Angeline M.

Bornilla BSA II-C 02/03/14

Bicentennial Man
A Reaction and Review about the Feature Film Bicentennial Man

Imperfection is perfection. It makes every person on Earth different from each other. Its
what makes humans unique and one of a kind. Aside from these faults that we have, medically
speaking, homeostasis aided by the body systems makes a man a man. Watching the sci-fi film
Bicentennial Man, a robot named Andrew tried to become man by attaining the biological features
of a human organism.
The idea for a robot to become a man seems so absurd. Well, it is possible in terms of
physical appearance manifested by androids not necessarily in the inside as well. But as I watch
through the movie, it made me believe for a while that there is a possibility. Having beyond human
intelligence, Andrew was able to read tons of medical books and was able to come up of a design
for all the human organs with the same structure and function. The human body manages a
multitude of highly complex interactions to maintain balance or return systems to functioning
within a normal range. Andrew was one talented robot to be able to make something similar. Well,
it is after all fiction. I found it so fascinating when a human fell in love for him. There really are
people in this world that fall in love with nonhuman things or beings. I have read that some people
even get married to dolls and even goats. Because of the upgrades, Andrew was able to be an
android. He was of course human in form far from his first appearance as a metal machine. Andrew
was a versatile lover so maybe its not that hard for Portia to fall for him. Even if their love for each
other was not recognized by the people around them, it was not a hindrance for their love to
blossom. If I were a judge that was to decide the approval of his acceptance as a human, I think I
wouldnt have yet approve of him during the first time he appeared in court. His argument was that
some people were mechanical in part while he was a machine yet he was also human in part. Even
if he was nearly biological in terms of structure and function, he was practically immortal. Death is
an inescapable fact of life for humans. Many people fear it but it can lift the curse of immortality.
Andrew may be more "human" than your average robot, but he cant deny the fact that he will live
indefinitely while all humans must die. I really felt Andrews pain when one by one, he saw the
people he cared for die. It was hurtful to see people treat Andrew as a machine though he really
was but I think even if he was a robot, he deserved respect. Robot slavery was depicted in the film.
Though it was the very reason for Andrew and other robots existence, I dont find it right to
depend every human work to machines. Because of Andrews medical breakthroughs, people in the
movie were able to prolong their life but Portia chose not to. Andrew realized that he cant live a
life without her. So he made a decision by introducing blood to his system which will cause his
brain to gradually decay and allow him to age. I found it so heart wrenching when during his
second appearance in court, he was not yet still accepted to be part of the human race. He was
already so old in appearance and they already know that he is no longer immortal. During that
time, I would have already approved of his petition if I were part of the court. Too bad, Andrew
was not able to witness the acknowledgement of his humanity because he died a few moments
before the announcement.
I think that Portia was right in the movie to say that Andrew didnt need to hear the
acknowledgement because he didnt need anyones approval for his humanity. Andrew knows deep
within him that he is human in heart. Even if that was just the moment that their marriage was
legally validated, they were still able to have a happy life as a couple though Andrew didnt have
the capacity to reproduce. Andrew had so much time to live and he was able to make every second
of it worthwhile. He died happy beside the woman he loved and with the belief that he is also
human. On their deathbed, Portia said See you soon to Andrew. Well, I really hope that they can
still see each other. Even if Andrew had the heart it doesnt necessarily mean that he had a soul.
Still, not all people believe that humans have souls and there is this place called heaven. I firmly
believe that we do have souls and I know that Andrew might have one as well in the context of the
movie itself. Hopefully, the two become reunited in heaven and there truly they can say that both
of them will live forever and share an eternal love.