A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

(dir. Steven Spielberg)

Revisited with Chicago Critics Film Festival 2026

By: Tarek Fayoumi

The Emotions of Human Connection are still Real:

I had the tremendous opportunity to screen A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) with the Chicago Critics Film Festival at The Music Box Theatre. I have seen the film before, but never on the big screen. The meaning behind the film’s title reminded me how much Steven Spielberg is able to create humanistic moments of inspiration within worlds that may seem robotic and heartless. A mind-blowing world of technology and innovation   represented by a robot boy named David,  played by Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense, Pay it Forward). David is joined by another robot man named Gigolo Joe to find what can make his wish come true. Gigolo Joe is played by Jude Law (Enemy at the Gates, Road to Perdition). Through the performance of Osment the humanistic value of A.I. Artificial Intelligence is still spellbinding to this day. Seeing it in 35 MM at Music Box Theatre had me inspired and in tears.

Spielberg knows Innovation:

What makes the film still so enticing is how Spielberg utilized moments that correlate today. Not all do the full extent. He does though in moments when it comes to questions. There is a moment where David and Gigolo Joe go to a bot to ask a series of questions. Ones where getting the answers can be combined for a price. What I mean is categories combined and released with many different types of answers.  We did not have features like this in 2001, but we do now on a variety of applications on phones. There are many applications that help us decide scenarios in our everyday lives. They can range from finances, goals, tasks, etc. Spielberg’s vision to look ahead delivers an insightful purpose to how we use technology today. Especially since we use it a lot to help us make choices. For David though, it is about finding a ferry to help him become real so he can be loved by someone he felt was his mother.

Worth the time?

The film was definitely mesmerizing and inspirational. I feel it can only be seen on film. The Music Box Theatre made me feel like I was back in the year 2001. Especially since I was watching a film with Haley Joel Osment. Those were the years of his young prime days. The film does not always come around frequently, but it may have started coming around more in special formats that show movies on film. A.I. Artificial Intelligence I will always remember. A huge thanks to the Chicago Critics Film Festival for creating this moment of nostalgia that I will have in my heart forever.