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If I were to make a book on the greatest movies of Steven Spielberg, then A.I. would fit the pen-ultimate chapter. Why so? Because, to a vast majority, this is the last greatest film he directed, but to me, his second-last greatest with the last being The Terminal. (I may be in the minority here but I really like the film). After that, he directed a string of just OK films. Good, but not great, with one being one of the worst I've seen.
Anyway, A.I. is arguably one of the greatest heartbreaking films ever made and is a modern classic in the sci-fi genre. The story folds in a nice manner, with a good introduction and a heartbreaking ending, that will stay with you for a long time. The characters were very Spielberg-esque while the movie itself was very Kubrick-esque. No wonders and surprises there. However, I do have certain qualms: The humans and the Mecha's were portrayed in a very cliche and dog-tired manner. There was nothing unique, special or new in them. There was little or no understanding to the human characters and were mostly one-sided while the Mecha's, well, most were just "been there, done that". So, story-wise, the film was very strong but could've done better on the characters, giving them a much deeper depth. While the human world was shown in a restricted manner, the Mecha world was shown in a satisfactory style. Not wildly impressive, just satisfactory.
Despite the fact that the film runs on a decent, accepted speed, it actually comes to its true pace when David wakes up 2000 years into the future. Those 20-or-so minutes felt like they belonged to A.I. and it was a delight to watch!
Now, in the performances, I will point out 3. What ever happened to Haley-Joel Osment? He was billed as one of the best child-star, particularly due to his success on 6th Sense but I hardly hear about him now. I mean, he just vanished. Anyway, before he did, his performance as David truly won me over. You want real proof? Watch the scene in the forest with his mother. I've never seen such an emotion-filled performance by a child-actor. I guess I have to update my greatest criers in Hollywood list. A must-watch performance and it's bound to leave you impressed. Then we have Frances O' Connor as Monica, David's adoptive mother. Prior this film, I'd never heard or seen of her so it was a good surprise. I was impressed by her performance, too and she sure looks like a good candidate to my above mentioned list. Granted, she starts off slowly, kinda clunky, but quickly balances and stabilizes herself. A good performance to the very end. Then we have Jude Law as Gigolo Joe, a Mecha David befriends. Law is a fine actor and one look at his performance in this film, and Sky Captain, makes me think that he could've been times better should he had been in the 30's silent era of movies. Just like O' Connor, he starts off clunky, and goofish, but takes control of his character and stands on his feet. It was a good move on Spielberg's part to cast Law as Gigolo Joe. I can't think of any other better actor to portray him. Apart from the three mentioned, all the others were either fine, or plain decent, nothing too extraordinary. So, there you go!
In conclusion, despite the quite-cliched characters and stereotypical scenes, A.I. is a truly magnificent film that is supposed to be treasured for a long time. @Mr. Spielberg: How about another film like this?
9.5/10
