June 18, 2001. Copyright, 2001, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Spielberg brings KubrickÕs futuristic vison to the screen
By Mark Samms

LONDON, June 18, Graphic News:  THIS is a story that, in one way or another, has taken more than 30 years to reach the screen. Though secrecy on the set has been extraordinary, early reports of this $100m summer blockbuster suggest it has been well worth the wait.

Back in 1969, British author Brian Aldiss wrote a short story called Super Toys Last All Summer Long. It eventually attracted the attention of director Stanley Kubrick, who bought the screen rights in 1982 and tinkered with the idea for years.

He began to involve his pal Steven Spielberg and when Kubrick died two years ago Spielberg determined that the idea should not die with him. He said: ÒStanley had a vision for this project that was evolving over 18 years. I am intent on bringing to the screen as much of that vision as possible, along with elements of my own.Ó

The result, A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) is a typically spellbinding piece of work from the double Oscar winner, shot through with pathos, humour, extraordinary flights of fancy and central performances that may well catch the eye of the Academy come next March.

The story is set in the future, when technology makes it possible to produce robots with the feelings, as well as the look, of humans. One such android takes the form of an 11-year-old boy, played by Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense), who is adopted by a couple (Frances OÕConnor and Sam Robards) still haunted by the loss of their child.

He is accompanied on the emotional roller-coaster that ensues by another supertoy, Gigolo Joe, played by Jude Law (The Talented Mr Ripley, Enemy at the Gate). They explore the Earth of the future, where great cities lie underwater. Indeed, the work done by the special effects team to recreate New York beneath the waves is said to be worth the entrance money alone.

Some people are already describing this odyssey of a non-human seeking acceptance where he does not really belong as Pinocchio meets ET. The movieÕs tag-line Ð Òhis love is real, but he is notÓ Ð sums it up nicely.
/ENDS
Sources: www.aimovie.com; www.imdb.com; www.ew.com

Release dates 
Jun 29: United States, Canada 
Jun 30: Japan 
Sep 6: Argentina 
Sep 13: Australia, Germany 
Sep 21: UK, Spain 
Oct 3: France, Norway 
Oct 4: Netherlands, Slovenia 
Oct 5: Estonia 
Oct 24: Belgium