One of those very few Hollywood science fiction movies that is neither a comic book adaptation nor an adaptation of a video game, nor the second part of the success of some other previously released movie, The Creator features The Terminator, Blade Runner, and Star Wars but with the signature of Gareth Edwards: he makes a world uncooked, rough, and with breath. Such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, it will be built.
It’s 2070, the year man committed the gigantic mistake of allowing AI to control the defense. Half-dead Los Angeles was reduced to ashes by a nuclear bomb, and AI has never been allowed again in the West. But in “New Asia,” humans and robots live in harmony. This perversion provokes World War Three, though the United States assures everyone they’re only firing robots, not humans.
It’s all about Joshua, a soldier sent to deliver some kind of secret weapon created by the master AI Nirmata. It wasn’t so much what he enlisted for because it’s in the form of a simulant who just so happens to be an exact replica of a small little girl named Alphie. The more Joshua gets drawn into the mission, the more deafening his questions become. He’s left with either killing her or caring for her.
Creator is an adrenaline-pumping thriller as Joshua moves from quaint villages to cutting-edge cities, his pursuers close on his heels. No time for slow explanations in this one as the movie takes a leap of faith with the viewer keeping pace.
What it really does that’s so different from almost every other Star Wars film is the manner in which it marries big action with more mature war drama. It’s full of hero battles, big space vessels, and shootouts, but also truly realistic and gritty. Characters just get killed, and the scenery is all smokey and devastated.
John David Washington is tough-but-vulnerable, not unlike his father, Denzel Washington, as Joshua. Madeleine Yuna Voyles, playing Alphie, shifts from tough mechanoid to passionate vessel. Sweet this relationship but too mushy.
Not like so many of the blockbuster style films of today, there is no effort at forced laughter for The Creator. Instead, it’s plotted out of script, something which makes all the more real, and indeed nigh on earthy serious.
The movie was filmed in Thailand, where lovely mountains and islands provided it with a natural feel like it was actually taking place. Even with the use of sophisticated CGI, the images blend well together, and the robots and hovercrafts appear real.
Although the last part of the movie is rushed and some of the future gadgets appear antiquated, The Creator remains a classic. It is a gigantic, epic science fiction movie that is not only action-packed but emotionally compelling as well. If you are a fan of movies such as The Matrix or Avatar, you’ll be amazed at this movie’s vision of the future.
Most of all, The Creator invites the audience to ask questions about man and technology. It is a moral and emotional maze that will linger with us long after the credits have stopped rolling. With a narrative that is both fascinating and visually stunning, the film invites us to discuss artificial intelligence, human morals, and the blurring of the line between man and machine.
Whatever the motivation, action, hard science fiction, or just to try something different, The Creator is worth a look.
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Writer
Fazlul Karim,
Intern, Content Writing Department
YSSE