Review: 'A.I.' intelligent, but artificial

By Paul Clinton
CNN Reviewer

(CNN) -- Fans of Steven Spielberg will be sorely disappointed if they're expecting "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" to be another warm and gooey "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" (1982). Stanley Kubrick devotees will likewise be disappointed if they're looking for the cool and calculating isolation of "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968). The only truly satisfied customers may be fans of Haley Joel Osment: this remarkable 13-year-old is absolutely amazing as David, a robot, or mecha, that has been programmed to love humans.

"A.I." is based on a short story called "Super-Toys Last All Summer" by science fiction author Brian Aldiss. The intriguing tale is about a robotic boy who tries to connect emotionally with his human mother. Kubrick purchased the rights 20 years ago, and consulted with his friend and fellow cinematic genius Spielberg about the project for years. After Kubrick's death in 1999 -- and following the legendary director's wishes -- Spielberg decided to write and direct the film himself.

The film is set in the distant future. Global warming has caused Earth's ice caps to melt and much of the planet is under water, including New York City (making "A.I." a political statement as well as a movie). Society is technologically eons ahead of our present abilities, and robots of all kinds now do much of the manual and routine labor.

VIDEOS Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law star in 'A.I.' Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Paul Clinton says Stanley Kubrick's cool vision and Steven Spielberg's warmth combine to make 'A.I' a tepid sci-fi movie (June 29) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   ALSO TIME.com: 'A.I.': Spielberg's strange love   EW.com: Answers to 'A.I.' questions   Note: Pages will open in a new browser window   MORE STORIES Tatara: 'A.I.' an eye-opening sci-fi fable       MORE REVIEWS Van Wilder High Crimes Big Trouble Panic Room Blade II Ice Age Showtime Time Machine We Were Soldiers Queen of the Damned Dragonfly Iris John Q Big Fat Liar Collateral Damage Monster's Ball Slackers Birthday Girl Monte Cristo Mothman Orange County Charlotte Gray I Am Sam Gosford Park Black Hawk Down Ali Kate & Leopold Shipping News Jimmy Neutron Joe Somebody Beautiful Mind The Majestic The Lord of the Rings Lantana The Royal Tenenbaums Vanilla Sky No Man's Land Affair of the Necklace Enemy Lines In the Bedroom Spy Game Sidewalks Harry Potter Shallow Hal Man Who Wasn't There Heist Amelie Focus Domestic Disturbance Tape Monsters, Inc. Life As A House My First Mister K-Pax From Hell Riding in Cars Last Castle Mulholland Drive Bandits Serendipity Joy Ride Training Day Don't Say a Word Zoolander Hearts in Atlantis Glitter Liam The Glass House Hardball The Musketeer Rock Star O Bubble Boy Jade Scorpion Corelli's Mandolin Apocalypse Redux Now American Pie 2 The Others Osmosis Jones Ghost World Rush Hour 2 Jackpot Planet of the Apes America's Sweethearts Jurassic Park III Legally Blonde The Score SongCatcher Cats and Dogs Scary Movie 2 crazy/beautiful A.I. The Fast and the Furious Dr. Dolittle 2 Atlantis Tomb Raider Swordfish Evolution Worst That Could Happen? Pearl Harbor Angel Eyes Shrek Calle 54 A Knight's Tale Mummy Returns About Adam One Night at McCool's Town and Country The Claim Freddy Got Fingered Bridget Jones's Diary Joe Dirt Along Came a Spider Blow Tailor of Panama Someone Like You Heartbreakers Say It Isn't So Enemy at the Gates The Dish Blow Dry 15 Minutes The Caveman's Valentine The Mexican 3000 Miles to Graceland Monkeybone Sweet November Hannibal Shadow of the Vampire The Gift Snatch Chunhyang Finding Forrester O Brother, Where Art Thou Thirteen Days Before Night Falls Vatel The House of Mirth Traffic Malena An Everlasting Piece All the Pretty Horses Miss Congeniality The Family Man Cast Away Chocolat What Women Want Emperor's New Groove Crouching Tiger,  Hidden Dragon Proof of Life Vertical Limit Dungeons & Dragons Unbreakable Quills 102 Dalmatians Just Looking What's Cooking The 6th Day The Grinch Bounce Boesman and Lena A Room for Romeo Brass You Can Count on Me Men of Honor Red Planet Little Nicky Wonder Boys Legend of Bagger Vance Charlie's Angels George Washington Lucky Numbers Blair Witch 2 The Yards Pay It Forward Bedazzled Lost Souls The Contender Billy Elliot Dr. T and the Women Requiem for a Dream Meet the Parents CyberWorld 3D The Broken Hearts Club Girlfight Best in Show Beautiful Remember the Titans Into the Arms of Strangers Under Suspicion Woman on Top Dancer in the Dark Crime and Punishment in Suburbia Duets The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack Bait Almost Famous 'Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God ...Be Back by Five' The Watcher Nurse Betty Whipped Love and Sex Bring It On The Crew Art of War The Cell Original Kings Of Comedy Autumn in New York Tao of Steve Cecil B. Demented The Replacements Wonderland New Waterford Girl Hollow Man Space Cowboys Coyote Ugly Criminal Lovers Saving Grace Nutty Professor II What Lies Beneath Loser The Wisdom of Crocodiles Chuck & Buck X-Men But I'm a Cheerleader Blood Simple Scary Movie Disney's The Kid Trixie Rocky and Bullwinkle Sunshine The Perfect Storm The Patriot Me, Myself & Irene Chicken Run Boys and Girls Shaft Titan A.E. American Pimp Gone in 60 Seconds Passion of Mind Big Momma's House Mission: Impossible 2 Small Time Crooks East Is East Dinosaur Center Stage Battlefield Earth The Big Kahuna Virgin Suicides Gladiator Me Myself I Time Code Where the Heart Is Frequency 28 Days U-571 Joe Gould's Secret American Psycho Keeping the Faith Here on Earth Rules of Engagement Return to Me Romeo Must Die The Road to El Dorado The Ninth Gate Mifune Waking the Dead Beyond the Mat Erin Brockovich You be the critic! Recommend a movie on our message board

