Blu-ray Movie Reviews

In the future, the polar ice caps have melted, the sea waters have flooded coastal cities, and you must obtain a license to have a child. Science has evolved to the point of creating artificial beings, called mechas, to serve humans and preserve precious natural resources. One such mecha, David (Haley Joel Osment), is the first of its kind; an artificial kid that can give and receive unconditional love to his adoptive parents.

Of all of Spielberg's films, this is probably my least favorite. Its pacing is horrendous, it runs much too long at 145 minutes, and its last 40 minutes are a bizarre waste of time. While the acting and special effects are very good they can't overcome the boring second act and the horrendous ending(s).

Video Highlights

• AVC/1080p encode on a BD-50 disc
• Soft detail and overblown whites (intentionally shot that way)
• Veil of film grain
• Exquisite textures in objects and facial pores
• Deep blacks

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 6.1 soundtrack
• Dialog-heavy track
• Adequate stereo spread across the front speakers
• Occasional instances of intense LFE
• Excellent imaging

The film may be a stinker, but the video encode is fantastic with exquisite textures, deep blacks, and solid shadow detail. The audio track is somewhat understated for most of the film, but there are occasional instances of near reference-quality scenes (Chapter 12).

Bonus Materials

• Seven behind-the-scenes featurettes
• Closing: Steven Spielberg: Our Responsibility to Artificial Intelligence
• Theatrical trailer
• A.I. Archives

I'm probably in the minority when it comes to this film, but I just don't get it. If you're a fan, you'll be pleased with the A/V quality and it's certainly worthy of an upgrade over the DVD.

Release Date: April 5, 2011
Studio: Paramount

Movie: 4/10
Picture: 9/10
Sound: 8/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS40 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Integra DTC-80.2 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PVA-PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics