A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
David, a robotic boy—the first of his kind programmed to love—is adopted as a test case by a Cybertronics employee and his wife. Though he gradually becomes their child, a series of unexpected circumstances make this life impossible for David.
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Yet "A.I." is also littered with Kubrick-movie references: female figures on a futuristic bridge that ape the chairs of the milk bar in "A Clockwork Orange"; interior design that pays tribute to "The Shining"; a city street right out of "Eyes Wide Shut"; and a big set piece that mirrors the lunar excavation of "2001."
(Joe is played with pizzazz by Jude Law, who recalls no one more than Malcolm McDowell in Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.)
Futuristic cars travelling through forests recall "A Clockwork Orange."
In it, a robotic child longs to connect with his "mother," and this thought of whether robots could love intrigued legendary director Stanley Kubrick ("A Clockwork Orange," "Eyes Wide Shut") who then bought the rights to the tale.
It's part of the carnal London from "A Clockwork Orange" but also the post-apocalypse outback of George Miller's "Road Warrior" films with an overlay of Ridley Scott's incredible evocation of L.A. in "Blade Runner."
The seedy sex capital "Rouge City" (which Mr. Kubrick apparently wanted to be architected with phallic buildings) instead feels like a neon nightmare only slight steps away from modern day Las Vegas, rather than the Korova Milkbar of Mr. Kubrick's 1971 "A Clockwork Orange".
Yet "A.I." is also littered with Kubrick-movie references: female figures on a futuristic bridge that ape the chairs of the milk bar in "A Clockwork Orange"; interior design that pays tribute to "The Shining"; a city street right out of "Eyes Wide Shut"; and a big set piece that mirrors the lunar excavation of "2001."
Spielberg uses this to create a perverse view of domesticity reminiscent of "The Shining," although in this case no one's crazy - they're just weird.
Yet "A.I." is also littered with Kubrick-movie references: female figures on a futuristic bridge that ape the chairs of the milk bar in "A Clockwork Orange"; interior design that pays tribute to "The Shining"; a city street right out of "Eyes Wide Shut"; and a big set piece that mirrors the lunar excavation of "2001."
In itself, the roundaboutness of the route is of little concern, but the sheer length of time that the project took to come to the screen seems relevant, given that Kubrick's last film, Eyes Wide Shut, was perhaps most notable for its conceptual datedness.
It's as if Spielberg were trying to ape the Kubrick of Eyes Wide Shut, who allowed Sydney Pollack to drone on and on about what the past half hour's events didn't mean (in retrospect, the Pollack speech is pretty funny, though -- it tweaks our desire to see the mystery cleared up).
In it, a robotic child longs to connect with his "mother," and this thought of whether robots could love intrigued legendary director Stanley Kubrick ("A Clockwork Orange," "Eyes Wide Shut") who then bought the rights to the tale.
When the film began production, Speilberg was working with a rough outline scribbled down by the late Stanley Kubrick, who intended to direct the actual film after "Eyes Wide Shut," but died before the opportunity came (a conflicting source, however, says that he simply gave up with the material, but if the truth be known, Kubrick suggested it to Spielberg in 1994, but reclaimed it when his close friend turned down the offer).
The plot, adapted from sci-fi writer Brian Aldiss’ "Super Toys Last All Summer Long", is, essentially, an update of Pinocchio (a perennial Spielberg obsession) for the robotic age, with chunks of The Wizard of Oz and echoes of Schindler’s List and Blade Runner thrown in.
While Gigolo Joe and his back story are Kubrickian (by way of "Blade Runner"), the Flesh Fair's flying mercenaries (Brendan Gleeson, wasted) and their spotlights begin the parade of "Close Encounters" visuals (a film where Spielberg featured Pinochhio's theme of 'When You Wish Upon a Star').
Spielberg has grown up on television and film culture, and is a great student of film--here he has found ways to explore some of Kubrick's favorite themes with far darker imagery than he has ever used before, with science-fiction sets that rival Blade Runner's in tone.
We’ve seen it countless times, in movies both good and bad (e.g., the Mad Max movies, Blade Runner, Waterworld).
Or what about all those mutilated meccas wandering about in junk yards to replace a missing arm or eye, or the Flesh Fair, an offbeat gladiator gala in which robots are tortured and blown to pieces, or Rouge City, Las Vegas by the way of "Blade Runner".
Spielberg’s future is surprisingly dark, with a Blade Runner quality — holographic ads are everywhere, as are sex shows and sexbots.
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Confiscating a police helicopter as capable of maneuvering underwater as above, they make their way to the lost city of Manhattan, which is redolent with echoes of "Waterworld" and "Dark City" combined.
Rather than forgoing the special effects and focusing on compelling filmmaking and effective storytelling - as he was reluctantly forced to do while making "Jaws" thanks to mechanical difficulties - Spielberg goes hog wild at the end, spending what had to have been millions on the "Waterworld" meets "Close Encounters" inspired finale.
We’ve seen it countless times, in movies both good and bad (e.g., the Mad Max movies, Blade Runner, Waterworld).
We also see the world as it looks under water, which surprisingly did not make me think of "Waterworld."
