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Entertainment Media Analysis Report
A service to parents and grandparents

MAR21043
Artificial Intelligence: A. I. (2001), (PG-13)
CAP Score: 70
CAP Influence Density: 0.54

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NOTE: If you do not want the plot, ending, or "secrets" of a movie spoiled for you, skip the Summary/Commentary. In any case, be sure to visit the Findings/Scoring section -- it is purely objective and is the heart of the CAP Entertainment Media Analysis Model applied to this movie.





SUMMARY / COMMENTARY:

If Scriptural references appear, the full text appears at the end of the Summary / Commentary likely using a mix of KJV and NIV.


ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGNCE: A. I. (PG-13) -- ...sentience versus programming.

I was disappointed. As a sci-fi fan I expected some science fiction. As a computer fanatic, I expected some some discussion about breakthroughs in computer science. Instead, I got a 140-minute "remake" of *Pinocchio* using a robot instead of a wooden puppet, complete with the Blue Fairy. There was some discussion warfare about the ramifications of synthetic "beings" and how they could get wrapped up in humanity, much like the discussions about the crew getting too involved with holograms in Star Trek(tm); of sentience versus programming A valid point, but really! One hundred and forty minutes of it?

Some would equate robotic or artificial intelligence with sorcery or with dabbling in creation of life. I cannot. I view such as physics, no more no less. So, if there are applications of the Scriptural admonishments against the practice of witchcraft and sorcery and creating life with artificial intelligence, such application is not presented herein.
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His name is David (Haley Joel Osment). He is 11 years old and is brought home to mom, Monica Swinton (Frances O'Connor) in hopes of easing her pain at the loss of her son, Martin (Jake Thomas) to a coma. Monica's husband, Henry (Sam Robards) agreed to be the pilot of a special project of Henry's company, Cybertronics headed by the creator of David, Professor Hobby (William Hurt). "Hobby?" Where's the originality? Anyway, Professor Hobby is bound and determined to extend the state of the then art robotics to enable robots to love.

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After a period of adjustments, Monica indeed does start to love David. But realizing the ethical wisdom of Hobby's team against robot love, Monica abandons David in a forest near a dump of broken down robots. Soon, he is joined by a number of scavenger robots who cannibalize the discarded parts to rebuild themselves ... a rather gruesome sight indeed [Ps. 101:3]. But soon, a team of celebrators of life anti-robot fanatics gather the scavenger robots for fodder in a robot-destruction party. Some sadistic methods of "killing" robots are shown.
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Along the way, a for-sex robot Gigolo Joe (Jude Law) befriends David and helps rescue (and is helped by) David from the clutches of the robot killers. Together, David and Gigolo Joe find Rouge City (which is like its namesake) to ask Dr. Know (an animated computer "fortune-teller") where David can find the Blue Fairy so she can make him a real boy so his mommy would love him. Two thousand years later after committing suicide, David finds the Blue Fairy but instead of making him a real boy ...
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I'll not spoil any more of the plot for you if you decide to try to tolerate 140 minutes of sometimes "Fahrenheit 451" and the "Illustrated Man" Bradbury dry programming. The dryness may be attributable to the efforts to combine Spielberg's vibrant view of life and Kubrick's dark view of life and the loss of Kubrick (who has had a 20-year dream to make a movie of artificial intelligence, waiting for movie technology to catch up with his visions), but for whatever reason no one seemed to exhibit any of the typical or expected signs of even having just watched a movie.

*Artificial Intelligence* was indeed a challenge for the CAP analysis model. This analysis relied more optics than literal translation, meaning for example when Osment committed suicide, though it was in the story a robot, the imagery was a young lad killing himself. That is what kids will likely empathize with rather than a robot. And when the party goers stabbed Osment with a knife, the optics were one boy stabbing another boy, not a robot.

There was much "Moulin Rouge" type sexual programming. Nudity was carefully guarded but present in obscure sight of a nude boy behind an iced glass shield, covering himself with his hands and statue nudity, some quite vulgar. Other sexual programming included much talk about sex, sexual conquest, sexual servicing, anatomy and use of robots for sex toys [1Cor. 6:18]. Language was unexpectedly light except for the use of God's name in vain. In fact, the use of God's name in vain both with and without the four letter expletive was the only unacceptable language [Deut. 5:11]. While portraying arrogance toward adult authority in movies using child actors, such was not so much the case in *Artificial Intelligence*. There is more that may be of concern for mom an dad, but I'll leave it up to the listing in the Findings/Scoring section.

