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From Latin-AICN... LOBO reviews the future A.I. two disc DVD...

Published at:  Feb 22, 2002 8:59:28 AM CST

Hello there small screen fans, Father Geek here welcoming back our former Latin-AICN editor and chief CUATE... LOBO. Annnnnnd he'll be doing all sorts of reports for us in the future... not only over at Latin-AICN with Coffin Joe and I, buuuuuut also here at Coaxial with a series of advanced DVD and Video Reports of which this is the first of many, so with no further Banta Fodder from ol' Father Geek, here's LOBO...



The World Trade Center buildings are still in the film....






Hey people LOBO here,

Well, what can I say about A.I. the movie.......

First of all the movie was O.K. and to be honest my first time watching it was in the cave on this Special DVD. So it all comes down to the Special features on the 2 Disc set, because a lot of you saw the movie before me and there have been a lot of reviews everywhere, but I am only gonna say that the similarity with Pinocchio was cool and the Kid that never blinked is an awesome Actor..


Now let's really start this off with the Date you people can obtain this DVD, it comes out on March 5th (of this year DUH) and once again is on VHS (video DUH) for rental only (sucks) and DVD rental and sale.

Then let me say that IMHO DVD is still not that great yet, especially the fricking 2 discs sets where you have to swap discs to see the whole On this one, that means the Features... Personally, this is really a big pain in the butt and I have to say that I think this is what makes it more expensive, because the fricking CO. is forcing you to pay for 2 Discs because they were lazy enough not to put it on one disc, or is it that the TECHnology that can have this done doesn't exist yet (CRAP) or maybe does exist (MORE THAN LIKELY) but $$ is all that matters specially with all the EDITIONS they make up, theatrical edition,special ED..., Ultimate ED..., Mega-ultra special ED.. and there might be an Double ED/ED coming soon... but o well you and I are Dumb enough to pay for this marketing manipulation because I don't think there is any choice (YET)..specially when you really,really,REALLY want it...(DVD IS ADDICTIVE)

A.I. Artificial Intelligence SPECIAL EDITION DVD

This set has a lot of never-before-seen footage, some on Disc 1 and most of them on Disc 2. The whole special features were produced by this guy named...Laurent Bouzereau, who has only <- (as in just starting..wait for more...)-> produced content for other DVD titles like;
JURASSIC PARK: The Lost World...
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND: Collector's ED...
JAWS: The 25th Anniversary ED.

Also the material in the SPECIAL ED DOUBLE DISC was developed with Steven Spielberg exclusively for the DVD, so I don't think you can get this on the VHS version (SORRY..)

Here is the list of what you can expect from this ED..

* A check around the Skywalker Sound place with the sound designer Gary Rydstrom.

* Documentary on how the Vision of Kubrick's A.I. was taken to the Big Screen.

*A exclusive look @ the production design from the original sketches and Drawings to the Final stage production.

*Interviews with the Cast and Director

*Behind the Scenes STUFF..you know..Lighting, Design, makeup, restrooms....etc...

*AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE DEVELOPMENT AND CREATION OF THE ROBOTS OF A.I. INCLUDING A BEHIND THE SCENES VISIT TO STAN WINSTON STUDIOS...THIS I HAVE TO SAY IS REALLY COOL, SO COOL THAT I WILL TYPE COOL AS MANY TIMES AS I HAVE TO GET A COOL ROBOTIC THING OUT OF THEIR VAULT...COOL I SAY COOL...OKAY NOW I THINK THIS SOUNDS PITIFUL..AND I'M NOT GONNA GET A ROBOT...BUT ITS COOL... >>> This Feature shows you the process they went thru to come up with all of the different robots used in the Film, specially TEDDY that has many variations to play in different scenes, the use of Amputees to create Robots..<<

*CREATION OF THE SPECIAL EFFECTS WITH MICHAEL LANTIERI

*Interviews with Dennis Mauren and Scott Farrar of ILM (Industrial Light & Magic...DUH) special effects group about the seamless blending of animation and live action. >>> This I also enjoyed watching cause it is freacking cool learning how they do all that Magic and how far the Technology has gotten.. I specially like the fact that they start with concept Drawings then goes to a CPU to finally take it to the Big screen...I am really into this type of stuff..<<<

* Conversations with composer John Williams and his collaboration with Spielberg for setting the mood of the film in music.

*Story board sequences

*Production Drawings

*Photo gallery

*Theatrical trailers


Well there you have it....

