Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law in "A.I. Artificial Intelligence."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law Director: Steven Spielberg Rated: PG-13, with strong adult content Length: 145 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(June 29, 2001) -- What if we built a robot that loved us unconditionally? Could we love it back? And what would it do, if we couldn't?

For that matter, what defines us as human -- and it as robot?

Those are the issues raised by A.I. Artificial Intelligence, a fabulous, futuristic fable instigated by the late Stanley Kubrick and brought to fruition by Steven Spielberg.

And though Kubrick and Spielberg are the yin and yang of film futurists, the collaboration works. Filmgoers will be surprised by the artful blend of Kubrick's icy, dark intelligence and Spielberg's warm innocence.

A.I. can serve as the final chapter of two trilogies. 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.

The amazing Haley Joel Osment stars as David, a prototype robot boy who wants to become a real boy. (Yes, Pinocchio casts a giant shadow.)

It's the distant future, and global warming has brought rising tides, leaving most coastal cities under water. Natural resources are limited.

Many parents have not yet been approved to have children, but Cybertronics Manufacturing has a solution: humanlike robot children. Once programmed to love only their parents, the children love unconditionally, until they're destroyed.

Chosen to test David, the prototype, is Henry Swinton (Sam Robards) and his wife, Monica (Frances O'Connor), because they have a terminally ill son.

Monica is shocked that Henry would bring home a robot child but soon comes to appreciate David's affection. When the real son is cured, David doesn't understand his "brother" or his cruel pranks.

Monica has no choice but to return David to Cybertronics to be destroyed. However, she can't do it -- and lets the boy go in the woods, the place where fairy tales turn dark.

The confused boy wanders in search of Mommy.

Thus ends the first of three segments. Part two spotlights the robot boy's relationship with an odd guardian -- a slick robot gigolo named Joe (well-played by Jude Law).

Joe and David struggle to avoid humans bent on destroying the robots, while David continues his filial odyssey.

Part three projects us 2,000 years further into the future, for a profound conclusion to David's journey. A.I. has been adapted -- and greatly enlarged -- from a brief story by Brian Aldiss, and from a large outline, sketches and notes from the late Kubrick.

The thoughtful, engrossing screenplay, is by Spielberg, his first solo writing credit since Close Encounters in 1977.

Central to A.I. is the deeply affecting portrayal by Osment. Though only 12 at the time of filming -- and playing a character some five years younger than that -- Osment provides a poignant performance of subtle grace.

From his otherworldly robot movement at the beginning to his humanlike reactions that threaten to break your heart at the end, Osment brings David vividly to life.

He makes us care more deeply for this robot boy than for anyone -- or anything -- else in the film.

The diverse and deeply talented imaginations of Spielberg and Kubrick converge in A.I. to create a master work that will haunt and inspire filmgoers for years to come.