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A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
- Review Date: June 16, 2003
- PG-13
- Genre: Science Fiction
- 2001
Common Sense Media says
Provocative movie suitable for teens.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie is rated PG-13 for some sexual references (Joe is a robot created to have sex with women, a crude joke about the equivalent for men) and some violence (mecha are destroyed, critically ill child, characters in peril). Children may also find the theme and some of the situations disturbing and may also be unsettled by the open-ended nature of the story, which leaves many questions unanswered. It will be most suitable for teens, who may enjoy debating some of the issues of love, vulnerability, the nature of humanity, the future of the human race, and even the meaning of life.
What's the story?
David looks like a 12-year-old boy but is really a "mecha," a highly developed robot. He's the creation is Dr. Hobby (William Hurt), who decided to take robots a step further and develop the first robot that can feel love. One of his employees, Henry (Sam Robards) is chosen to be the beta tester. Henry and his wife, Monica (Frances O'Connor), have a son, Martin, who is critically ill. At first, Monica is horrified by the idea of "adopting" a mechanical boy, but her need for love is so overpowering that she initiates the sequence that will bind David irrevocably to her forever. He immediately changes from a pleasant if emotionless toy into a child whose mother is his whole world. He loves, which means that he is needy, jealous, and He thinks like a three-year-old, calling for his mommy and wanting her all to himself. When Martin gets better and returns home, he and David are jealous of one another. Believes that David may be a threat to Martin, she sets him loose in the woods. David is determined to find the Blue Fairy who can turn him into a real boy, as she did with Pinocchio, because he thinks that will make it possible for Monica to love him.
Is it any good?
Cross 2001 with E.T. and Blade Runner and throw in some Pinocchio, some Wizard of Oz, some Velveteen Rabbit and a touch of Our Town, and you might have some sense of what to expect from A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. It is an ambitious, complex, provocative movie that is likely to lead to more late night college dorm debates than anything since the ones about 2001's monolith and the ape throwing the bone.
Developed by Stanley Kubrick and completed by Steven Spielberg, this is a two-part invention of a movie that owes both its strengths and its weaknesses to the collaboration between two men of such prodigious talents and such different, even opposing sensibilities. Kubrick is the master of the cool image; Spielberg the master of the warm feeling. The juxtaposition of their influence is particularly apt for this story of the struggle between heart and brain, not just on the part of the mecha, but on the part of the orga (humans) as well.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about whether what David feels is love, and Dr. Hobby's real reason for creating him. Is there any way to make a robot "real?" If the movie is about making a machine that can feel, why is the title "Artificial Intelligence?"
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Teen, 15 years old
January 28, 2009
AGE
One of the best science fiction films (and one of the most overlooked) is this 2001 feature developed by Stanley Kubrick and completed by Steven Spielberg. It is all the proof someone needs that science fition can be more than just childish fantasies or violent messes.
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Teen, 16 years old
August 2, 2009
AGE
What other families should know:
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Kid, 11 years old
November 10, 2009
AGE
This film is pretty much a love-it-or-hate-it film. I am a love it person. It is my favorite film rated PG-13, and one of my all-time favorites. Even those who hate it will have their heart captured in the final scenes, and those who love it will find the gigolo's electromagnetic misfortune favorable. And you just have to love Teddy. Watch it, buy it, watch it again, and tell the world how much you love it on this site. This is a new Blockbuster classic.
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Kid, 9 years old
April 2, 2010
AGE
A.I.Artificial Intelligence
Rated PG-13 For Some Sexual Content And Violent Images
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Adult
August 7, 2009
AGE
Incredibly Bleak, Depressing Sci-Fi Flick.
I didn't like this film. i love Steven Speilberg's work, but this was a huge disappointment. Depressing, violent, unnesicerily sexual (a robot gigolo for cying out loud!), and ends even bleaker, this is not a film. It's a flop; a very bad flop.
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Adult
April 9, 2008
AGE
It touched me
I am against arificial intelligence but this movie touched me. I was a great movie and I got really into it. I felt sorry for the boy and I had to be really strong to hold in the tears at the end (It was very hard to do this, because I try to be tough but am probably very weak). It was very touching.
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Adult
October 9, 2010
AGE
This is a horrible film. It is depressing, dark, and just poorly made. Parents: There's extremely upsetting material here, including abandoment of a child, a child going into a coma, a cyborg gigolo, and sad deaths. Bottom Line: Don't waste your time on this ultra-dark downer, unless, for some strange reason, you want to be sad. Thanks for reading, and sorry for the negativity - Movie Man
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Parent of 6 year old
September 17, 2009
AGE
Not acceptable for any but the oldest and most thoughtful teenagers
As an adult, I loved this move. Although the theme and situations are beyond what younger children and even most teenagers should be exposed to, the issues and the moving performances may give older teenagers pause to think about the deeper issues of life. Yes, all of the major characters are white, but it is a black woman who asks the question that resonates throughout the rest of the movie: If we give reach the point where we can give artificial intelligence the ability to love, what is our duty to that machine, which is then more than a machine? By extension, we can ask ourselves what our duty is to our own children. We can think about the importance of our role as parents. And we can think about the power of love to set the course of a life and to reach forward for generations. It's definitely not your typical Hollywood happy ending.
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Kid, 11 years old
November 25, 2009
AGE
good story of a rodot wanting love
good movie sad at end
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| Studio: | Universal Pictures |
| Director: | Steven Spielberg |
| Cast: | Frances O'Connor, Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law |
| Genre: | Science Fiction |
| Run time: | 146 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | June 29, 2001 |
| DVD release date: | March 5, 2002 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | some sexual content and violent images |
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