he got a happy ending!” I remember her saying.

You have no idea how validating it was to hear you call the ending heartbreaking rather than heartwarming. I’ve long thought that her reactions to this film perfectly encapsulated her own deficiencies, but your discussion here definitely solidified that for me.

On that note, I am also reminded that her biggest issue with the abandonment scene was not the abandonment itself; rather she was angry at the mother for not “properly explaining” it to David.

Even though the situation between her two sons is totally solvable! It’s a completely bog-standard tension between siblings where one felt replaced by the other, albeit heightened by the setting and premise of the film. (And out of all of the solutions, this one arguably is the worst for her biological son’s self-esteem. Not that we’re shown the outcome for the family.)

[satyasyasatyasya]

*Humans, incapable of loving eachother and their world destroyed both, leaving machines, their creations, who were themselves capable of a love that outlived the end of the world.*

[TrekBeatTK]

My theory on why this is tough for audiences is it’s not a 3-act structure but rather a 5-act structure.

[japzone]

This movie affects me so much that just watching this retrospective has got my emotions in a twist again.

[frankchavez]

I only recently saw AI when it showed up on one of the streaming services we subscribe to; I have mixed feelings about it but one thing I can't deny is Haley Joel Osment's performance. David is one of the best android characters ever portrayed on screen and so much better than could have been achieved with animatronics or CGI.

[PunksterNL]

Saw this in the cinema when I was 15, and it left me incredibly sad. Even watching it today brings back that sadness. Which makes it hard to look at it objectively.

[NextToToddliness]

I saw this movie with my mom while she was on a business trip, and I remember being so haunted by it for a long time. I think it came at a time when I needed context for my prepubescent feelings of mortality and childhood.

Pinocchio is a tale centered around parenthood, childhood, maturity and the dangers of the world. Next to Guillermo del Toro's version, AI is one of my favorite adaptations of that story.

I love this film and it always means something different to me each time I grow older and watch it again. I think in alot of ways AI was Kubrick trying to explain himself as a parent. As a photojournalist, his life was well documented. Though he was a genius artist, he lacked in a lot ways as a father.

Parenthood is hard. Childhood is hard. Love is hard.

P.S. "Stored Memories and Monica's Theme" are my favorite tracks from the soundtrack. I had to stop the review and listen to it again. Thanks for covering this film.

[Streetsvillainy]

Wait... so they're hyper-advanced robots that originated on Earth, so that's a call back to what Joe was talking about how the mecha will be the only ones left.

[PaulTheadra]

Saw it as a young adult, it's one of my favorite movies, people didn't understand my love for a slow burning film that made us uncomfortable, but with a pay off well worth the time spent.

[Hoplophile]

A.I. is one of my favorite films of all time, not the least because it IS Kubrick's last film and he was my favorite director. I lost my own mother, with whom I had a troubled relationship, nearly 20 years before the film was released, but in many ways it took me back to the times (both good and bad) that we had together. A.I. remains one of the most poignant and emotive films I have ever seen.

[fmartell]

No other film has made me cry as much as this one did (and still does).

[gbrading]

A.I. isn't a perfect film but it is a fascinating one; Spielberg trying to channel Kubrick. It's always had a weird, uncanny atmosphere, and perhaps that was the point. I remember watching it as a young teenager too and finding it very creepy. Definitely worth a reappraisal.

[mtank]

Thank you for this. Spot on review. I saw A.I. in the theater in 2001 and I can tell you that the audience I saw it with was just not gelling with the film. My friends who saw it with me did that thing that you mentioned where they blamed Spielberg for the "sentimental" finale. But like you, I was deeply disturbed but fascinated by the moral questions the film presents. It truly is one of the most misunderstood films ever made. Thank you again. I really love your retro reviews.