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If Joe's view of human nature sounds bleak, Spielberg does try to hold out the hope that there is a spiritual dimension to our lives that takes us beyond ourselves. But the concept of love that David is supposed to represent is fundamentally flawed. If love is characterized by personal sacrifice and selfless acts, then David's love is not quite real, no matter what the ads for this movie say.

In a word, David is not free. To borrow a concept from Paul, he remains a slave to his synthetic flesh, and as far as this film is concerned, there is no liberator—no savior—in sight.

Peter Chattaway reviews films for Books & Culture and BC Christian News.

Copyright © 2001 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

The film's official Web site has storyboards and features on robots and the film's art. Plus a neat "Chatbot" will actually hold conversations with visitors.

RottenTomatoes.com gives a quick-look guide to A.I.'s critical reviews. Read full reviews from Film Forum's Jeffrey Overstreet, Roger Ebert, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, Focus on the Family, and Salon.com.

Supersphere has an interesting account of the story behind A.I., which includes Eyes Wide Shut's enigmatic Teddy Bear. Other articles on the making of the film ran in: Wired, Entertainment Weekly, and The Guardian.

In marketing of the film, numerous cryptic Web sites began popping up in some sort of mystery game existing in the same setting as A.I. The dozens of sites branch out from each other so look for links and working phone numbers.

Christianity Today Film Forum has looked at A.I.:

Spielberg and Kubrick—The Brothers Grimmer What Christian and mainstream critics are saying about A.I., crazy/beautiful, and Baby Boy, plus readers' video alternatives. (July 5, 2001)

Right, Wrong, and Rated 'R' | Is nudity a no-no? Also, what critics and readers are saying about A.I., Cats and Dogs, Kiss of the Dragon, and Scary Movie II. (July 12, 2001)

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August 6 2001, Vol. 45, No. 10