Just Remember that you can get this DVD on the 5th of March for about $23.00 depending where you do your purchasing...and it is about 2 stretches, 1 cushion , a coffee POT and well over 3 hours long including the Features..so work the gluteus maximus and your browsing finger...

LATERS LATERS

hold on a sec...while I was typing this thing above Sister Satan was correcting my spelling specially on the freacking (( this / these)) ((in / on)) so if there is anything else wrong with it..deal WIDIT..





LOBO

LATIN-AICN



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    Readers Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 9:14:19 AM CST

    Are we surprised?

    by germancity

    A project taken over from a legend of film making. Directed by another "legend" of film making. All the interesting backstory that this project must have....and what do all the special features concern? You guessed it, special effects. Don't get me wrong, the effects in this film were good, and worth going into. But such a narrow focus says something about the film as a whole. Much like the DVD for TPM.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 9:19:50 AM CST

    One more thing....

    by germancity

    A little off topic, but what the hell. About old John Williams. I love and respect most all of his work, but, if as music director for the Oscars, he allows his TWO nominated scores to in anyway outshine the other scores.....well, love and respect are both fickle things. That is all.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Any info on "The Beast" as the Cloudmakers afectionately called it? For those who do not know, A.I. had one of the biggest web promotions in history. Certainly "Jeanine Salla" will still appear in the credit trailers, but I am wondering if there is any stuff about this storied promotion in the DVD. The promotional web sites are now gone, but info on the promotion can still be found at cloudmakers.org.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 9:35:19 AM CST

    A.I. is irrelevant

    by theborg

    We are TheBorg. The cinematic abortion designate AI is hereby declared irrelevant. We will not assimilate. We will send a copy to usit designate jollybattlespringerposterspanieldwarf. He will love it in all its flawed, emotional glory. Emotion is irrelevant. Spielberg is irrelevant. Transmission ends.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 9:39:53 AM CST

    I guess I'm irrelevent...

    by sod off baldric

    I liked A.I. and I have the DVD on preorder. Flame away.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 9:41:18 AM CST

    regarding the two-disc problem

    by vegas

    I only own one dvd where the movie is split over two discs, and that is LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (and I for one am glad they split it, as the sound and clarity of picture on each disc is amazing. Also, the split comes at the intermission, when it could be argued the director wanted you to get up and stretch anyway). With regards to price, a dvd costs about 50 cents to produce. The prices on most of these two-disc special editions are not much higher than they would be with one-disc, although I am irritated that they spread tv shows out onto as many discs as possible (four discs for the first season of Transformers? Sure 16 episodes of a 20 minute show would fit on only two discs).

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 9:53:02 AM CST

    asinine...

    by omarthesnake

    this anti-two-disc set argument is ridiculous. You have to be the laziest motherf***er on Earth to whine about having to get up and change discs when it's been done so that as much extra can be loaded onto the disc as possible while still devoting as much disc space as possible to good picture and sound quality for the movie itself! Sheesh. Don't bother us with this shite.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 9:57:40 AM CST

    i agree with omar

    by wonkaworld

    the whole 2 disc thing...get over it..its not a big deal. 2 is better than one or none in my opinion. get up off the couch and change the disk you lazy beeeeeeatches. or get a 5 disker like me...ha!
    it is embarrassing that people gripe about 2 discs when spielberg actually outdid himself with this project for his fans (besides cash for the studio).
    heres hoping for minority report and catch me if you can...
    this site has some lazy mutha scratchas...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 10:12:45 AM CST

    What? No director's commentary?

    by voice o. reason

    The whole reason I was looking forward to this DVD so that I could use the commentary to prove once and for all that the things who saved David at the end were actually Mecha and not *snort* aliens.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 10:16:12 AM CST

    something's missing

    by vibrocount

    I guess it was too much to hope for some input or an interview with Brian Aldiss, the author of "Super Toys Last All Summer Long" and first colaborator with Kubrick on the screenplay. After a year of dealing with Kubrick, Aldiss was no longer involved, mainly because he objected to both Kubrick's Pinocchio addition (turning the story into a rewritten fairy tale) and Kubrick's having the blue fairy show up (yeah, the ending was planned by Kubrick, long before Spielberg joined him).

