WARNING: spoilers below
It's certainly the case of a film which continues past what would've been a great ending, and I would've been fine if the fairy statue was the actual ending. That said, I enjoyed the final 20 minutes quite a bit. The theme of fantasy v. reality runs throughout the film. David's only goals are to become a real boy and to remain with his "mother". And yet reality keeps getting in the way, in regards to the conflict he causes around his mother's home, the hologram scene, or the revelation that he's nothing unique and is just one in a long line of clones. The blue fairy statue initially seems like the culmination to this. The harshness of reality has finally sunk in entirely and it's now clear that David has no chance of ever becoming a real boy or seeing his mother again. He gets to spend the rest of his existence making empty requests to some useless statue which he banked everything on. While the bleakness of the initial ending is great, I found the second ending to be another compelling extension to the film. Reality still interferes with David's wishes since he's once again informed that he can't ever be a real boy, but fantasy somewhat complicates that since he'll get to spend one more day with a recreation of his mother. It's not much of a reward given how little time he'll be able to spend with her, but after over 2,000 years of waiting, you get the sense that David isn't bothered by the situation and is content to have that one day with her. Yes, the tone changes in the process, but I felt the shift was worth it since the ending found a compelling, melancholy middle ground between its contrasting themes. So, the way I look at it, you can either get one great ending or two great endings. I prefer the latter.
It's certainly the case of a film which continues past what would've been a great ending, and I would've been fine if the fairy statue was the actual ending. That said, I enjoyed the final 20 minutes quite a bit. The theme of fantasy v. reality runs throughout the film. David's only goals are to become a real boy and to remain with his "mother". And yet reality keeps getting in the way, in regards to the conflict he causes around his mother's home, the hologram scene, or the revelation that he's nothing unique and is just one in a long line of clones. The blue fairy statue initially seems like the culmination to this. The harshness of reality has finally sunk in entirely and it's now clear that David has no chance of ever becoming a real boy or seeing his mother again. He gets to spend the rest of his existence making empty requests to some useless statue which he banked everything on. While the bleakness of the initial ending is great, I found the second ending to be another compelling extension to the film. Reality still interferes with David's wishes since he's once again informed that he can't ever be a real boy, but fantasy somewhat complicates that since he'll get to spend one more day with a recreation of his mother. It's not much of a reward given how little time he'll be able to spend with her, but after over 2,000 years of waiting, you get the sense that David isn't bothered by the situation and is content to have that one day with her. Yes, the tone changes in the process, but I felt the shift was worth it since the ending found a compelling, melancholy middle ground between its contrasting themes. So, the way I look at it, you can either get one great ending or two great endings. I prefer the latter.
Reply to Topic
