“Colossus: The Forbin Project” (1970)
Cold War paranoia was knotted into the post-WWII cinematic milieu with the freewheeling conjoining of a thousand tangled cables. The technological battles waged between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. are satirized with scrumptious B-movie effect in “Colossus: The Forbin Project,” an A.I. movie that, much like its contemporary companion, next on the list, has seen its production values outdated but its interior circuits are still buzzing with excitable electricity. Dr. Forbin (Eric Braeden) has created supercomputer Colossus as a model for the world’s most intelligent nuclear defense mechanism. The Soviets, having learned about Colossus, build their own version and call it Guardian. Once a joint link is established between Colossus and Guardian, the two quickly develop a binary language only they can understand and move forward with their plan: colonize the world’s population for the greater good of humanity. Yikes! Even in light of its archaic production values, ‘Colossus’ has plenty going for it: eye-catching shot composition, directorial intelligence in framing, a surprisingly witty screenplay by James Bridges (that martini scene!), and an unforgettably bonkers score by Michel Colombier which establishes its status as a pseudo-psychedelic film noir. Its use of A.I. is quite ingenious as well; an artificially intelligent being understands the importance of cooperation better than puny humans and makes a chillingly logical case of justifying optimistic ends with malicious means by equating freedom with pride. But, hey, if that’s not enough for qualification, just wait until that voice synthesizer kicks in. 100% pure, retro joy.
“Demon Seed” (1977)
If only to refute the notion that every essential A.I. movie should be refined in every respect, Donald Cammell’s “Demon Seed” holds its own amongst our more palpable choices. Adapted from a Dean Koontz novel of the same name, “Demon Seed” is as brazenly entertaining a B-movie sci-fi horror hybrid as its campy title suggests. The narrative borders on the ridiculous: Dr. Harris (Fritz Weaver) is a scientist with a major God complex, alienating his wife Susan (Julie Christie) in the process of creating Proteus IV, a supercomputer with the kind of capacity for reason that renders the human brain obsolete. Once Proteus (voiced with a malignant sense of decorum by Robert Vaughn) starts requesting stuff, and Harris refuses, the A.I. infiltrates Harris’ home, takes control over his tech-operated house, and imprisons Susan in order to produce a child through her. There is indeed a special effects insemination sequence that looks like a Soviet cartoon designed by geometry nerds. Jerry Fielding’s overly bombastic score only makes matters more amusing. While it’s true that the expiration date for visceral thrills in “Demon Seed” are long behind us, the core concept of an A.I. who wishes to study the human body and transfer its intelligence unto human flesh is brilliant terrain for sci-fi horror (echoing the film’s final sentiments, that theme still very much alive as a metaphor). Co-written by MIT professor of physics Robert Jaffe, “Demon Seed” succeeds in blending brainless entertainment with a kind of hyper-intelligence befitting an evolved A.I. like Proteus. Think of it as a one-armed wheelchair that knows how to appeal directly to the amygdala.
“Ghost In The Shell” (1995)
You can draw a dotted line, starting with “Blade Runner,” passing through “Ghost in the Shell” and ending with “The Matrix” as a way to trace the origin and popularity of the neo-noir cyberpunk genre. It would also trace the evolution of A.I. movies. “There are only a few movies, even out of Hollywood, which clearly portray the influence and power of computers. I thought this theme would be more effectively conveyed through animation.” So said Mamoru Oshii, director of this celebrated anime based on the late 1980s manga series of the same name. What’s supremely compelling about ‘Ghost,’ besides its gorgeous look and Kenji Kawai’s mesmerizing score, is in the way it approaches the ubiquitous nature of technology: the story is set in a network more than a world, where any trace of one’s humanity is defined as one’s “ghost.” The cross-gendered cyborg protagonist Major Motoko waxes philosophical about conscience and identity, as if continuing where Roy Batty left off, and The Puppet Master is a cyber-terrorist “life form” who doesn’t think of itself as an A.I., but an organism that would’ve made the likes of Proteus proud. The sequel, “Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence,” is a worthy follow-up, but the original is essential, specifically in its thematic contribution of memory and identity to the sub-genre of A.I. movies.
“Her” (2013)
As you can see from this list, science-fiction films set in an artificial intelligence milieu almost exclusively look at the world and this imagined technology through a cautionary dystopian lens. Which is what makes Spike Jonze’s “Her” so refreshing. Not only does this film frame A.I. within an optimistic and cheery-looking utopian border, but it reimagines the genre into a bittersweet romantic story. This isn’t because Jonze is reengineering the genre, but rather is using A.I. as a tool rather than the impetus for his movie. Instead of looking at technology as a force that will run amok when unchecked or created under dubious ethical circumstances, Jonze focuses on our modern day problems: how the newfound ability to connect with from afar in fact disconnects us and how that logically links to our growing inner alienation. “Her” is a story about a lonely man (Joaquin Phoenix) who falls in love with his sentient O.S. (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) —imagine Siri with personality that feels and thinks like a real person. And so while there’s A.I. at the center of this film, it’s deeply human: it’s a wistful movie essentially about love, reflecting on heartache and commenting on the reality of our many connections in the modern age. It’s aching and melancholy, but ultimately beautiful and hopeful. Given the rest of the films presented here, “Her” is maybe the most original A.I. movie we’ve seen thus far.