Sci-fi movies about robots have long captured the imagination of moviegoers. Robots are a symbol of the not-so-distant future world that we all dream about, but they are also a symbol of lost humanism. There are many movies that show robots feeling the human emotion of love. A.I. and Real Steel are good examples. Let’s take a good look at these two movies.

1. Plot Summary

- A.I.

A.I. is a 2001 film about a robot child named David. He is the first artificial intelligence robot that has emotions. A couple, whose only son is stricken with a fatal disease but is cryogenically preserved, awaiting a cure, is offered a lifelike, humanoid son, David. At first, the mother is wary about the robot child, but the family soon adapt themselves to their new circumstances. David thinks of the father and the mother as ‘the parents’. But when the real son Martin recovers, the parents throw David out in the forest. David is abandoned by those who love the best. He thinks if he were a real child, he would never be thrown out. So he decides that he wants to be human. He tries to look for the fairy in the story of Pinocchio. He believes that the fairy can change him into a real boy. He starts his trip with his robot friend Teddy and his experience turns out to be a nightmare. He sees devastated robots and meets people who hate robots. He waits for 2,000 years and finally, he meets his mother. It is the happiest day of his life. He doesn’t become human but his wish comes true.

- Real Steel

Real Steel is a 2011 science fiction film set in 2020. In this year, robot boxers have become popular all over the world. The movie’s hero, Charlie Kenton is a robot boxer trainer who has poor skills in training fighting robots. He always loses the game. One day, he finds out that his ex-girlfriend has died and that he must now take care of his son Max Kenton. Charlie and Max both like robots. They work together to train Atom, an obsolete robot found by Max at a junkyard. They both struggle hard to get to the top game, and eventually, Atom faces the robot champion Zeus. Despite their effort, they lose the championship, but instead earn a lot of money, fame, and love for family.

2. Similarities

First, both movies are set in the future and filled with emotionally satisfying scenes. Second, the heroes have dreams. In A.I., the hero David wants to meet his mother and be loved by her. In Real Steel, the heroes want to win the robot boxing championship and earn a lot of money. In both movies, the heroes partially achieve their dream. David meets his mother and is loved by her but only for one day, while Charlie and Max lose the championship but earn a lot of money.

3. Differences

In the movie A.I., the world falls into disrepair because of scientific developments. The glaciers have melted and trees have disappeared. Men are dominated by man-made robots. Robots have emotions, as exemplified by David’s love for his mother. Robots can also move by themselves without the aid of humans. It is quite the contrary in the movie Real Steel, where robots are made for human entertainment. Robots have no emotions and are controlled by people.

Both movies present warm-hearted stories and sentimental elements that moviegoers enjoy. In Real Steel, we can relate to love in the family, especially between a father and a son. In A.I., we are moved by David’s yearning for motherly love. Both movies give us memorable robotic characters that we love.

Kim E-seul  KIMESEUL@changwon.ac.kr

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