Masterpiece.
“I was quite young back then so I don’t remember much, if anything.”
You made me feel VERY old.
I admire the extraordinary virtuosity. No one is a finer craftsman than Spielberg. The movie gives me the creeps, however. The performances and the special effects are of the highest. But the sentimentality is disturbing. And I can’t figure out, exactly, how or when it goes too far.
I am captivated by the beauty of the imagery and the feeling behind it. But something is not quite right. I am not satisfied at the end. The resolution doesn’t work. I still think the film is a wonder. Even if it is not successful. You can probably say this about a lot of movies.
This is actually one of the few Spielberg movies where the sentimentality doesn’t bother me. Maybe because most of the movie is permeated by a delicate sense of melancholy, maybe because when the sentimental parts happen, they are handled with a matter-of-fact approach and not like the typical Spielberg outburst of tears and triumphalism.
I find it to be much better now than I originally thought it was. It’s worth a re-watch now that all the hubbub has died down.
As far as special effects and acting goes, it is amazing. It definitely is a great movie, one Spielberg film worth watching more than one time. And the story is a really good one; it could actually happen, maybe not now, but who knows in 50 years?
Sorry but this film was beyond atrocious, any one of the four endings would have been fine but the film just went on and on. Apparently the moral of the story is little boys want to sleep with their dead mothers. I’m really sorry Kubrick never got to take a crack at this, now that would have been something to see.
For me, the multiple ending thing is only an issue on a first viewing when you are making assumptions based on expectations. Once you know the true ending it doesn’t seem like such a misstep on a second viewing.
really good it might be consider as a masterpiece may be a decade later.
I really want to see this, and these posts are only driving me more into it. Does anyone know why Kubrick didn’t get any credit for this film, considering it was originally in his lap? Just curious.
I really want to see this, and these posts are only driving me more into it. Does anyone know why Kubrick didn’t get any credit for this film, considering it was originally in his lap? Just curious.
I’m glad to see so many props for AI. I always found it evocative and mysterious, and I felt a little lost in it, but always in a good way… I should watch it again, too. Arguing in its favor, I always felt like I was swimming upstream against people who said, “It was too weird,” or “It should have ended a half hour earlier” or (even worse) who just casually dismissed it as crap.
The film’s accomplishments: 1) the emotional turns were unsettling and unpredictable, as emotions often are; 2) sweeping, evocative picture of a future America, with “Man”-hattan being one of the most beautiful and mysterious settings I’ve seen in cinema… this is one of the few areas where video games (i.e. RPGs especially) are often ahead of cinema, with this sublime other-world serving as a notable exception; 3) the scale and emotional strength of a classical folk tale, punctuated by the melancholy, slightly discomforting “happy ending”; 4) handling humanity (real, simulated, sympathetic, and malicious) in a thoughtful, penetrating way.
@lester well kurick wanted to do this since early 90’s but the technology he wanted wasn’t available .so he decided to do it later and when the technology was available he died and speilberg took over the project paying homage to kubrick.but i still that if a.i was made by kubrick then it would have been a classic.
@ Rishi: Really? I understood that Kubrick contacted Spielberg long before his death and told him he thought the project was more geared toward “Spielberg’s sensibilities,” and that Kubrick thought Spielberg would be better suited to do the film.
I thought it was awful. I think Spielberg did dit in memory of Kubrick and SK’s pushing it on him, but it was stll a turkey. Minority Report is much better.
yup kubrick did that but speilberg took over only after kubrick’s death ,coz inside may be speilberg knew that kubrick is right person for this.
A vastly underrated film that captures a lot of Kubrick’s original intention—if it had Kubrick’s name on it. it would be considered a masterpiece—Spielberg’s only great film.
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Thinking about giving this a re-watch. I haven’t seen the film since it first came out and I was quite young back then so I don’t remember much, if anything. What are your thoughts on the film?