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 10:18:06 AM CST

    The only reason I can think of to hate two disks sets...

    by voice o. reason

    ...is when retailers use the second disk as an excuse to charge more.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 10:26:32 AM CST

    "so what if they do not make alot of sense..."

    by monke

    What doesn't make sense about it?
    (Spoiler warning!)
    ... A kajillion years later when all the humans are wiped out robots inhabit the planet. You see they were made too smart too powerful too soon and when the end of humanity came they were the only things left, and they evolved just like humans had before them, and that is what you see at the end of AI!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 10:40:10 AM CST

    in response to monkE

    by wonkaworld

    i said that quote in jest as the majority of the audiences, at least the ones i have talked to, did not get the ending..i understood it well and i thought it worked well....
    its a shame that people blew it off...we need more films like AI....

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 10:50:13 AM CST

    To anyone buying this DVD

    by jacksonsbane

    That's a helluva expensive set of costers you're buying there. I'd rather eat me own shit than have to watch that movie again.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 12:16:27 PM CST

    Christopher

    by toxicopoulus

    sorry man, but you, like all of the other self-congratulatory idiots who frequent this forum, missed the point. at the end of the film, david WAS a real boy; as human as it gets in relation to the advanced mechas that populated the future world. that's the brilliance of irony; that david represented the last and best of humanity and monica had to be created in order to slake his grief, much as david was created as a surrogate son for monica. sheesh, do any of you fuckers even like film? the amount of shit piled on this movie boggles my mind. it's not a perfect movie but it certainly was an important one and worked on many levels. it kind of reminds me of when blade runner first came out. i saw it first night by myself and i heard the same bitching and moaning from the audience as i left the theatre. NO ONE got it. i can't wait for this film to start getting critical status over the years, as it's sure to and watch all of you stupid fuckers fall in line saying how you "always loved it" just like with blade runner, 2001, the shining, etc. losers.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 12:23:22 PM CST

    It's not marketing.

    by lobanhaki

    DVDs are a compressed medium. Even at 4 to 9 gigs a disc, the information in an NTSC standard(your television) signal, at 700 or so pixels by 480 is quite enough to swamp a DVD's capacity within about 30 minutes.

    So, they compress, using a standard called MPEG-2. That's Motion Picture Experts Group. MPEG is also where you get MP3 files (MPEG-1, layer 3) It's like a JPEG, except for moving pictures. Of course, like a JPEG picture, the quality of image is strongly dependent on how much compression you apply, and what kinds.

    You could probably all those hours of video on one disc, but it's going to look like shit. Better, I think, to put the extras on their own disc (they're mostly video, and don't require all the care with the image), and leave one whole disc to bring out the best in the image quality of the film, where it really counts.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 1:45:54 PM CST

    wow

    by ambrose chappell

  • Feb 22, 2002 2:19:39 PM CST

    a DVD hater - JUMP 'EM, BOYS!

    by x-girls

    no, kidding. ok review. fairly basic and sometimes confusing thought pattern. AI isn't all that bad, hopefully after the documentary, we will know how many great Kubrick ideas were ditched by Mr. Spielberg and co.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 2:28:22 PM CST

    flaws,2 discs, and you

    by darth annoying

    Think what you will of the film, fine, dandy, great:you love it you hate it, whatever. Why complain about two disc sets? They resemble a highly evolved effort from the participating studios: giving you a polished and well represented version of films you enjoy. showing enough care as to put the film on one disc, so picture and sound quality are optimal.

    What your livid stances should rail against, are studios who put out lackluster dvd's at outrageous prices. Paramount being a main offender. Touchstone/Disney/Buena Vista being another. Though they have recently repented with the Vista series. So be mad you had to purchase Sixth sense again, and Tombstone
    for that matter. Or wonder why Pulp fiction is a mere skeletal offering.
    For those who embody a slight membershp of A.I appreciators, a two disc set shall proudly display its contents, even thogh everyone hated it, the box office was bad, and Speilberg was man enough to help Kubrick reach his last ponderous ideal.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 2:34:45 PM CST

    2-disc sets are caused by the stupid fucking wasteful unnecessar

    by liquidnitrate

    The Superman Special Edition was packed with two discs' worth of material, but it was all packed onto 1 dual-sided DVD. That's my preference. With these 2-DVD sets (ie Die Hard), I hate these ridiculous pointless screen-print pictures that nullify one whole side of each DVD. I buy DVDs to enjoy what's encoded INSIDE (5.1 widescreen cinema), NOT to hold the physical disc in my hands while admiring some ho-hum artwork. I can understand printing artwork onto CDs, b/c in the pre-MP3 days people carrying personal music libraries b/t home, car, office, etc., could quickly identify a disc based on the image displayed in the clear plastic sleeve. But with DVDs, I know very few people who carry around that many in portable library cases, so there is no need for the studios to waste time (and space) on that DVD artwork. Besides, single-disc sets take up less shelf space and are thus more environmentally efficient.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 2:48:42 PM CST

