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A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (PG-13)

Plot Summary: In a futuristic society where robots are a common part of life, scientists create the first child robot programmed with the ability to love.

Reason for the Rating: Some sexual content and violent images.

It seems like everyone is buzzing about Steven Spielberg's latest project, A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE—which is the film he took over for the late Stanley Kubrick. Not surprisingly, movie is surrounded by high expectations. After all, when you have the combined efforts of two of Hollywood’s greatest directors, along with an interesting plot full of possibilities, a stellar cast, and some impressive visual footage, what could go wrong?

Unfortunately, a lot. 

In A.I., it appears that Mr. Spielberg was so caught up in artificial intelligence that he forgot to insert some real intelligence into this laboriously slow, two-and-a-half-hour film. Despite strong acting by Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law, the movie plods along to an ever-present sappy background music, attempting to be quite artistic but turning out to be quite boring instead. 

It begins promisingly as David, (Haley Joel Osment) the first robot programmed to love, attaches to his human mother and struggles to fit in society. When he is abandoned by his “mother,” all he wants is to be a real boy. 

That’s when it gets pretty cheesy. David hears the Pinocchio story and determines to find the Blue Fairy, whom he believes can make him “real.” On the way, a talking teddy bear and a robotic gigolo help the boy out. The gigolo (Jude Law), however, is really an unnecessary evil who adds very little to the plot and should have been omitted. 

After this plot set up, A.I. faces a lose/lose situation. If David becomes a real boy, the science fiction aspect of the movie is ruined by an impossible ending. If he’s destroyed or forced to live without love, the movie becomes incredibly depressing. And if the end falls somewhere between these two extremes, it just doesn’t work from a logical and emotional perspective. I won’t tell you which of these endings happens, but I think it’s clear that all roads lead to mediocrity.

On the positive side, Spielberg's vision of the future is interesting. The scenery is spectacular at times, especially when the action takes place in an underwater Manhattan, which was flooded by after a polar ice cap meltdown. And it does make occasional good social commentary, pointing out the extremes our society is capable of and the different possibilities for the future based on present actions. However, these points could’ve been made in a shorter movie, preferably in a non sleep-inducing fashion.

FamilyFans.com Recommends: Unless you’re a diehard Spielberg fan, don’t give into A.I.’s hype.

After the Show…If members of your family choose to view this movie, use these questions to spark discussion about it afterward:

-- Why do you suppose the society in A.I. would even want a robot that’s programmed to love? What does that say about our society today?

-- Which parts of the A.I. future society do you think will come true? Which parts do you hope never happen?

-- What lessons might this movie teach us about ourselves and our aspirations?

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