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If needed to focus or fortify, applicable text is underlined or bracketed [ ].
  • Ps. 101:3 I will set before my eyes no vile thing...
  • 1Cor. 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body
  • Deut. 5:11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain [shav' {shawv}: emptiness, nothingness, vanity]: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless [naqah {naw-kaw'} :blameless, innocent] that taketh his name in vain.

    *******Food for Thought*******
  • 1 Cor. 15:33 (KJV) Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. (NIV) Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.
  • Jude 4 For certain men* whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. [*men: anthropos {anth'-ro-pos}, generic, a human being, whether male or female]
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    As always, it is best to refer to the Findings/Scoring section -- the heart of the CAP analysis model -- for the most complete assessment possible of this movie.




    FINDINGS / SCORING: Artificial Intelligence (2001) CAP Thermometers

    NOTE: Multiple occurrences of each item described below may be likely, definitely when plural.

    Wanton Violence/Crime (W):
  • graphic disfigurements, many
  • assault of a child with a knife
  • a child lying at the bottom of a swimming pool
  • child abandonment
  • sex murder, bloody
  • graphic destruction of human-looking things in Rites of Blood
  • child "killing" a child robot
  • frozen flesh

    Impudence/Hate (I)(1):
  • adolescent ignoring parental command
  • adolescent commanding adult authority

    Sex/Homosexuality (S):
  • order to undress and starting to undress
  • equating sex with love
  • use of robots for sex toys
  • obscure male child nudity
  • paintings and statues of nudity, some quite vulgar
  • camera angle forcing viewer on private parts
  • woman on commode
  • robot seducing women
  • sexually vulgar seduction comments
  • speaking of detailed sex before a child
  • porn talk
  • excessive cleavage before a child

    Drugs/Alcohol (D):
  • none noted

    Offense to God (O)(2):
  • two uses of God's name in vain with the four letter expletive and 7 without
  • lustful revelry
  • telepathy

    Murder/Suicide (M)(3):
  • child suicide



    NOTE: The CAP Analysis Model makes no scoring allowances for trumped-up "messages" to excuse or for manufacturing of justification for aberrant behavior or imagery, or for camouflaging such ignominy with "redeeming" programming. Disguising sinful behavior in a theme plot does not excuse the sinful behavior of either the one who is drawing pleasure from the sinful display or the practitioners demonstrating the sinful behavior. This is NOT a movie review service. It is a movie analysis service to parents and grandparents to tell them the truth about movies using the Truth.


    "There are some in the entertainment industry who maintain that 1) violent programming is harmless because no studies exist that prove a connection between violent entertainment and aggressive behavior in children, and 2) young people know that television, movies, and video games are simply fantasy. Unfortunately, they are wrong on both accounts." And "Viewing violence may lead to real life violence." I aplaud these associations for fortifying 1 Cor. 15:33. Read the rest of the story. From our five-year study, I contend that other aberrant behaviors, attitudes, and expressions can be inserted in place of "violence" in that statement. Our Director - Child Psychology Support, a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist concurs. For example, "Viewing arrogance against fair authority may lead to your kids defying you in real life." Or "Viewing sex may lead to sex in real life." Likewise and especially with impudence, hate and foul language. I further contend that any positive behavior can be inserted in place of "violence" with the same chance or likelihood of being a behavior template for the observer; of being incorporated into the behavior mechanics and/or coping skills of the observer. In choosing your entertainment, please consider carefully the "rest of the story" and our findings.





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    (1) As noted in CAP Special Report-001, "Investigation Area and Scoring Trend," of the six CAP Investigation Areas, Impudence/Hate was the strongest presence in all four movie classifications. It has a strong revelation about the entertainment media.

    (2) The use of the three/four letter word vocabulary without God's name in vain is incorporated into the Impudence/Hate Investigation Area. The use of God's name with or without the four letter expletive is incorporated into the Offense to God Investigation Area. There is no duplication.

    (3) Only portrayal of successful murder or suicide are incorporated into Murder/Suicide. Portrayal of attempts to commit murder or suicide and deaths by police action or war are incorporated into Wanton Violence/Crime.




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