Sci-Fi Fans Only: A.I.

Maximus

I hear tell there are some aficionados out there.

As a young man I secretly loved Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, L. Sprague DeCamp, Poul Anderson, Arthur C. Clarke and others. Loved Brian Aldiss' "Super-Toys Last All Summer."

When the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" premiered, I sneaked into a theater all by myself, and was blown away. The critics were not, back then. Folks have argued for years over its meaning.

I saw the Kubrick/Spielberg A.I. yesterday and was profoundly moved. Many homages to the chilly analytical master, now dead who had worked on this for decades. IMNSHO Spielberg has pulled off a masterpiece that will be debated for years.

Won't spoil it, but ponder this question, one line of dialogue:

"Didn't God create man to love him?"

Delighted to see the NY Times critic describe this as Spielberg's best fairy tale yet. I think so too, and I'll be pondering its unanswered questions for a long, long time.

I called up a close friend and said,

Run, do not walk, to see

A.I.

Maximus

teejay

Hello, my Friend.

Seeing the movie was already on my list of things to do. Done much reading about it and its themes... very interested to see how Spielberg handles current issues that seem to be important to him.

As to your question, my answer is "of course."

peace,
todd

ps. I'll get back to you after I see it.

pps. what WAS the obelisk in 2001?

Seeker

Agreed, Maximus. A great movie that leaves you thinking for days afterward. I also noticed that "God" line, and it made me think.

SPOILER ALERT, DO NOT READ THE NEXT PARAGRAPH UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE -- I MEAN IT!
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One thing that is irritating me is the criticism of the ending. I don't mind if you find the ending odd, but please, please, please understand one thing: Those are NOT aliens at the end. If you think that, no wonder the ending feels odd and out of place. But those creatures at the end are robots! They are mechas that were created by earlier mechas, and are, in a sense, descendants of David. They admit as much in what they say, and remember who Joe says would survive when the end comes.

When you realize these are mechas, the ending makes good sense. You may criticize the overtly sentimental emotions at the end, but this is not just Spielberg tacking something on. Kubrick had this basic ending, and the ending makes sense.

logical

I still havent seen 2001. I will probably go and see it, it is re-released this year, according to the TV.

They said if that 2001 could be understood, then the movie had failed. They wanted to raise more questions than could be answered or something.

I like the music from it. Vinylgroover & Trixxy did a couple of hardcore remixes of it.

Seeker

pps. what WAS the obelisk in 2001?

An alien device designed to observe and spur on the evolution of man. Every time it appears (except on the moon where it seems to be more of a communication device), man makes another leap forward in the evolutionary timeline.

Seeker

They said if that 2001 could be understood, then the movie had failed.

Since I was a child, I have heard this. And yet 2001 has always seemed to me very obvious in every detail. I must be misunderstanding something.

teejay

Seeker,

I asked: what WAS the obelisk in 2001?
You replied:
An alien device designed to observe and spur on the evolution of man. Every time it appears (except on the moon where it seems to be more of a communication device), man makes another leap forward in the evolutionary timeline.

That's interesting. I'd always thought it was a symbol of something, like "intuition," that allowed, even forced, sentient beings to take a leap of faith, as it were. To make a jump in their own evolution. I thought the movie petered out at the end, though. It was disappointing to me. Contact was the same way--awesome and believable until the last ten minutes.

tj

stephenw20

Max.

that line got me as well

but ponder this

if you could for just ONE day live with him and hear him say" I love you"

would you

s

outnfree

Haven't seen the movie yet, but intend to.
My daughter did, and thought it excellent but sad.

Had to pop on here though and say ((((stephenw2)))) -- I was just wondering the other day where you've been?! Either you've been away or we haven't been posting to the same threads. Hope all is well with you.

outnfree

jst2laws

Hey Maximus,

My wife wanted to go this week-end but it didn’t work out. But I saw 2001 when it came out, I guess about 30 years ago? I saw it when I was in Bethel, with a brother who has stayed, is still there. Just 2 months ago this same brother said to my wife, “I’m still here but I have learned to keep my mouth shut”. Boy, am I glad I left.

Anyway, we will go see A.I. soon
Jst2laws.

Sci-Fi Fans Only: A.I.

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