A.I. Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence: AI is a remarkable, extravagant futuristic film that, on the one hand, wants to be a fairy tale for the masses and, on the other hand, seeks to philosophically discuss the most complex topics of artificial intelligence in our world. In formal terms, it is perfect. John Williams’ music is once again brilliant, the performance of Haley Joel Osment, whose character’s great inner development is the basis of the story, is also brilliant, and the design of the futuristic world (especially the final “weeping lion city”) is breathtaking. But from a complex directorial point of view, the film is strange and chaotic. As it was Spielberg who took over this project, he should have focused on what is his strong suit and made it into a dreamy, emotionally engaging and heartwarming work. Combining the uncombinable does not pay off. (09/04/2018)

I'm not sure if Stanley Kubrick would have gotten more out of this material, but I definitely don't think he would have made it as sickeningly sweet as Spielberg. These are exactly the elements I don't like about his films. That excessive sweetness that tries to force tears into your eyes. Here, however, I didn't even like the story, which may be too inspired by Pinocchio, but by shifting it into the sci-fi realm, it tries to be different. (01/12/2015)

A futuristic tale wrapped in the fine veil of a Disney classic about a robot/puppet who wants to become a normal boy, directed by one of my favourite and most respected directors of all time... well, that's a big attraction, and not just for me. The story is brilliantly composed, and even though at times I felt it was a bit wild, the ending made up for it. Haley Joel Osment is amazing in his role, and for most viewers, myself included, he will always be that child actor from A.I. and The Sixth Sense. Audiovisually, it's a gem, but that's not unexpected after Steven Spielberg's "dinosaur wonder". And I'm pretty sure that if I had seen the film when it premiered, I would have begged my parents for Teddy, because there are very few toys like that indeed. In short, it's not a perfect film, and it could have easily been twenty minutes shorter, but within its genre it's beautiful and memorable. (07/08/2011)

No, I wasn't expecting miracles, which was good, because there weren't any. The emotions of the story of the "dream robot" are maintained mainly by the flawless Osment, but it is a pity that Spielberg has kind of forgotten how to make an ending. Like Minority Report, A.I. is stretched into an awkward happy ending. If the credits had surfaced a few minutes earlier, it would have been an excellent film, but the offered end is hellish nonsense. It’s too bad. Convincing visually and in terms of acting, this is a science fiction with a little more thoughtful subtext, but Spielberg can do better. Add a half to the three stars. (25/01/2004)

Kubrick behind the concept, Spielberg the creator, and in the end, a beautiful film full of naive searching, simple and human thoughts, breathtaking performances by Osment and Law, and a conclusion that can mentally overwhelm. I admire this film for being able to combine traditional Spielbergian family values with a fascinating vision of the future, a plethora of technical gadgets, and many intellectual stimuli. (06/07/2005)