‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence’: The masterpiece Mark Kermode apologised for hating
Nobody is obliged to agree wholeheartedly with what the critics think of any given movie. That applies to the critics themselves on occasion, especially after Mark Kermode felt compelled to go straight to the source and confess he’d gotten it all wrong.
Many reviewers would have steadfastly stuck to their guns and maintained their stance. However, Kermode decided that after rewatching the offending article, the best way to absolve himself of his sins was to confess that his initial assessment was wide of the mark when talking to the person who made it.
That being said, he was far from the only person in the world to come away from A.I. Artificial Intelligence with the impression that Steven Spielberg was the wrong fit for the material. After all, the ambitious and existential sci-fi epic had originated as a Stanley Kubrick passion project, but once the legendary director passed away, one of the best in the business stepped in to take the reins and steer it across the finish line.
Spielberg was keenly aware that his emotional, sentimental style would be compared to Kubrick’s more cold, calculating approach to cinema. Still, he drew the line at accusations he’d sabotaged or ruined the 2001: A Space Odyssey director’s original vision by clarifying how many of the moments that came under fire for being too Spielbergian were Kubrickian by design.
Still, Kermode couldn’t carry on living a lie, admitting to the BBC that when the opportunity presented itself, he had no other choice for the sake of his soul. “I found myself doing something I don’t often do with filmmakers,” he said. “I apologised to Steven Spielberg, specifically for getting it wrong on the subject of A.I., the film I rather maligned when it came out but I now believe to be his enduring masterpiece.”
That’s quite the turnaround, all things considered, not least of all placing Artificial Intelligence right up there alongside Spielberg’s litany of classics covering almost every cinematic base. This includes the likes of Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park, and Saving Private Ryan, to name a scant few of his indelible contributions to the medium.
All it took was a second viewing, too, with Kermode sharing that “having been told to do so by others, I went back to look at A.I., and I was amazed by how much the film really works.” Offering it the ultimate compliment, the critic revealed that not only had he been brought to tears upon a rewatch, but he freely admitted that when it came to his initial reaction, “I got it completely wrong.”
Nine times out of ten, a critic owning up to their mistake wouldn’t make much of a splash, but in the tenth instance, Kermode got the chance to issue his apology directly to Spielberg and make amends.
