Director: Steven Spielberg
Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg are in some ways opposites. Both are (or were in Kubrick’s case) filmmakers who care deeply about cinema. Both are mavericks in their own right. The complaint about Kubrick is that he is too cerebral; all mind no heart. The complaint about Spielberg is that he is all heart and no thought. I like every Kubrick feature (except FEAR AND DESIRE – which I haven’t seen); Spielberg is more fifty/fifty. SCHINDLER’S LIST is a work of art, which will be remembered as one of the best films of the 1990s. JAWS and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS are both superlative films. However, Spielberg (as some critics claim) can be annoyingly sentimental. Even a noble film like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN has some sentimentality (“Earn this”). RYAN’s coda of a veteran saluting a gravestone is inferior to the singing girl in the finale of Kubrick’s PATHS OF GLORY. The nature of war and man is examined with the endings of both films. Kubrick just didn’t feel the need for a speech.
With this in mind comes A.I., which was to be Stanley Kubrick’s next films after EYES WIDE SHUT before Kubrick’s untimely death. Based on a Brian Aldiss short story, the film deals with a prototype for a robotic boy named David (Haley Joel Osment) who is programmed to love his parents. David is given to Monica and Henry Swinton (Frances O’Connor and Sam Robards) to try out. They may keep David if they choose, but if they ever seal his program (thus causing him to love), he can never be replaced, only scrapped. After a somewhat sappy BICENTENIAL MAN opening, David finds himself alone and on a journey to become a real boy. He has read “Pinocchio” and is looking for a Blue Fairy Godmother. Gigolo Joe (Jude Law), a robotic prostitute, accompanies David on his quest. Enter Steven Spielberg.
Steven Spielberg took on A.I., in part, as a tribute to Stanley Kubrick, a filmmaker he admires a great deal. Spielberg, in paying tribute, saw fit to remake the last half-hour of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and make many of the mistakes that Kubrick so wonderfully avoided with that film.
Stanley Kubrick never showed the supernatural force (whether that be God, aliens, or fairy tale creatures). Steven Spielberg can’t resist a special effect. As a result, there is one scene which looks like it just stepped out of a video game –not a single real, non-computer generated, object is on screen. This scene looks awful.
Kubrick did not let his characters explain what is happening in that white room. David Bowman remains silent; the camera says it all. Spielberg gives the audience a narrator (Ben Kingsley), a supernatural (or at least hallucinatory) presence that speaks, and a lengthy scientific speech that stops the film cold.
Lastly, Kubrick sees his future as part of a giant circle. Spielberg sees it only between fade-in and fade-out. The best thing to be said for this last half-hour of A.I. is that it made me long to rewatch 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY one more time.
The last half-hour of A.I. is unfortunate. Up to that point, David’s journey to find humanity is an interesting one. Jude Law turns in his best performance to date as Gigolo Joe. The portrait of the future is often visually stunning (the bridge tunnels in the image of a mouth for example). David also grows on the audience. From the sideshow feel of his first appearance to the annoyingly saccharine misunderstood child in the family scenes, David develops as a character while on his journey. This journey climaxes in the film’s most emotional and visual sequence. Manhattan underwater stands as the single best image of the year. The effects do not feel like effects. A.I. paints a unique and fascinating world in these scenes. David’s awakening to his place in this world, and the meaning of his journey, can produce a lump in one’s throat. One has lived with this character so long that one cannot help but be moved by his reaction to the revelations. If A.I. knew when to quit, one could say that Steven Spielberg has made an effective film and a fitting tribute to Stanley Kubrick. Unfortunately, there is that 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY half-hour still to come. When it was over, my good will was wearing thin.
[ Kill Bill | Eureka | "Memento" | "The Night is Young" | "Element of Crime" | "Requiem for a Dream" | "Wonder Boys" | "Conan the Barbarian" | "Amarcord" | "The Decalogue" ]
** All Film Reviews are by John Dodd (A.K.A. Crazy John). John is a graduate of Western Illinois University with a Master's Degree in English. He is a writer, reviewer, and a total film junkie. In his own words, "I'll watch anything once." John's goal is to have one of his plays performed in New York City and to review films for Variety. He also has two available spec screenplays. If you have any questions or comments or would like to contact John about his plays or screenplays, send them to jrd_73@yahoo.com .
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