A. I. Artificial Intelligence

I have given much time and thought to this movie, probably more than it deserves. It is a blatant remake of the Pinocchio story. There is a conflict between humans and mechas, android humans capable of intelligent thought, emotions and physical sensation. David is the first child mecha, given to a family with an injured son who is kept in suspended animation. The child is cured, comes home, starts inevitable trouble, and David is released in the wild to fend for himself. A mecha prostitute, Gigolo Joe, helps David escape danger and find the blue fairy, which is just a statue. David meets his maker, is upset that he is not unique, and attempts to commit suicide. He spends hundreds of years trapped in a submersible craft until rescued by advanced mechas. Humans no longer exist. Mechas are incredibly advanced, communicate through touch, and look like anorexic aliens. They give David a day that he can spend with his recreated mother. At the end, he goes to sleep, or shuts himself down.

The move was started by Kubrick and completed by Spielberg, an unexpected progeny if ever there was one. Spielberg has claimed that some of the darker elements are his and I rather believe that because they were not altogether horrifying and dark. Unregistered, damaged and obsolete mechas are collected for entertainment. Humans who resent the mechas eclipse of humanity create a circus in which mechas are tortured. The so called Flesh Fair looked very much like a monster truck rally. It had all the elements of the grotesque and gaudiness for which America is well known. Except, when you step back, it is hardly scary or disturbing. The machines are incapable of pleading for their lives and capable of shutting off their physical sensations.

The ending was trite and grating. James Berardinelli, a film critic, referred to it as "force-fed catharsis." I can think of not better description. The super-robots can clone a human for a single day. What? They can read minds, are obsessed with the extinct humans, too. It just doesn't work. Supposedly this was Kubrik's idea but I feel it is a cheap conclusion, unlike Kubrik's other dark films.

If I were to remake this movie, I would make Gigalo Joe the focus. He overcomes some of this programming, he sticks by David, helps him, risk himself all in the hope that David is capable of bridging the gap between robot to humanity.

I suppose my biggest problem was how annoying and pathetic David seemed to be. He is obsessed with his mother in a nearly Oedipal way. He is whiny, incapable of socializing with other kids, incapable of doing anything really. He is almost like an infant in an 11 year olds body. His creators toy with him, his mother abandons him. It just amounts to so much nonsense.

District 9

It would be difficult to evaluate this film without referring to apartheid in South Africa. The parallels between the alien "prawns" and the black South Africans are blatant. The location of District 9 where the prawns were kept was very recently a neighborhood from which its inhabitants were evicted. Humans become increasingly inhumane, revealing our darkest traits. Wilkus, the human protagonist, cares little about the rights of the prawns, not even their right to life. When he serves eviction notices, he does not care if the aliens can understand or comply if they do understand.

The aliens lack of hostility but are treated brutally. The are imprisoned, denied the right to work, to move. They are even denied the right to procreation with their egg/pods aborted when discovered. The humans claim that the prawns do not care about their offspring, despite evidence of the opposite in Christopher's care for his son.

The humans are drawn by their weapons technology, which only the alien species can use. Only those who wish to exploit the aliens will interact with them. Their only desire is to use the technology for destruction. There is little to no concern about the prawn's welfare.

Wilkus is poisoned when he tampers with vial of liquid which two aliens had been filling. This poison begins to mutate his DNA. As he transforms into a prawn, he discovers the humanity in both the aliens and himself. The prawns instinctivly flock to rescue him when he is in danger. At the end, he is identifiable only by his one blue eye.

Avatar

Avatar was terrible. How can anyone have spent so much time and money on a movie without even trying to write a script for it. It was just Disney's Pocahontas with blue cat furries, artwork stolen from Roger Dean (art designer for Yes), and the Dunbar from Dances with Wolves. I didn't even get to enjoy the 3-D since, despite buying tickets days in advance online and waiting a very long time in a very long line, we still ended up sitting way off to one side of the screen. The angle was so nauseous that my mother left about a quarter through the movie.

If you were to read the "artists'" description of the themes and influences, you might think this movie was pretty deep. But I don't go for five and dime morality. But don't let their make-believe integrity fool you. According to Cameron, the whole love story wouldn't work out unless the blue chick was sexy as all get out.

This isn't even sci-fi. It's just a cheap knock off without the Disney song. Oh, and with a lot of magic since Marine Moron was explaining everything. James Cameron, you fail.

I know that none of my observations will sound original because almost everyone has noticed the similarities between the hijacked works of others and this travesty. But in my defense, these are my observations. I noticed the similarity to Roger Dean immediately in the dragon things and the mountains. I have a whole collection of what might be considered Roger Dean trading cards, a complete deck of them plus some spares. Other people have pointed out that the story is a lot like Fern Gully but I can't remember that movie from my childhood.

I really hope I do not have to endure any more of this Avatar stuff but I fear that Cameron will see his financial success as artistic success and make a sequel.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

I watched this movie for its outdated b-movie feel. I was not disappointed. I understand that the plot deviates significantly from the original 50's movie and also from the book. The basic plot is ludicrous. I mean, science fiction usually is but these characters lacked logic and the ability to act in their own interest without a support group. Trust becomes a problem for the main characters as the pod people are capable of passing as human.

The pod people to not take over the bodies of their victims but replicate their appearance. This seems silly and cheap to me. The pod people do not have individual identities, they act in concert with a single group mind and goal. Unless they are actually in need of the organic materials (the process is not explained), chasing down and converting each human is an excessive waste.

This movie hinges exclusively on terror, the fear of being replaced is the only thing this movie really has to offer.

Blade Runner

Humanity. After the creation of synthetic humans, what distinguishes humanity from replicants becomes unclear. A replicant is made of biologic compounds. Unlike robots, it can cry, it must consume food, it has a pulse. However, their livespan is short, only 4 years. Their entire life is spent in adulthood. Their humanity is incomplete, lacking empathy for animals, humans and other replicants. Replicants are outlawed on Earth. An empathy test is given to determine the humanity of a subject.

In the final moments of the movie, the replicant Roy exhibits signs that he has evolved beyond his programming. He saves from death the blade runner Deckhard, who was sent to retire him. If a replicant has the ability to empathize, there may be not means of distinguishing them from humanity. But if empathy was the only trait they lacked, would that not make them human?

It is unclear or at least open to debate whether our protagonist Deckhard is a replicant as well. Some replicants, such as Rachael, have implanted memories and are unaware that they are replicants. Rachael also develops emotions which previous models of replicants could not.

If the replicants are considered human, their use as personal property or weapons would be slavery. With the risks that are caused by developed intelligence and emotions, why would the Tyrell company take such a risk by creating these? Perhaps Tyrell is playing God. He creates life, manufactures memories but his beings are superior to humans in strength and intelligence. But he is an impotant God, unable to control or even save his creations, self-imprisoned in sterility.