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'A.I.' struggles between Spielberg's optimism and Kubrick's pessimism
 Harold John Behling
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I remember the teaser trailers they started running to promote "A.I." long before the movie graced theaters.
It was very minimal: Silhouette of a boy stepping forward to create the initials A.I. and the name Steven Spielberg.
What saddens me is how long it took for me to find out what name was excluded from this title: Stanley Kubrick.
The idea was born in the mid-eighties by Kubrick who wanted to the produce the film, handing off the task of directing to Spielberg.
Hatched from the mind of one of the greatest film makers of our time, "A.I." is a dark fairy tale set in the future that deals with the controversial issue of artificial life.
Many people are commenting about how wonderful it was to see the unlikely pair of Kubrick and Spielberg blend styles to create a film neither would've made on their own.
I see both positive and negative results from this cooperation.
"A.I." definitely has a Kubrick feel. The future is dark, chaotic, and ignorant. The prototype, David, is created to fill the void in the lives of mother's who can't achieve a license to have children, or to alleviate suffering for those who have experienced great tragedy. But quickly, the forever naive robot boy falls victim to intolerance, discrimination and eventually is cast away by his family.
This starts his journey.
On the way, he'll team up with a hilarious robot-teddy bear and a jolly sex robot (played expertly by Jude Law). This "off to see the wizard" quest for answers is as borrowed as it sounds and becomes drawn out and predictable.
The problem being that as hard as Haley Joel Osment (as David) tries, he never stirs up the sympathy required to make this film viewable.
This is where I see Spielberg's involvement as a curse. His approach takes away the bite that most Kubrick films like "The Shining," "Full Metal Jacket," and "A Clockwork Orange," are successful with.
By skirting the line between a family film and an adult drama, "A.I." is neither dark and disturbing nor emotionally moving. It's just the eternal struggle between Spielberg's valiant optimism and the depth of Kubrick's pessimism.
Although I wasn't moved by the acting or the storyline, the visual beauty of "A.I." took my breath away. Softly colored, rounded, and expertly lit, the future house where the David's journey begins is a wonderful marriage of science and art. Brightly colored and oddly shaped future cars speed along scenic roads through the lush wilderness showing a stark contrast between the future world we've never seen, and the world of nature that we know and trust. The special effects are perfectly integrated and ingeniously executed. The cinematography is innovative and interesting, almost making up for some of the film's lethargic pace.
"A.I." takes patience to fully enjoy. It takes you into a beautifully original and colorfully detailed world, but fails to take you further. "A.I." is a metaphor for itself. Wonderfully crafted, and beautiful in life-like detail, but without the warmth or true emotional complexity required to take hold of a viewer's sympathy and attention.
You can find "A.I." on video and DVD in the new release section of most video rental stores.
Harold John Behling can be reached at: [email protected]
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