However, humans are forced to limit the number of children they have due to the world's limited resources. When the son of Monica and Henry Swinton (Frances O'Connor and Sam Robards) becomes terminally ill, they have him cryogenically frozen while waiting for a cure. Childless and grieving, they're perfect candidates for a new project being developed by Henry's company, Cybertronics.

William Hurt plays Professor Hobby, who creates David, a robot -- or a mecha, as they're called -- unlike any other made in this robot-infested world of the future. David has been programmed to love, and be loved in return by humans. These new robots can be the children that many humans could never have in this brave new world.

When situations occur which make keeping David impossible, the Swintons are forced to return him to Cybertronics to be destroyed. But at the last minute, Monica weakens and releases the boy into the woods -- with only his robotic teddy bear for company -- leaving instructions for him to stay away from humans and only seek out his own kind.

Dropping the temperature

That's part one of this movie -- which can easily be divided into three distinct sections -- and Spielberg's dynamics and aesthetics shine through over all the obvious (and icy) Kubrickian touches. Then we move into the second phase and the emotional temperature drops.

Kubrick is front and center in a part of the story that's a weird combination of "Pinnochio" and "The Wizard Of Oz," as David meets his "Scarecrow" and "Lion" in the form of a robot named Gigolo Joe, played to odd perfection by Jude Law. Together they go in search of the Blue Fairy, the "Pinocchio" character familiar to David from having the classic story read to him by Monica.

In the storybook, the fairy can transform the wooden puppet into a real boy. David dreams that if the fairy can turn him into a real person, his human family would welcome him back. The place they're heading for is called Rouge (think Emerald) City -- eventually revealed to be a wildly carnal city on the site of Philadelphia.

Now things get truly futuristic, and the jeopardy is increased when Joe and David are captured and taken to a Flesh Fair. This violent event, which would fit perfectly in a Kubrick film, is where old robots are melted down in front of cheering crowds of crazed humans who resent the mechas' intrusion into their lives. Then, in a scene right out of "Indiana Jones," they're saved at the final moment from this terrible fate and continue on their odyssey.

The best -- and worst -- traits of the directors

The third, and final, section is too long, emotionally remote to the extreme, but a cinematic marvel. In short, Spielberg's channeling of Kubrick is at its height as the film finally begins to wind down, not that it was ever -- even for a second -- wound up.

"A.I." includes the best of both Spielberg and Kubrick. It also embraces their worst traits as well. The sensibilities of these two filmmaking icons are night and day, black and white. Spielberg wants to reinforce our belief systems, tell us truths we already know. Kubrick wants to disturb us, and show us things we don't want to face.

The result is an "A.I." that is neither fish nor fowl, hot or cold. At best it's brilliant, but lukewarm -- lacking Spielberg's emotional heat and Kubrick's icy intellect.

Cautionary note: Don't let Spielberg's involvement fool you. This film is not for young kids; pay attention to the rating.

"A.I. Artificial Intelligence" opens nationwide on Friday and is rated PG-13.