We’re back! It has been a while and there have been so many good movies during our hiatus. It pained me to not be able to write reviews of all of the great summer movies, Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse, Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part I, and of course, Barbie and Oppenheimer. But there was a good reason for the absence, I was out writing, directing, and producing the feature film, Naked Shakespeare. Which I really hope to share with everyone next year. But for now let’s talk about fall movies, starting with The Creator.
It’s so nice to see epic, original sci-fi films back in the theater again. At a time when it seems like everything is a franchise, a sequel, or a superhero film, The Creator feels like a breath of fresh air. Written and directed by Gareth Edwards (who made the stunning 2014 Godzilla and very good Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) the film feels like a love letter to heady and emotional sci-fi films with a timely and somewhat politically charged story and stunning visuals. But The Creator lacks depth, often setting up big questions that are only left explored at the surface level.
Set in 2065, John David Washington stars as Joshua, a former army man who is drawn back into the fight when he believes that his wife Maya (Gemma Chan) whom he presumed dead is actually alive. The fight being the one between mankind and AI. Some 15 years ago AI and all the robots (it is unclear if there is a difference) set off a nuclear bomb in LA and the United States has been at war with AI ever since. The story does feel “straight from the headlines” but is focused more on the aspect of well, creation. If mankind created this AI is it their responsibility to destroy it? Or should they embrace it as the next step in evolution? These are just a few of the questions the film sets up but never fully explores.
Joshua is sent on a secret mission to find and destroy an AI weapon but it turns out to be a robotic child. The rest of the film’s beats are predictable but engaging. Edwards’ direction keeps the film emotionally moving and his sense of scale helps the film feel grounded. The locations and technology feel real and actors interact and touch the world them. Edwards’ decision to shoot on location and steer clear of green screens really pays off. The world-building of this film feels incredible. It’s just too bad the story isn’t as well.
After a strong start, the well-acted film starts to slow down. There are so many lulls in the second act that it drags at times. There are too many long shots of landscapes and vehicles that don’t add much to the story. By the time the third act starts, it feels rushed. Things happen at a breakneck pace and it becomes hard to follow. I wished either they added 15 minutes to the film to keep the pacing even or had removed several scenes earlier in the film entirely. Instead, we are left with a mess of a third act. Where the emotions of the film reign true but when you think about it with just an ounce of logic it all falls apart.
Which is a shame because the film does really start off so strong. The characters feel real and fully realized, including Allison Janney’s bad guy general character. But then character development just goes out the window. Joshua has to learn to like the AI child because the story says so. Janney’s character is just evil because she is. In the beginning, there were real character motivations for her but after act two starts you could have replaced her with Eddie Falco’s character from Avatar: The Way of Water and I don’t think anyone would have noticed. All the nuance and growth we were expecting is gone and replaced with visual spectacle.
The visuals are incredible though. The seamless blending of live-action actors with CGI robot parts is amazing. The world feels real and lived in because of the visuals. The production design took elements of our real world and kept it just familiar enough to create a level of connection but added so many sci-fi elements that it kept it fun. I fully expect the film to receive some technical award nominations.
Edwards has always been a master of scale, and this film is no different. The ships and vehicles feel massive. There is a true sense of wonder to it all. But it only goes so far when the story is weak. It feels like a mashup of better films and never fully comes together. The theme of the film gets lost in all the action and not everything comes together. There are a few plot holes and way too many convenient moments for Joshua that just pull you right out of the film.
Overall, it’s still a decent movie. While it never fully reaches its potential it’s still worth seeing. Stunning visuals, a fleshed-out world, a new score by Hans Zimmer, and some great acting from Washington prevent the film from being a total miss. And it’s hard to say no to some original sci-fi or even an original film in a landscape of reboots, sequels, and franchise machines.
3.5/5