A.I. Artificial Intelligence

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

3 years after the acclaimed Saving Private Ryan, John Williams enters project nr. 17 in motion pictures by the hand of Steven Spielberg. A.I. Artificial Intelligence is as people know the unfinished child of Stanley Kubrick and long time friend Steven Spielberg agreed to give it a heart while John Williams the emotion to breath. Together there is much to do about Spielberg's vision or Kubrick's adaptation but one stands as sublime and that is once again John Williams' accompanying score. I have seen the film and even if people were disappointed or didn't catch it, there is still so much intellect in Williams' score that it breaths perfectly without the visuals. And strange but true, everyone feels that A.I. Artificial Intelligence is the best score of Williams this year and not the over hyped Harry Potter. It is the human aspect and the flowing emotion that makes the score work. And not to forget the melodic tapestry of themes, namely 'Monica's Theme' and the theme found in the song 'For Always'. Together with the expected darker music it is still clear that everything weaves together without a single problem. In the end it is the Jurassic Park darker feel combined with the emotional mood of Seven Years in Tibet that controls the heart of a classic like A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

The first part of the score will sound exactly as how the film is picking up the story. While everything sounds darker, there is still the human aspect that colors the mood on several moments. Eventually this holds up of David trying to be loved by his parents. While the score continues you encounter more piano work and beautiful vocal solos making sure that there is indeed a love for the robotic child, who as the story picks up wants to become a real boy. But you have to be crazy to think that Williams' darker music doesn't intrigue. No it does this plenty with only the subtle counterbalance in track 4 to proof it. In 'Hide and Seek' we encounter the human aspect (a piano driven theme) while David is recognized through the more synthetic performance. Perhaps this doesn't mean much in the end when you are listening to it but it nonetheless glows excellence in abundance. Next you have the following tracks with a rather striking mix of Jurassic Park and Seven Years in Tibet's tones into one theme, 'Abandoned in the Woods' and 'Rouge City'. Also worth noting is the brief techno music in 'The Moon Rising' before the emotional strong point starts to grow. 'Stored Memories / Monica's Theme' is the second introduction to the emotional love theme with a touching yet heartfelt piano solo.

From this point (except for track 10) the score becomes immensely rich in thematic material. Barbara Bonney adds her vocal talent to several tracks and two in particular bloom because of it. 'Where Dreams are Born' adds a rather opera mood to the track but stays just mesmerizing enough to capture your attention. And mainly my highlight is 'The Search for the Blue Fairy', featuring a second compelling vocal piece of work. And what would a score like this be without its commercial song. In the end it becomes quite clear that Lara Fabien (also discovered in Goldenthal's Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within) starts to sound like Celine Dion. Both her performances on the two songs are excellent but the second features a duet, so in the end it is the first performance and fifth track 'For Always' that promises the most. It let's Monica's theme work quite well and Lara Fabien uses her sharp voice with much praise. A.I. Artificial Intelligence, the movie will most likely be nominated for several categories. Now the only thing which was unclear was which Williams' soundtrack would be nominated for best original score. I hope in the end that the Academy uses their brain for once because not only intelligence defies its artificial look, but A.I. is a wonderful and emotional breathing piece of art on its own.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. The Mecha World (6.23)

2. Abandoned In The Woods (3.07)

3. Replicas (5.58)

4. Hide And Seek (3.08)

5. For Always: Lara Fabien (4.42) Excellent Track

6. Cybertronics (3.30)

7. The Moon Rising (4.26)

8. Stored Memories / Monica's Theme * (10.56) Excellent Track

9. Where Dreams Are Born * (4.23) Excellent Track

10. Rouge City (4.56)

11. The Search For The Blue Fairy * (6.12) Excellent Track

12. The Reunion * (7.45) Excellent Track

13. For Always (Duet): Lara Fabien and Josh Groban (4.41)

* Vocal Solos by Barbara Bonney

Total Length: 70.13

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=== Link to Composer Site: John Williams ===