Joe makes for great comic relief, confidently strutting like a cross between John Travolta and Gene Kelly as he guides David through the second act, which turns into a fantastical blend of "Blade Runner" (if it took place in Las Vegas), "Pinocchio" and "Tron," with pinches of "Waterworld" (in the future the polar ice caps have melted, submerging coastal cities), with "Road Warrior" and "Brazil" thrown in for seasoning.
It appears to me that Kubrick was intending to reiterate that sense of confused wonder and awe that he brought to the end of "2001: A Space Odyssey," the profusion of images that carried the dark message that there were things in the universe that man could not know and that he would have no vocabulary to understand or remember.
In the closing section, Mr. Spielberg invokes Mr. Kubrick's grand, enigmatic 2001: A Space Odyssey as well as his own sweet-natured E.T.: The Extraterrestrial.
Put it on the shelf with Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange and with Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T.
From his own work, Spielberg includes material borrowed from "E.T." (a hiding in the closet scene) and "Close Encounters," while there are moments related to Kubrick's work (the smooth talking robotic teddy bear could be a descendent of HAL from "2001: A Space Odyssey) and that of other films including "The Wizard of Oz," "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome," "Planet of the Apes," "Waterworld," etc.
From the "Close Encounters" homage (in the visual and the audio) to an over the top (excuse the expression) mechanized moon, to the very title "A.I." (Need I remind ..."E.T."?) When given the choice of solid story-telling or big impressive visual - Steven chooses the latter every time.
It's said that Kubrick was inspired by Steven Spielberg's E.T.
It has scenes that echo "E.T.," aliens right off the mothership of "Close Encounters," and motorcycles dressed up like the predators of "Jaws."
Then Spielberg's sensibilities slowly take over, with the overall tone mating his yearning "E.T." vibe with Kubrick's infamous semi-nihilism.
And, how does this relate to similar themes in previous Spielberg films, notably in the mother-son relationship central to "E.T."?
The plot mixes Pinocchio with The Wizard of Oz to tell the story of David (Osment), a "mecha" (mechanic) child adopted by a couple (O'Connor and Robards) whose son Martin (Thomas) is in cryogenic suspension with a fatal illness.
The plot, adapted from sci-fi writer Brian Aldiss’ "Super Toys Last All Summer Long", is, essentially, an update of Pinocchio (a perennial Spielberg obsession) for the robotic age, with chunks of The Wizard of Oz and echoes of Schindler’s List and Blade Runner thrown in.
An unsettling sci-fi fairytale mélange of “Pinocchio” and “The Wizard of Oz,” “A.I.” wedded Spielberg’s visual wizardry to Stanley Kubrick’s bitter reality.
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All the visual Spielberg traits are apparent (including an obvious homage to "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" during the resolution), and yet the essence of the atmosphere--in which the world feels empty despite the prescence of crowded sidewalks and busy streets--is definitely Kubrick-inspired.
Though many of the sets are reminiscent of the spaceships in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," thematically speaking, the Spielberg picture that "A.I." most closely resembles is "Schindler's List": both movies are infused with the terror of facing down a society that views you as less than human.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence belongs in the middle, completing the trilogy begun with Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T.; combining elements of searching and longing with elements of goopy, sappy sentimentalism.
From Close Encounters of the Third Kind, through the Indiana Jones series, The Color Purple, Schindler's List and Amistad he has, with varying degrees of success, meditated on issues like faith, life, and justice.
Working from Aldiss's short story and Ian Watson's screen story, Spielberg wrote and directed this film that marks just the second time he's ever assumed both roles (the first being in the far superior "Close Encounters of the Third Kind").
Speaking for myself, I’m going to go out on a limb here, but Spielberg’s already so far out on his that I feel it’s warranted, so here goes: As a work of cinematic art, A.I. Artificial Intelligence may deserve a place on the shelf between Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Rather than forgoing the special effects and focusing on compelling filmmaking and effective storytelling - as he was reluctantly forced to do while making "Jaws" thanks to mechanical difficulties - Spielberg goes hog wild at the end, spending what had to have been millions on the "Waterworld" meets "Close Encounters" inspired finale.
It has scenes that echo "E.T.," aliens right off the mothership of "Close Encounters," and motorcycles dressed up like the predators of "Jaws."
And it reminds us how good he can be around the family table, in such movies as "Jaws" and "E.T."
Spielberg is responsible for several of my favorites: Raiders of the Lost Ark, which I consider the finest adventure film ever made; Jaws, arguably the best suspense-horror film of all time; the double-whammy of Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan, which, while sorely flawed, illustrate powerfully and passionately just how evil can lead humankind into ruin, and how one person’s bravery and love can make all the difference in the world.
Watching an entertaining but essentially soulless enterprise like "Jurassic Park," which showed none of the wit, inventiveness or cunning that was so astonishing in "Jaws," it seemed like a good thing for Spielberg to move beyond the type of ready-made wonderment that he could apparently toss off at will.
I'm not sure Spielberg will ever again hit the highs of Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark, nor should any filmmaker reasonably be expected to.