Title: The Creator
Describe This Movie In One Styx Lyric:
MR. ROBOTO: I’m not a robot without emotions, I’m not what you see
I’ve come to help you with your problems, so we can be free
Brief Plot Synopsis: Do androids dream of electric guns?
Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: 3.5 Calculons out of 5.
Tagline: “Humanity evolves.”
Better Tagline: “Is evolution overrated? Our NY Times editorial board tackles the question.”
Not So Brief Plot Synopsis: 15 years after the forces of Artificial Intelligence dropped a nuke on Los Angeles, and five after he lost his wife Maya (Gemma Chan), Special Forces veteran Joshua (John David Washington) is recruited to go to “New Asia” and track down “Nirmata,” the mysterious mastermind behind a new weapon that may threaten mankind’s existence. But when it turns out the “weapon” is an AI-generated child (Madeleine Yuna Voyles), Joshua begins to question his mission.
“Critical” Analysis: Gareth Edwards is one of the few examples of directors elevated to big budget tentpoles after scoring a modest hit (Monsters) who appears to have legitimately deserved it (*cough* Colin Trevorrow *cough*). Godzilla was a critical and financial success, and Rogue One is regarded as one of the best Star Wars movies by individuals with discerning tastes.
Made for half the budget of 2014’s Godzilla, The Creator is an example of an increasingly dying breed of Hollywood film: an original IP that doesn’t cost the gross national income of Kiribati.
Did I say “original?” Well, mostly. The idea of humans and AI coexisting since the 1950s is an interesting one, and Edwards’ eye for visuals really make The Creator an arresting effort. But if you find yourself leaning forward like DiCaprio at the TV in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, it’s wholly understandable.
Still, if you’re going to borrow, borrow from the best. Colonel Howell (Allison Janney) plucks Joshua from a shit job (cleaning up Ground Zero L.A.) just as Ripley was relieved of her gig running loaders (Aliens is homaged again in the climax). Edwards’ love of Star Wars is still apparent in the Battle of Yavin imagery during one of the Nomad’s attacks. Total Recall, the films of Neill Blomkamp (the first two, anyway), The Matrix, and whatever movies Edwards cited as influences are all present in some form or another.
Anchoring the production is Washington, whose Joshua credibly swings from joy to despair and (sort of) back. Singer Sturgill Simpson is surprisingly naturalistic as the former comrade-in-arms who gives Joshua the lowdown on “Alfie’s” abilities and her potentially apocalyptic final form (think Akira without all the body horror).
Edwards also wisely keeps events moving swiftly enough that we can’t really linger on how little meat there really is on this story’s bones. The Creator runs a shade over two hours, which is maybe one action set piece too far.
That aside, The Creator presents as expansive an imagined universe as any single movie in recent memory, and the sound design and effects are excellent. Edwards did location shooting in Thailand, Vietnam, Nepal, and Japan before layering any F/X, and it pays off, helping The Creator stand out among the recent glut of green screen catastrophes.
Edwards and co-screenwriter Chris Weitz aren’t necessarily breaking new ground in examining the nature of humanity or societal ethics, but they are tilling a few new rows. The portrayal of AI fully integrated with (certain parts of) human society is intriguing, offering a counterpoint to the traditionally unfriendly-to-humans variety like HAL 9000 or Skynet.
And luckily for our heroes, the enemy forces always hold off on attacking just long enough to let Joshua and others say their goodbyes. Right neighborly of that xenophobic military, I tell you what.
The Creator is in theaters today.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
