Movie Review: Artificial Intelligence

When you find a movie that is attributed to Stanley Kubrick, whose tenuous genius has produced some spectacular movies (who unfortunately passed away prior to this movie being completed), collaborating with Stephen Spielberg, you know you are going on a fascinating journey.

While I understand that you may not want a detailed narrative of the plot, I feel that I am justified in writing more than a few lines regarding the plot.

In a future where global warming has melted the ice caps, changing the world in a cataclysmic way, with millions of people displaced or dead due to the devastation caused by major floods, couples are forbidden from having children (without permission) as there are not enough resources to sustain population growth.

As more and more couples are unable to have children, they seek a surrogate child that will not endanger the world, but will fill the void left by not having children. Thus, as is ever true in the world, a lucrative business grows to supply this demand; the industry uses advanced technology to create lifelike robots. Not only does this provide childless couples with ‘children’, but it also provides millions with robots that can perform every duty man can think of, ranging from sex to cleaning the bathroom. They begin to replace the need for companionship and become part of society in a very real and dangerous way.

These robots are unfeeling automatons that are simply programmed to mirror humanity – the line between programming and actual feelings is very blurry – aren’t we essentially a very complex program after all? (DNA).

Thus the Golden Chalice for inventors is to provide society with a robot that has real feelings, and is capable of all the emotions man is capable of, most prominently Love.

After twenty years of research, one man finally believe he has achieved this lofty goal and decides to place the robot in a real family. This family is undergoing trauma as their real child is comatose with no likelihood of recovery – it seems the surrogate robot will be able to garner real emotions from the humans – this seems an important part of the process of placement.

Initially the family is closed to the idea, and very skeptical that anyone, let alone a mere robot can replace their son. Over time they do form a tentative bond with David (the robot played by Haley Osment), and generally the experiment is called a success.

Their real son makes a miraculous recovery and the family suddenly becomes torn between their real son and David, and although the decision is very hard the mother decides to return the robot – this choice is basically forced by their real son who becomes very jealous of the love that David receives.

After much heart ache, the mother cannot accept that David must be destroyed and therefore she frees him, allowing him to live his own life. David is forced into a dark world where inequalities reign. Real people treat robots with disdain, and David does not understand his betrayal; David sets out on a quest for fulfillment, a quest to quench his thirst for love.

Spielberg, the master story teller, has created a movie that is a little disjointed. Initially you are thrust into a family in turmoil; you see the consequences of an experiment not only on the family, but also on the robot. The emotions caused by this perceived love are very palpable, and you begin to question what love is, and if it can extend beyond flesh and blood.

Quite suddenly, you are thrust into a frightening world that speaks of the injustice of society today. Prejudice, fear and danger are rampant in this world, and survival seems down to pure luck at times. An interesting parallel is drawn (albeit a subtle one) to the inadequacies of our current society.

Finally, we find ourselves transcend all the fear and love, and find a spiritual feeling invade the movie – in metaphoric ways, the movie almost is like growing up – we begin by being nurtured, fight our way through life and then seek a light towards the end.

As I watched the movie I recognized many different styles blended into the ‘feel’ of the movie. We have a quest for love with a faithful companion helping that somehow reminds me of some of the early Lassie movies OK so it’s a little bit of a stretch, but the feeling I got and the perceived ‘goals’ that the robotic teddy bear helped David with, were akin to a Lassie movie.. We then have a sequence that could fit nicely into Blade Runner – the darkness and sheer fearful atmosphere as robots are being hunted and destroyed is very similar to Blade Runner.

Then there’s the classic story of a robot wanting to become human – the concept has been tried and tested in Star Trek: The Next Generation for years – much of the emotional roller coaster David goes through in a few hours, has been covered in many Next Gen episodes.
It does work in a subtle way though to produce something that is similar and yet unique.

More than anything it is a movie that has a profound statement to make about today’s society, but also a movie that portrays a very possible future, and one that we are not currently prepared to live in. It comments that humanity is creating more advanced robots every day, but is not considering how we are going to deal with these robots once their actions mimic humans exactly – where do we decide that something is a machine and something is alive? It’s this questioning feel of the movie that makes it so good. It becomes spiritual and makes you question what a soul is, and whether humanity is the only ‘being’ capable of having a soul.

On top of this, the special effects also add to the atmosphere and feel of the movie. The CGI is outstanding, as is the animation. The special effects elevate the movie above a good movie, and compliment the acting and storyline very well.

Haley Osment is impeccable as David. He brings a ‘realness’ to the character, that somehow shows us the change from mere robot, to loving child and back again. It’s his skill to show us the two sides of the character that build and enhance on the cornucopia that is the movie. Jude Law is interesting as a male gigolo character, but I felt his talents were a little wasted as this character is one dimensional (this is by design I assume, and comments on how difficult it is to make a robot have feelings).

So is it a good movie? This in fact is a very difficult question. If you just are looking for an action / love story movie that flows well and doesn’t have any real flaws, then this isn’t the movie for you. If you’re looking for a flawed movie that has a heart and makes you think about yourself, our society and our futures, while being very thought provoking and adult then this is for you. For me, the movie covered some very difficult issues and went some way in changing my thoughts about the future and my own personal visions. It really is an abstract movie that really doesn’t entertain in the conventional way – it is slow at times, disjointed and rhetorical - but if you can get passed all of that then it is worth it.