A.I.: Artificial Intelligence/YMMV

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Alternative Character Interpretation: Martin as a Jerkass Woobie, think about it: the kid comes out of the cryogenic coma he was in, only to find out his parents have replaced him with a Robot Kid. Jerkass tendencies may well be justified there
  • Broken Base: Among fans of the film, there is a disagreement whether the time-skip ending improves the film or weakens it.
  • Cargo Ship: Just a little?
  • Ending Fatigue: Some believe that the movie should have ended with David continuously wishing to be a real boy to the carnival Blue Fairy underwater (and still others feel it should have ended with David committing suicide)... but it kept going... and going... AND GOING.
  • Freud Was Right: David's entire journey is ultimately about winning the unconditional love of his mommy.
  • Funny Aneurysm Moment: Scenes of frozen, distant-future New York City include the twin towers of the World Trade Center poking out of the ice. Spielberg made a conscious decision to leave them in, knowing he would take flak for it either way. Cinemas though (including outside America - the UK was affected) did have signs put up making them aware that footage of the towers featured in case of accidental offence.
  • Misblamed: Surprisingly, Kubrick was the mastermind behind the fuzzy Pinocchio subplot, while Spielberg introduced the dark grittiness of stuff like the Flesh Fair.
  • Nightmare Fuel: The sickeningly sadistic flesh-fair.
  • Snicket Warning Label: Stopping with either of the two scenes listed in Ending Fatigue would give you an ending sad enough.
  • Tear Jerker
    • David, abandoned by Monica out in the woods.
    • By the end of David's journey, he sits alone with Teddy, trapped underwater in front of the Fairy statue in hopes of granting a wish that will never be - being turned into a real boy so he could come back to Monica, loved.

David: Blue Fairy... please. Please, please make me into a real, live boy.

    • "I love you David. I do love you. I have always loved you."
    • Professor Hobby's scene with David.

David: I thought I was one of a kind.
Hobby: (holding back tears) My son was one of a kind.

    • The scene when David discovers the other Davids. Think about it for a second. All children are told that they are special and unique. Robot or no robot, David is just a kid and he gets so upset...
  • Uncanny Valley: Turned on its head here, as most of the humanlike robots are played by live actors - but used to very good effect with CGI-enhanced, partially-broken androids, and many scenes where David just doesn't... seem... quite... human. Like the one where he "breaks" after eating human food. This troper recalls hearing that Osment suggested that David should never blink.
    • The main character's actions can be very unnerving sometimes, which gives a subtle indication that in spite of his emotions and fleshy exterior, he is still a machine. The thrown away, out-dated robots that are seen rummaging through a pile of leftover robotic parts in the forest also qualify, but most definitely the "nanny" robot, who happens to be missing 3/4s of her head.
    • Jude Law's face was sprayed with latex, and his hairline was painted to make it look like a seam, thus make him bizarrely too-perfect to look real.
  • Vindicated by History: The film was viewed as good, but not as highly received as Kubrick's previous films, with some of the blame being given to Spielberg's "meddling". However, that response has softened since and the film has been received along with Kubrick's others as a masterpiece, a pattern that been carried with almost all of his filmography.
    • Notably, Roger Ebert initially gave it a score of 3 stars out of 4, and criticized the ending, but now has included it in his "Great Movies" list.
  • The Woobie: Oh, come on. Who didn't want to reach through the screen and give poor little David a hug?
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