    The Transformed Man

    by billy talent

    After only two viewings, both back in July, I'm still not entirely certain how I feel about 'A.I.'. In a lot of ways it might have been my favorite film of the year, although at this point I still have some troubles with it. I didn't have the problems other people had with the ending, which was anything but a sacharine cop out(consider that, for all of the '2001' comparisons, the ending is also more or less the same as the endings of 'Barry Lyndon', 'The Shining', and the script for 'Napoleon', though very different as well). If it's not his best it is Spielberg's most complicated film, his only film not fully comprehended on a single viewing. Actually, in spite of the '2001'/'Close Encounters' comparisons, 'A.I.' might sit as comfortably on the shelf alongside 'Barry Lyndon', 'Eyes Wide Shut', 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', and 'Schindler's List' as its creators most explicit commentaries on Judaism. And there's a lot more to it than that. If 'A.I' had come out on video in November or December, I think the movie might have been a more prominent awards contender. I've no doubt it will gain in stature and influence, and will not be one of last years forgotten films. Apparently, those who like it like it a lot. Those who hate it should maybe give it a second look.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 3:38:28 PM CST

    2 disc sets rock

    by cityofnight

    I love 2 disc sets. anybody who complains about them should save their money and just buy the barebones disc used. Regardless, for me, it's all about packaging. I'll buy a DVD, even if I don't love the movie, if I like the packaging. They should get more creative. so far, the only one that annoys me is Close Encounters. Why would you design a package that is so difficult to open? And once it's open, why make it so hard to keep them from getiing roughed up. The outside of my Close Encounters DVD is all shreaded from all the times I opened it to watch it. Cheese. Do it like Boogie Nights and Seven. The Almost Famous 2 disc set is cool too, even though I prefer to have that outside box to slip it in. My 2 cents don't mean a thing. just saying it as i do it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 4:09:48 PM CST

    agree to disagree

    by toxicopoulus

    your contention that spielberg did not make his point that david has now traded places with his human creators convincingly might be due in part to some of the saccharine flourishes that we associate with spielberg. i think his normal tricks were subverted to good cause in this instance, howerever. i feel that he just didn't make his point OBVIOUS, possibly for the first time in his career. that is due largely to the fact that he was working from kubrick's original material but in no way diminishes the impact of the message. i think people have a hard time getting their arms around this film because it's unclear how we should feel about david and the fact that the human race is plunging rapidly toward a confrontation with the moral dilemmas that are presented in the film. as genetic research combines with biotech and nanotech, our children may well view this film as a masterpiece with unheralded prescience.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 5:34:19 PM CST

    Floyd: you're silly

    by claypool

    1 disc dvds are more environmently sound?? are you kidding? Having 2 discs (each with artwork on the cover) like Die hard, which is a great set, by the way, allows you to handle the disc withour prints scratches, dust and dirt, ect. to get on the reverse side.... oh shit nevermind, you're remarks are silly and i don't have the energy to argue in 'type' form....

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 22, 2002 6:40:34 PM CST

    Devilcat got me thinking...

    by mcvamp

    When "Bicentennial Man" was mentioned. You want to call "AI" schmaltzy and sentimental? Try sitting through Bicentennial Man again and see what syrup really looks like on celluloid. For all of AI's sentimentality, it had a hell of a philosophical core to go with great visuals and performances. AI was Pinocchio all over again... and entire story based on an entire story. Bicentennial Man seemed like an entire story based on the Tin Man scenes from Wizard of Oz. Therein lies the difference. AI and The Royal Tenenbaums were BOTH robbed of Best Picture nominations, and that is why the Oscars blow reindeer.

    Reply to Talkback

  • No flame will be forthcoming. Transmission ends.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 23, 2002 11:10:39 AM CST

    2-disc sets? not my problem

    by loudmouthcracker

    There's nothing quite like listening to someone who didn't think to get a multi-disc changer gripe about 2-disc sets. Personally, I like 'em. As for the movie itself, I enjoyed the hell out of it. Made me think, inspired discussion. To me, that's what art should do (and this film was intended to be a piece of art, not a "fan favorite" type of flick).

