VFX artists are praising an underrated sci-fi movie created by Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg 22 years after the movie’s release. Kubrick is best known for being an influential director, responsible for classic movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shining. Spielberg is also considered a legendary filmmaker, having directed everything from sci-fi thriller Jurassic Park to historical drama Schindler’s List.
Now, Corridor Crew has reacted to the VFX in Kubrick and Spielberg’s collaborative effort, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, praising the underrated sci-fi film for its visuals.
Their analysis, which starts at 10:00, underscores how well the movie used a combination of both practical effects and CGI to create a world full of humanoid robots. Check out some of what they said about the movie below:
All these people are actually people wearing blue stuff on their faces and having things put over that, and ILM is going in and rebuilding that stuff with 3D.The bear [Teddy] is half CG half puppet…you see this a lot in, especially like this era of movies where you need to have something real that you can film. The way they puppeteered the little teddy bear is really interesting because they have it stuck to one guy, and it’s on a rig. And then his feet are attached to the bear’s feet. So if he walks, the little bear in front of him also walks.Over 800 extras in this scene…the big-money Spielberg special, but it’s also got that Kubrick allure.The special effects guys for [the cannon scene] had to rig up a system to practically shoot robot puppets through a spinning blade with fire in front of a crowd of 800 people and the band. And I believe [the robot is] either Chris Tucker or Chris Rock.
Why A.I. Artificial Intelligence Is An Underrated Film
The film is notable for having been an idea Kubrick came up with but passed on to Spielberg, who didn’t bolster production of the movie until after his fellow director’s death in 1999. While A.I. Artifical Intelligence isn’t considered Kubrick’s best movie nor Spielberg’s greatest production, the film is the closest to a collaborative effort the creators ever shared. Despite its unsung remembrance, the movie received praise when it first came out in 2001.
The film follows a robot child named David in a world where global warming has destroyed most cities. As the film progresses, heavier sci-fi elements begin to enter the story, requiring the use of both practical and CGI effects to faithfully bring Kubrick’s original vision to life. As Corridor Crew indicates, the level of detail was impressive at the time, making for a highly memorable experience.
Spielberg’s employment of convincing effects to make the movie underscores his dedication to seeing his fellow filmmaker’s vision accurately displayed. This won’t be the only time he does so either, as he plans to turn Kubrick‘s idea for a Napoleon movie into a series for HBO. Given the level of detail he utilized for A.I. Artificial Intelligence, it seems another impressive production is also around the corner.
