What does it truly mean to exist? Is existence just a figment of our imagination? Or is it defined by our ability to feel?

These are some questions that the critically acclaimed movie, Artificial intelligence raises. The story was originally developed by the late, great Stanley Kubrick. Later on, it was given to and directed by Steven Spielberg. The movie released in the summer of 2001. The film stars, everyone’s favorite horror kid, Haley Joel Osment.

I watched this movie hundreds of times when i was a kid, and jumped for joy when it recently came on HBO over the weekend. My jaw dropped when my 20 year old college roommate had no clue about the movie. After forcing her to watch it, I later explained to her that it is the inspiration behind a lot of the pro robot movies we see in theaters today.

Although they will never match the greatness of A.I, movies like Ex Machina, I, Robot, Bicentennial man, and others makes audiences think beyond their normal thoughts of life and human existence.

According to Mirriams Webster Dictionary, the actual definition of Artificial Intelligence is the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages.

The movie starts out with a company named, Cybertronics; located in New Jersey. They create David, who is designed to resemble a human child and to show love and emotions for their owners. Henry Swinton is an employee at the company, he and his wife are chosen to test the creation. The couple decided to take David because their biological son was away, getting treated for his rare disease, caused by a virus.

Throughout the film, Osment’s character struggles with the dyer need and want to be loved, specifically by Monica Swinton, his new mother. The mother struggles with not understanding why and how she loves him as if he is her biological son or even human at all. She is also a little afraid of him because she doesn’t understand him, she doesn’t know what makes him tick or if she can potentially harm him. Eventually, she is swayed by her feelings of confusion and fear or David, so she leaves him stranded in the cybertronics woods.

A lot of people can relate to the film because its all about a need for acceptance and love, which every human and animal wants. Also, it also shows how ignorant humans are to things that could possibly be great for us. The fact that Monica got rid of David speaks volumes. She acted otu of fear instead of rational thought. David was more caring and not manipulative like the Swinton’s own son, who on many occasions tried to harm David. The movie features great actors like Jude law, Meryl Streep, Chris Rock and Robin Williams. My favorite part of the movie is when Osment and Law’s character’s are captured by humans and taken to a junkyard where humans hold a Anti-Mecha Flesh Fair, where they destroy unlicensed mechas. After being poured and burned with acid, David is nearly killed, but the crowd is convinced he’s real; due to his begging and pleading.

David and Joe are saved and begin their quest for the blue fairy. A while back, David was watching Pinocchio and fell in awe with the Blue Fairy, turning Pinocchio into a real boy. He figured, if he could become real, Monica would take him back home and love him.

The movie has a somewhat happy ending. Two thousand years pass, after David and his robotic teddy bear find a blue fairy statue buried underneath the sea. At that time, humans are extinct and Manhattan is buried under hundreds of feet of glacial ice. The Mecha are now evolved into a silicon-based form. On their journey to learn more about the humans, the new Mecha, find David and Teddy. They download his memories,and use them to reconstruct the Swinton’s house. Also, they explain to David that it is impossible to make him human. David, insists that in order to make him happy, the new Mecha must recreate Monica. So with a lock of her hair, it was done. However David was warned that, Monica’s clone can only live for a single day. David accepts and the next morning, spends the his greatest moments with with Monica and Teddy. At the very end, Monica tells David that she loves him, and has always loved him, then proceeds to sleep for the last time. David lies down next to her, closes his eyes and goes “to that place where dreams are born.”

Out of a 10, I give the movie a 9, the imagery, subliminal, intelligent themes and messages are needed in films today. However, the movie has a slow point in the middle. But I recommend it to any and everyone who loves movies and who loves to laugh, cry and even get a little upset when they watch movies.