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 23, 2002 12:06:59 PM CST

    Amazing movie*dont read if you havent seen it*

    by uullaa

    I loved A.I. but what i cant understand is why people seem to think that the ending was a safe ending ,i thought it was devastating ,what i mean is that the kid (who might not be a real boy but he had real feelings)was told that monica could couldnt be brought back because they needed part of her to use her d.n.a. then the teddy produces a lock of hair then the kid is told she would die after only one day ,whats so happy about that.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 23, 2002 12:47:25 PM CST

    2 Sided DVDs and AI - the Film Meaning to me

    by x-girls

    I think nearly all the Batman discs have 2 sides on one (disc). I prefer it as well, it's simple and who cares for the artwork if they include a decent booklet. Paramount is getting better at DVDs isn't it? I thought AI described a world where everything good that existed was no longer 'real'. His mother (not just the 'aliens') was a robot at the end, too. He was just fooling himself, or couldn't tell reality, because he wasn't real himself. Had he become a real boy, I don't think so. Just satisfied after searching, but he was probably programmed to.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 23, 2002 1:09:23 PM CST

    You see his mother never changed

    by x-girls

    in life she was cold and cruel to the very end (before the underwater ship). She did not come back to reunite with him, another robot did, which is why she could not remember. A completely bitter misanthropic ending, yet in an ignorant way he is satisfied. It's technology making our dreams come 'true', only they can never really be 'true'. AI DOES NOT HAVE A HAPPY ENDING, MY FRIENDS! Just because it looked like her doesn't mean it's her. It's like Kafka's Metamorphesis book, a man wakes up one day and just is a giant cockroach, no reason, he just is. His sister takes care of him, but she soon becomes tired of caring for her brother, the monster. She throws him out. Many people thought the metamorphesis was about the man who turns into a giant cockroach, but it was actually about his sister, who changes from a loving character into a cold one, towards the same person for nothing of his doing.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 23, 2002 1:24:48 PM CST

    NEVER LET THIS IDIOT WRITE A DVD REVIEW AGAIN

    by bgw claw

    Anyone who says DVD isn't "there" yet...my lord. And Laurent Beauzereau is one of the best film-documentary guys out there, and he's done much more than just Spielberg's stuff. And what a terrible review. Can you send this dolt to an English class?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 23, 2002 1:27:48 PM CST

    To Elaborate

    by x-girls

    all the human are stereotyped as being 'bad'. From the brother he has, to his mother, to the people at the 'flesh fair', to the guy at the beginning who feels a need to 'test' the sex robots, etc. Then compare with 'Gigolo Joe' and 'David', good people, who aren't really people, because good people don't exist anymore in the world. Gigolo Joe only exists in the film to show this. It's a film noir nightmare parable. Maybe the robots realized this, and decided to kill them off.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 23, 2002 6:19:19 PM CST

    Yay! I'm not irrelevent.

    by sod off baldric

    Thanks, TheBorg. Now...how about sending some of those hot Borg chicks (a la Seven of Nine) my way?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 23, 2002 10:08:53 PM CST

    Don't like DVD? Fine, just try not to talk out of your ass

    by smeg for brains

    Anyone who knows anything about DVDs knows that price varies greatly from company to company and release to release. I have bout so many 2 disc DVDs that were the same price or even cheaper than single disc releases with little to no extras. I'm sure most readers on this site know this, but apparently this dim bulb doesn't. And sure 2 disc movies and flippers are a pain, but any two disc, or flipper movie out there would have to be on 2 VHS tapes. In fact many 2 tape movies fit on a single disc (Godfather 1 & 3, Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan, Das Boot, just to name a few I can see on my shelf from here right now). As far as putting the extras on a second disc, if it means having both DTS and Dolby, multiple commentary tracks, and feature length documentaries (like on Episode 1) you would be an idiot to be against it. If it bothers you that much having to get off your ass, then get a multidisc player. It's fine to not be interested in, or even like DVD, but at least have some real, valid reasons that are actually true. And as far as DVD's being addictive, I have to say that ANYTHING is addictive in any way that DVD buying might be. EVERYONE WHO READS THIS SIGHT IS PROBABLY ADDICTED TO NUMEROUS THINGS, MANY OF WHICH BRING THEM FAR LESS ENJOYMENT THAN WATCHING, AND LEARNING ABOUT THEIR FAVORITE FILMS. Besides, before I bought my DVD player I bought just as many VHS tapes. It's just now I get a hell of a lot more for my money.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2002 5:28:31 AM CST

    no subject

    by drak_tanner

    I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who dreads another review by Lobo, whose ability to write a smooth, readable review is among the worst among reviewers at this site. Let this be said: A.I. was genius on many levels, and I love it that there's so much contention of that fact. As one talkbacker memorably said last summer, at least people have an opinion about this movie -- that's better than most flicks can ask for. The Flesh Fair is one of my favorite scenes in cinema (I could watch Chris Rock getting launched through that fan over and over and over again), the visuals are astounding, the story's engaging, and I thank Spielburg deeply for giving us the characters of Gigolo Joe and Teddy, who rank in my book as best sidekicks EVER.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 27, 2002 2:34:23 PM CST

