He has created in my opinion a much better version than the theatrical release. It flows and is quite entertaining. The problems with the original are still present in the FanEdit but to a lesser extent. I agree with all of the changes made by the FanEditor in context with this version of A.I.

The ending is only slightly abrupt but very plausible as David has essentially given in to the human urges of jealousy and anger, so as a result commits a brutal act of robotic murder. As this is the case, he can just as easily feel the human emotions of depression or remorse and so end up killing himself. At the point at which he gains the irrational and illogical emotions so unique to the human, he has technically become one.

I do have to ask; If David shows such an aptitude for violence would not the line of ‘David Super-Toys’ not have to be redesigned and the inventor’s reaction be one of dismay?

I think if the very end had used some climactic music that reached a crescendo, rather than a fade-out in the middle of a piece of music, the ending would have more finality and not feel so uncertain. The idea works well, it just needs to be punctuated.

So on the whole this is a very interesting FanEdit with it’s own story to tell. It is enjoyable and well made. The editing is faultless, as is the sound editing. The DVD is simple with a static menu.

8/10

The tone seems right now that the film as been freed of most of Speilberg’s treacle, tonally more what I think Kubrick might have come up with. The storytelling is mostly tight and obviously a lot of thought went into this edit.

Technically it’s good, too.

I have to agree with White43 about the too-abrupt ending, however. A much more fitting but equally downbeat ending would have been David underwater in the helicopter, with his imaginary Blue Fairy at last.

How about a V3? Only joking

SD

Fairy tales are meant to teach children (and even adults) the nature of life and growing up – sometimes those lessons needs to have a harsh or negative edge to them to make the point across.
If you remember correctly, the original version of “Red Riding Hood” ends not with the Hunter slaying the Wolf… but with the Wolf devouring the Girl.

Jason – good call on reinserting the scene with Joe and the murder, makes more sense now.

I do still maintain what I believe though – David is searching for the Blue Fairy, to be a real boy. He knows he is a robot, but is depressed to find he is one of a production line and hence throws himself into the sea.[and Jason's ending]

But what I loved – was that David is plucked out of the sea by Joe and is angered, because he has found ‘Blue Fairy’. This is the first time in the film that we as the audience suddenly go ‘WTF?!’ We’ve been largely able to predict what was going on before this. We know Blue Fairy doesn’t exist and when David returns to the maker….we don’t know where we’re going next. A simple suicide feels like a bit of a let down, but the final twist as I’d like to call it – is David finds Blue Fairy! Of course, she turns out not to be real(but even we don’t know whats going on for a few minutes), but David doesn’t realise this – he thinks to all intents and purposes she is real. It ends his crusade properly. He chants, the camera pulls away and we get this wonderful speech by the narrator that ends with :

“….and the Blue Fairy too,
locking them together where he could still make her out – a
blue ghost in ice – always there, always smiling, always
awaiting him. Eventually he never moved at all, but his eyes
always stayed open, staring ahead forever all through the
darkness of each night, and the next day…and the next
day…”

I feel that that is the natural conclusion on this film – it concludes David’s quest and yes, is a bitter/sweet ending, but we do get some sort of resolution for David. This is a fairytale afterall…….

Still, this version is much better – I just feel the ending should have been kept on a bit.

JasonN has created in my opinion a much better version than the theatrical release. It flowed and was quite entertaining. The problems with the original are still present in the FanEdit but to a lesser extent. I agree with all of the changes made by the FanEditor in context with this version of A.I.

The ending is only slightly abrupt but very plausible as David has essentially given in to the human urges of jealousy and anger, so as a result commits a brutal act of robotic murder. As this is the case, he can just as easily feel the human emotions of depression or remorse and so end up killing himself. At the point at which he gains the irrational and illogical emotions so unique to the human, he has technically become one.

I do have to ask; If David shows such an aptitude for violence would not the line of ‘David Super-Toys’ not have to be redesigned and the inventor’s reaction be one of dismay?

I think if the very end had used some climactic music that reached a crescendo, rather than a fade-out in the middle of a piece of music, the ending would have more finality and not feel so uncertain. The idea works well, it just needs to be punctuated.

So on the whole this is a very interesting FanEdit with it’s own story to tell. It is enjoyable and well made. The editing is faultless, as is the sound editing. The DVD is simple with a static menu.

Entertainment 4 – Editing 5 – Audio – 5 – Presentation 3 = 4/5

My only problems stem from the new plotline for Gigolo Joe.

If Gigolo Joe is an illegal prostitute, then:

- Why are the scientists at the beginning referencing shipping so many “pleasure models”?
- Why, after he has sex with the woman, does he need to cut off his serial number? He hasn’t been doing anything he hasn’t done before – he should walk out, see the cop, turn around, and walk into the corner, whereupon it cuts to the next scene, establishing that the cops are looking for him because he’s doing something illegal without the confusing serial-number part.
- Finally, Rouge City seems to be a city built around the idea of prostitute-bots, yet Joe is still arrested. This is less of a problem, but I have trouble believing a city infused with that much sexual innuendo would exist if prostitution was illegal (unless human prostitution is legal, but mecha prostitution isn’t).

Other than that, and one or two near-insignificant sound jumps at edit points, it was perfect and I wouldn’t have known I was watching a fan edit instead of the real thing. Great work.

For me, the question of David’s “suicide” is due directly to Spielberg’s poor writing of that plotpoint – you’re right, there isn’t much info presented in the film about it, but I didn’t cut anything out of the film about it (that’s all Spielberg put in the film and there were no deleted scenes to add back into the film).

Also, if Spielberg didn’t intend for David to be viewed as being capable of commiting suicide, then he never should have had the scenes of David choosing to fall into the ocean out of sadness and depression.
However, he did include those scenes and it was that plotpoint that I felt were the most telling and important aspects of David’s character to the end of the story.

The answer is no. I’ll get to that in a minute.

SPOILERS AHEAD.

Technically – great edit, seemless work here, no jaring bits or sound problems.

I liked the shortened start of the film. David is less adopted now, quickly thrown – it feels much more chilling. The bit’s you’ve chopped I didn’t even notice weren’t there, except the pool party – I appreciate why you chopped it, but as I recall – they just leave David at the bottom of the pool – uncared for, which may have emphasised that they don’t give a damn for him.

Didn’t recall or remember the other chops you made.

Joe – now as I understood it – he was framed? Cutting that bit out makes no sense as to why the Police want to arrest him later.

We carry on fine now, until a very abrupt ending. My feeling was that the film should have ended with David, in the chopper stranded under the sea chanting the mantra of Blue Fairy making him into a real boy. Although nicely seemless, the ending comes too fast and is David capable of suicide? I don’t think so. If he is, we haven’t been given enough information to appreciate that.

Leaving the Joe subplot in would explain his arrest and would allow a continuance to David trapped under the sea.

Anyway, that’s just my quids worth.

I think you’ve done an excellent job here – the film is much darker, much more chilling as well. Good work.

Image quality:
The image quality is perfect (IMO).
video quality: 5 of 5

Audio quality:
The audio is could be slightly louder, else it is perfect, no hard cuts, no flaws. There is a repeating audio stutter to the end credits song, but since I don’t know it, it could be intentional.
audio: 4 of 5

The DVD:
The DVD comes with a nice still menu, scene selection and an about menu. All the menus look real good. Animation would have been great, but still, an exceptional DVD design from what I am used to. Audio to the menus would have been nice. No artwork is attached.
DVD: 4 of 5

resulting in a 4 of 5 overall rating from me. This is a very good fanedit and definitely a huge improvement over the original. I recommend anyone who liked A.I. a bit and owns the original to watch this one.