Curiosity Killed the Mecha: Connection and Conflict in John Williams’s Score to A.I. Artificial Intelligence

Steven Spielberg’s 2001 film A.I. Artificial Intelligence is a futuristic reworking of the Pinocchio story in which the robot boy David is given advanced artificial intelligence that enables him to love, causing him endless conflict in a human world. The film addresses complex themes about humanity, love, and creation, and the conflicts these themes create between orga (humans) and mecha (lifelike, human-created robots). “Curiosity Killed the Mecha” explores an important turning point in the film where Monica, David’s adopted mother, begins to accept David. A comprehensive analysis of the score by John Williams, focusing on thematic and timbral elements, reveals this change in the interplay between the “Curiosity” theme and the “Bonding” theme. The usage of electronics along with ever-growing acoustic accompaniments further demonstrate Monica’s orga acceptance of the mecha David. However, the subtle complexities and various interruptions scattered throughout the cue indicate Monica’s uncertainty.