    WHEN WILLL YOU IDIOTS REALIZE...

    by tron2sux

    the ending to A.I. was ALL KUBRICK? How many fucking times does it have to be said? Do some research before you open your mouth about how the ending was typical Spielberg and how Kubrick would have done it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 06, 2002 1:24:21 AM CST

    AI: how it could have been different

    by wawain

    Had Kubrick lived he might or might not have changed the plot, including the ending. We can not be sure of which parts of the movie he would have approved. As far as the movie as a whole is concerned, Spielberg receives the credit officially. Regardless, it is obvious that much thoughtfulness was put into this film. To me, biology is nothing more than the study of the most complex machines in existence. The film is awe-inspiring in suggesting that we humans, biological beings, can create or stimulate the creation of machines of comparable or greater complexity. It is appropriate that the film, whether intentional or not, elicits a mixed reaction regarding David, a machine complex enough to suggest human intelligence and yet not entirely of a human nature. As others have pointed out, the ending is ironic in several ways and these touches, whether intentional or not, are endearing. However, I think the film should have showed more what it's like to live in a world of 'mechas.' The film should have shown how and why it made sense to use them in the context of the changing world (eg. global warming catastrophe). David is special only in that he becomes the sole representative of his human heritage when he is rediscovered at the end. But meanwhile he should have shared the screen with many other 'mechas' and humans, so that audiences can ponder their opinions of their roles in society.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 17, 2002 7:04:39 PM CST

    Even with the flaws, best of 2001, one of my favorites ever

    by benjamin stone

    ***Warning: The following contains some impromptu ramblings on "Film as art Vs. Film as mindless fun" culminating with me summary of the film including virtually no specific details of the plot. Please read it and praise and/or make fun of me!***
    First of all: I fully understand, and did understand immediately after viewing the film, that the movie would probably be the most polarizing film in years. There just seemed to be no middle ground. Either you loved it, flaws and all, or you despised it with a passion usually reserved for child molesters and mass murderers. I happen to be one of the relatively few Americans who are of the former...someone who truly loves the movie. I also honestly hoped that others would feel the same as I did. That was not the case in the U.S. Maybe it was the film. Maybe it was the hype....or both. I don't know for sure. I just know I loved it. I'm a firm believer in the fact that film can be art. I believe that fact, even though I was raised on, and still enjoy occasionally, movies void of substance or dialogue and heavy on visual effects (See also: Every Ahnold movie between Terminator and...the present!). And don't get me wrong. There's definite room for, and a need for so-called popcorn movies. There always will be. In a sense, that's the essence of Hollywood: They provide you with escapism. I think that was the danger in A.I., and it's marketing campaign. It was high art, with extremely well done visual effects, posing as another-summer-movie (especially in it's T.V. spots). That wasn't the case. It's challenging. It's confrontational. It is VERY uncomfortable at times. It's emotionally draining. And, alas it was unbelievably elongated. Every time you thought the movie was going to end, every time you wanted it to end, it just kept on chugging...and that's the rub. I think that's where most of the unrelentless hatred arised: In that final act. I liked it. How? Why? I guess maybe because I loved the film so much up to those points that I didn't care if it ever ended. One of the few details I will (sort of) reveal about the plot that I did like was the jump in time frame near the end. I thought it was daring in an artistic sense, at the same time it was shooting itself in the foot in a general joe-shmo movie-fan cinematic sense...I could just hear most of the audience rolling their eyes. For me though, like I said...I was already so enthralled with the rest of the story that I accepted it. No...I didn't just accept it. I loved it. I thought the overall ideas of evolution were presented in such a Kubrickian way. Many people who hated the last act tagged it to Speilberg; I don't know how! The underlying themes were so dark, so bleak, that anyone who bothered to read into the underlying context should've gotten a chill down their spine...even with the whole "David spends a day with his mom" angle. He climbed in bed with his mom! Anyhoo, those are my thoughts, on the film, or the ending at least When I get the DVD maybe I'll be more detailed...but why bother when there are like 2 of you reading this and only one of you cares? :) *** -Stone.

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