The Creator, 2023.
Directed by Gareth Edwards
Starring John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chan, Allison Janney, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson, Amar Chadha-Patel, Marc Menchaca, Robbie Tann, Ralph Ineson, Michael Esper, Veronica Ngo, Ian Verdun, Daniel Ray Rodriguez, Rad Pereira, Syd Skidmore, Karen Aldridge, Teerawat Mulvilai, and Leanna Chea.
SYNOPSIS:
Against the backdrop of a war between humans and robots with artificial intelligence, a former soldier finds the secret weapon, a robot in the form of a young child.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, The Creator wouldn’t exist.
In terms of new IP (not the same as an original narrative), sci-fi-driven spectacle flipping the dynamic of war between humankind and synthetic machines upside down, Gareth Edwards’ The Creator is often stunningly absorbing. The visual effects artist turned filmmaker is not only pulling from his work on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story but mining countless classic works depicting robots gone bad for inspiration, except here, the synthetic population are sympathetic slaves to human misuse and abuse, rising and resisting against increasingly barbaric military behavior.
There is also a horrifying line from an American general pointing out that Neanderthals were not phased out of existence because they were dumb. They were intelligent, having found ways to create fire and care for one another while expressing their humanity. The evolution of the human race took them out, albeit more specifically, a society unafraid to rape and kill their way to the top of the food chain. Colonialization is a heavy, horrifying visual metaphor here, as savage American military personnel are not just content with winning the war but tearing down anything that could be considered a home for the machines.
Synthetic AI is both man-made and the next step in evolution, designed to simplify the lives of humans without concern about how that affects the world at large and the sentient emotions these humanoid machines come to encompass (an opening monologue easing viewers into this near future shows the creation and progression of these beings from entirely robotic to a lifelike mixture of facial prosthetics over machinery, with several different looks and innovative, aesthetic designs giving a fresh sheen to the familiar.) Overreliance on technology is a well-covered thematic territory, but The Creator suggests that mankind deserves what’s coming for mistreating these machines. If they are going to attain freedom, they must somehow become more ruthless than humankind.
Flash forward to 2065, where Los Angeles is a radioactive wasteland following a nuclear warhead set off by the machines, signifying a Western ban on all synthetic AI persons and a war against their kind. In the wake of this destruction, the robots have aligned themselves with New Asia, where John David Washington’s Joshua, a soldier with robotic parts replacing a lost limb, is undercover searching for the location of the mysterious Creator presumed to have built a weapon that could destroy the human race. He has also fallen in love with the pregnant Maya (Gemma Chan), an orphan raised by the machines who sees and feels the humanity they have gained (and that mankind appears to have lost.)
It’s not long before Joshua’s cover is blown, with Maya subsequently disappearing. Five years later, Colonel Howell (a battle-hardened and heartless Allison Janney) brings Joshua proof that his beloved is still alive somewhere, sighted at a secret base where the locals and synthetic AI of New Asia have been holding their ultimate weapon. Naturally, Joshua is roped into joining their task force and locating the weapon so the American’s high-powered, airborne military base can destroy it with homing missiles, as assisting them might be the only way to reunite with Maya and uncover some answers.
Following some tense, explosive action (credited cinematographers Greig Fraser and Oren Soffer beautifully capture the war zone and destruction), Joshua locates the weapon, which is actually an unnamed young synthetic AI girl holed up in a room watching cartoons. Impressively played by newcomer Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Joshua gives her the nickname Alphie (derived from Alpha and Omega) and ends up on the run with her, discovering that she has the power to turn off any electronic device within a certain range. Initially, Alphie is solely his means to continue searching for Maya until they bond and protect one another.
There is a through line with Joshua and Alhiie discussing heaven, with the former declaring he is not going there (and will not be reunited with his parents or anyone he loves) because he hasn’t been a good person in life, while the latter devastatingly acknowledges that she will not arrive at those pearly white gates because she is not technically human. Madaleine Yuna Voyles is a natural at conveying emotion; there is no questioning the humanity on display in her performance, and she is indisputably the tender, driving force, encapsulating and expressing the best sides of humans and machines.
Meanwhile, Joshua’s role in that equation leaves something to be desired since John David Washington is not given much to do as a character, spending most of his time channeling his father’s charisma. There isn’t much here providing insight into what makes him a terrible person. If anything, he is the standard, prototypical sci-fi hero and may as well be called The Protagonist, like his character in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. Still, thanks to its sincerity, the cheesy afterlife sentiment breaks through emotionally in a thrilling finale.
There are also supporting characters and subplots along the way that offer more windows into this unique world but are then instantly disposed of before making any noteworthy impact. Gareth Edwards and screenwriting collaborator Chris Weitz are imaginative and thought-provoking when manipulating tried-and-true tropes into a story of their making and expanding on them visually (such as a bit when humans send out machines serving as suicide bombers, which theoretically doubles as a metaphor for all soldiers essentially being robots falling into line and sacrificing themselves often for nothing), but stumble on the more personal, character-driven stakes and storytelling.
Setting those shortcomings aside, The Creator is epic-scale intense with a fascinating futuristic world, dazzlingly detailed visual effects, substance, and heart; Madeline Yuna Voyles is the film’s secret weapon.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
