REEL CRITICS

Disturbing ‘A.I.’ feeds the brain

“A.I. Artificial Intelligence” is a morality tale about love and

humanity, which leaves you feeling very disturbed and unsettled. Parents

be warned: although this film is made by Steven Spielberg and stars a

cute kid, this is not another “E.T.” Leave your young children at home.

“A.I.” is set in the future when humans build sophisticated robots to

fulfill various functions in society. Professor Hobby (William Hurt)

wants to build the next generation of robots with a technological leap

forward. He envisions a robot child that can genuinely love the parent it

imprints on.

One of Hobby’s team asks the moral question, “What responsibility

would a person have toward this robot that loves them?” The film explores

that question and larger ones of human nature and behavior, of emotional

connections, and of the tendency of humans to create new technology

without considering the long-term implications.

The first robot child is David, played by Haley Joel Osment in another

of his Oscar-worthy performances. David is placed in the Swinton family

and imprints on the mother, Monica (Frances O’Connor). Blending a robot

child into a real human family does not go smoothly, however, and David

is forcibly separated from the mother with whom he has irreversibly

bonded.

While still with the family, David heard the story of “Pinocchio” and

believes if he can become a real boy his mother will love him and take

him back. He sets off on a long and bleak journey to find the Blue Fairy.

“A.I.” was a project that Stanley Kubrick contemplated for years, but

only after his death was the film actually made by Spielberg. Perhaps

this dual lineage explains why “A.I.” feels like two or three different

films put together into one, which doesn’t quite blend into a coherent

whole. The ending third of the movie seems to come from left field, and

the storyline is a little too devoted to the Pinocchio theme.

“A.I.” is still worth seeing, despite its problems. Osment once again

acts with a depth and complexity that is amazing. The sets, special

effects and visuals are stunning. An obvious amount of care and effort

has been devoted to all the details of this production.

“A.I.” is a flawed film that only partially delivers the emotional and

intellectual payoff that it was trying for, but it leaves you with a lot

to think about.

“A.I. Artificial Intelligence” is rated PG-13.

* TRICIA BEHLE, 32, lives in Newport Beach and works as a software

validator.

Love it or hate it, ‘A.I.’ provokes

In 1969, British author Brian Aldiss’ short story, “Super-Toys Live

All Summer Long,” appeared in Harper’s Bazaar. Although only seven pages

long, it caught the creative eye of the reclusive director Stanley

Kubrick (“2001: Space Odyssey”).

For 20 years, Kubrick nurtured the film project, using working titles

like “Supertoys,” “Pinocchio” and “A.I.”, until his untimely death in

1999.

Several months later Steven Spielberg (“Close Encounters of the Third

Kind,” “E.T.”) announced he would direct Kubrick’s film. He not only

directed the project, but wrote the screenplay as well. This announcement

came as a surprise for few people were aware that Kubrick and Spielberg

had become friends. Or that prior to Kubrick’s death, they had already

talked of collaborating on “A.I. Artificial Intelligence.”

In the not too distant future, global warming has caused the polar

icecaps to melt, flooding many coastal cities. There isn’t enough food to

support the Earth’s vast population. The government, through a lottery,

has set restrictions on childbirth: only one child per family.

While Monica and Henry Swinton’s only son lies in a cryogenic chamber

suffering from a terminal illness, Professor Allen Hobby (William Hurt),

director of Cybertronics, the world’s leading manufacturer of robots, has

a solution: a robotic child that is programmed to love. But could a human

being ever love a machine?

As an employee of Cybertronics, Henry (Sam Robards) is selected to

receive the first prototype, David (Haley Joel Osment). Monica (Frances

O’Connor) is too distraught over the impending loss of her real son,

Martin (Jake Thomas) to even contemplate accepting a replacement, and

certainly not a “mecha,” a mechanical being.

In time, David’s charm and innocence, plus her overwhelming desire for

attachment, win over Monica’s reasoning, and she takes the necessary

steps to imprint. When Martin miraculously recovers and returns home,

sibling jealousy forces David to be cast aside. After hearing the tale of

Pinocchio, David believes that if he finds the Blue Fairy and becomes a

real boy, he will regain Monica’s love.

So, David sets out on a quest to find the Blue Fairy, along with his

robot-bear sidekick, Teddy, only to find a harsh anti-mecha world. With

his new-found protector, Gigolo Joe (Jude Law), he encounters a Flesh

Fair, in which mechas are rounded up, tortured and destroyed in a

WWF-style arena.

Then it’s off to visit Dr. Know in Rouge City. (Hey, suave Tin Man,

does the Great Oz in Emerald City sound familiar?)

“A.I.” is the type of film that you’ll either love or hate Its visual

effects are stunning and provocative, reminiscent of “Blade Runner.”

Osment gives a moving performance. And Stan Winston has sculpted amiable

androids.

Visibly “A.I.” is a mixture of Kubrickian nightmares and Spielbergian

dreams. Spielberg’s influence is evident throughout the film, however the

first two parts are primarily Kubrick. On the other hand the drawn out,

sappy, viewer-friendly ending is solely Spielberg’s vision.

What a catch-22. Spielberg is in control of the direction (and ending)

of the story, but there’s probably no one else that could have taken over

the project and paid homage to Kubrick as truthfully as Spielberg.

Think this is the final chapter? Thirty years after Aldiss first

penned “Super-Toys Last All Summer Long,” he has written two sequels;

“Super-Toys When Winter Comes” and “Super-Toys in Other Seasons,” which

have now been acquired by Spielberg. Will there be an “A.I. II”? Or would

that be an “A.I. 2”?

“A.I. Artificial Intelligence” is rated PG-13.

* JULIE LOWRANCE, 40, is a Costa Mesa resident who works at a Newport

Beach overnight aircraft advertising agency.