Review: The Creator

We have seen The Creator, where humans are at war with intelligent robots.

The director of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, British Gareth Edwards, is back with a unique science fiction adventure - here is our review of The Creator.

Plot

The Creator is about humanity being at war with intelligent robots after an atomic bomb attack on Los Angeles. The only area that still allows robots in society is Asia, where the US military is now searching for the robots' new super weapon - which turns out to be a small robot child.

The Creator

There are explosions galore in The Creator.

The main character, Joshua, defies his orders and decides to save the child, hoping that her knowledge can lead him to his lost wife. But the clock is ticking because the US military will stop at nothing to eradicate the robots from the face of the earth once and for all.

Cast

In the lead roles of the film, we see Madeleine Yuna Voyles as the AI child, Alphie, and John David Washington as her protector, Joshua. The supporting roles include Gemma Chan as Joshua's wife, Maya, Ken Watanabe as her father, Harun, and Allison Janney as Colonel Howell, who is pursuing them.

Gemma Chan

Gemma Chan in The Creator.

The little girl, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, proves to be an impressive child actress, and the supporting roles do their part even though the dialogue is strained at times. However, we have an issue with John David Washington, and that is that he is not a good enough actor to have a lead role in this way - he simply doesn't measure up, and his performance feels unnatural.

Cinematography

The film takes place largely in Asia, and we are treated to a multitude of beautiful landscapes and awe-inspiring scenes. The cinematographer, Oren Soffer, makes his big film debut with The Creator, and it certainly looks like a true blockbuster. Many scenes are shot at sunset, nighttime, or sunrise - they make the most of the views in Thailand.

Something that the average person may not care about too much is the fact that the film is entirely shot on a consumer camera from Sony, a Sony FX3, rather than a professional film camera. It's cool, but it doesn't give the film any bonus points.

Music

German Hans Zimmer is one of the world's most renowned film composers with a wealth of classic music pieces under his belt, but in this film, he seems to have taken a backseat. While there are some beautiful moments in the film's music, it is mostly quiet and understated. It's not exactly the type of film music one expects when seeing a name on the poster.

Verdict

The Creator is a unique film in that it doesn't belong to any franchise and is not based on any other material or series. That makes it feel refreshing and something to appreciate just for that reason. Additionally, it's a low-budget film that looks much more expensive than it is, which is an achievement in itself.

 Robot soldier in The Creator

A robot soldier in The Creator.

Unfortunately, it also feels at the same time like an underdeveloped concept, where more depth should have been explored in the war between humans and AI; there should be more beneath the surface, but there isn't. In the end, the film mostly feels like a spectacle with too many war scenes, which honestly becomes tiresome towards the end.

The good

  •   A unique concept with interesting ideas

The Bad

  •   The film doesn't delve deep into the questions it raises about consciousness and AI

Score

The Creator gets the score 6 out of 10.

Summary

The Creator is a breath of fresh air in Hollywood, but despite its intriguing concept, it doesn't bring much new to the table. It is well-made, beautifully shot, and occasionally emotional, but it falls short.


This article is about

Fredrik Lagnetoft
I like films.

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