My personal opinion of A.I. is that it was probably one of the most eclectic movies I have ever seen, and DEFINITELY the most original movie this summer. While I'm still not sure if I liked it or not, at least I'm still thinking about it, which I can't say for either The Fast and The Furious or Tomb Raider.
WATCH OUT FOR MINOR SPOILERS!!
Good points
-- Haley Joel Osment as David. Some of you people may hate the kid from his acting in Sixth Sense, but I thought it was most eye-opening performances I've never seen. While his performance here in A.I. isn't as noteworthy as the performance in 6th Sense, it's still very engrossing and at times, downright creepy.
-- Jude Law as Gigolo Joe. Reminded me a lot of McDowell's character in A Clockwork Orange(think Singing in the Rain), but with a more upbeat personality. Both his beginning and ending scene were definitely unique. BTW, what's HIS story, and where can I meet his female buddy Jane?
-- Teddy. The anti-Jar Jar Binks, as one review I've read described him. This little robot had the best line in the movie -- "Ouch," and at times reminded me of HAL 9000. Teddy rocks!
-- The Production Design. The Blade Runner-ish look of Rouge City was very interesting.
-- The Visual Effects. Subtle at times, in your face at times, but COMPLETELY believable all the time. HOW DID THEY DO THE FIRST MAJOR EFFECTS SHOT?!? For those of you who've seen it, I hope you know what I'm talking about.
-- The First Act. Reminded me of the creepiest parts of E.T. or a Kubrick picture, combined with Spielberg's trademark emotionalism, which is a good thing. I've never jumped in a movie when somebody laughed until now.
-- John William's Music. Although it's not his usual over-the-top fanfare style, it contains the most subtle and beautiful themes I've ever heard in movie music, combined with some fascinating minimalistic passages. It's the music that solidifies the mood of the movie, and what a mood it is! Also, as a possible first, Williams uses TECHNO beats. Yeah!!
The Bad
-- First and foremost, WHAT KIND OF PICTURE WAS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE?! A sci-fi picture, a fairy tale, an art-house picture... what!? Spielberg's focuses kept on shifting to the point where we as an audience didn't really care about David. Spielberg's lack of direction was another testament to how awesome Osment truly is as an actor.
-- The Flesh Fair. As disturbing as it was, I think it got a little over the top with the rock band and the Chris Rock character. The motorcycle chase scene before the fair didn't help much, either.
-- Dr. Know. While I recognize it's trying to imitate a Vegas-style tourist attraction, I couldn't help but be reminded of Mr. DNA all over again.
-- The Ending. As there were probably three points when the picture could have ended, try to find anybody who REALLY liked the true ending. My personal pick for the ending would have been the point where *SPOILERS* David is stuck underwater by the Ferris Wheel and ends up questioning the Blue Fairy for the rest of his life. *END SPOILERS* The epilogue just seemed to be a little bit too illogical for its own good.
Anyway, I'm mixed. I wanted to like the movie, but I wouldn't be disappointed if I didn't like it. One things for sure, it's not the typical summer fare, and after all the movies released this summer, I think I'd watch a "frustrating" movie like A.I. again instead of a "frustratingly bad" movie like Pearl Harbor. I just hope the next movie that comes out with the uniqueness of A.I. is a little more focused than this.