A.I. Artificial Intelligence (12)

My favourite film when I was younger, it's a shame I haven't seen it since. I would recommend to everyone who likes science ficition and a good story.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence is one of those films that will mature in the archives, like T1 did. While this film had two directors (in a way) Spielberg has done a fine interpretation. His forte is relationships and this is very powerful in this film. This is not really a sci-fi as such but how a machine learns undying love for his mother which happens to be over 2000 years of undying love.

Those of you who do not have children, come back to this when you do. Your rating will jump from 2 to 9/10, I assure you.

Those teenagers out there reading this - don't bother with this film. It is too old for you :-)

You have got to see this purely to experience the ending. It is memorable for all the wrong reasons.

This was originally meant to be directed by Stanley Kubrick who had wanted to shoot this story of an android boy built for childless couples who is abandoned by his mother when her real son, who has been in a coma, comes back to the family fold after a miracle recovery. Kubrick was waiting for special effects technology to catch up with his ideas. Unfortunately the great director died shortly after finishing work on Eyes Wide Shut and so the directing duties were taken up by Steven Spielberg after an invite from Kubricks family. And here is where the problem lies, with this dark and troubling tale being given the E.T touch of sugar sweet sentimentality. I thought the director of Schindlers List and Saving Private Ryan had finally matured from the candy coated offerings he gave us from the 1980's. There are some classic moments, for instance, the flesh fair which is particulary grotesque and the moon shaped balloon that is used to capture androids. The performance by Hayley Joel Osmont as the boy David is outstanding, and Jude Law adds good support as Gigolo Joe, a pleasure model android. Towards the end your thinking maybe Mr Spielberg has pulled this off, until you get to the last 20 minutes, then your expecting E.T to pop out and say "Has anyone seen Elliot guys", such is the need for the director to make us feel good. The last film I want to associate with Kubrick will not be this sad tribute