A.I.: Artificial Intelligence 2001

I checked out this movie because it is a robot movie, and I have a strange fascination with those, even though they tend to follow the same plot lines: people use robots as servants and / or entertainment, robots rebel, robots develop human-like qualities or want to become human. Artificial Intelligence has two of these themes. People have developed very human-like robots that are being programmed to do different tasks. As a new step of this technology, we get David (Haley Joel Osment), a robotic boy who can be programmed to love.

David is purchased by a married couple whose son is in a coma, stricken with an incurable disease. Monica, the wife, is warned that when David's "love" program is started, there is no way back: the roboti boy will love her as his mother, always. His feelings cannot be stopped or re-programmed. If rejected, he is going to suffer just like a real child. Monica accepts the responsibility - only to prove how unreliable we humans are. When her own son suddenly recovers and comes home from the hospital, Monica no longer wants David. Not knowing what to do with him, she takes him to the forest and leaves him there. After all, "it's just a machine."

This is a difficult movie to watch; I definitely would not recommend it for children because of several disturbing scenes. One of them is David's abandonment. His shock, pain, and panic at his mother's betrayal are likely to resonate with most children and frighten them. Another unpleasant part is the despicable Games where unwanted robots are brutally destroyed in front of a cheering crowd. Since robots look so much like humans, their destruction looks too much like killings.

Overall, I would say it's a good movie with a good message. However, some viewer discretion is advised.