THE CREATOR REVIEW
“Gareth Edwards has delivered an original science fiction film that’s full of a surprising amount of emotion and heart"
The idea of a studio producing an original science fiction movie by any filmmaker nowadays may seem to some like an endeavor destined to fail. Many have tried, including Neil Blomkamp, semi-successfully with District 9 and Elysium, but then less with Chappie. Of course, there’s also James Gray’s foray into science fiction with Ad Astra, which bombed despite having a certain Brad Pitt, and Alex Garland, probably one of the most innovative sci-fi storytellers of the modern age, even he couldn’t fully deliver with Annihilation.
After directing Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Godzilla, filmmaker Gareth Edwards returns to the original genre filmmaking of his 2010 film Monster, and in doing so, he may have delivered the best movie of his career. Sure, it may be hard for some not to think of Elysium while reviewing The Creator, because it involves similar levels of world-building, but it’s a far better realized film that literally pulls you into that world for two hours.
The idea of “Nirmata,” a worship of A.I. by machines, is introduced in an opening placard, before we learn about this war between humans and robots launched by a nuclear blast going off in L.A. We’re then introduced to John David Washington’s Sgt. Joshua Taylor, who is undercover within a robot community in Asia, living with his pregnant wife Maya (Gemma Chan). Something happens to Maya leaving Joshua a wreck, but five years later, he’s commissioned to return to the area looking for a weapon that could give the robots an advantage in the war. That weapon turns out to be a young AI simulant, a six-year-old girl who takes the name Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles), but who could be the deciding factor in the war.
There’s a lot about The Creator that I truly enjoyed, but much of it comes down to the world Edwards builds around this war between humans and A.I. It’s been done before – the Terminator movies notably come to mind – but it’s the way that this sci-fi trope is combined with a straight-up war movie and other elements that give it such a distinct look and feel. For instance, the imposing NOMAD space station that hovers over the AI strongholds before unleashing explosive rockets on anyone deemed to be an enemy is something that sets it apart.
More than anything else, I enjoyed the juxtaposition of faith and Asian spirituality with this robotic world. To some, that might seem like a dichotomy, but the imagery of robots in monk’s garb within a Tibetan setting just drives home the point of the idea of “Nirmata” that’s at the core of this story. Many times, the A.I. characters seem to have more humanity than the actual humans, who will just unleash NOMAD as needed to destroy any perceived enemy with no room for discussion or negotiation.
Washington continues to show his muscle as a true leading man, his scenes with young Madeleine Voyles being particularly effective, debunking the annoyance I’ve sometimes had when there’s a child actor so young playing a major role in a movie. Voyles is so terrific, giving such an evocative performance as this innocent child-like simulant that you’re likely to tear up more than you might expect. One of the nicest surprises of Edwards’ casting might be Allison Janney as Colonel Jean Howell, essentially Taylor’s superior, a tough and ruthless individual who will do anything to win this war, even if it means killing a child. Of course, I have no intention of spoiling whether Joshua is ever reunited with Maya, and the part she plays in this war – for that, you’ll have to see the movie for yourself.
These days, it’s nearly impossible for me to watch a movie like The Creator and not marvel at the crafts, since Edwards put together such a brilliant team to help realize his vision. (A few of them I’ll be interviewing over at Below the Line if you’re into that sort of thing.) The production design by James Clyne is front and center in blending the various locations with the brilliant visual FX work done by Industrial Light and Magic and other vendors. (Surprisingly, this is Clyne’s first feature as a production designer after working in other art capacities at ILM.) Cinematography duties are divided between Oscar winner Greig Fraser (Dune) and Oren Soffer, as they capture Edwards’ amazing locations beautifully, making it hard to tell what’s in-camera and what’s been added later using those VFX. As much as I was blown away by the visuals of The Creator, I was knocked out by the score long before I saw the credit at the end and realized it had been by composed by Hans Zimmer. There’s a good reason why he’s considered the top composer on the planet, and that’s seen and heard quite clearly with the music he wrote for The Creator.
As much as crafts are important in making The Creator look and feel truly like a sci-fi epic, it still always comes down to the characters and their journey, which keeps you invested in Joshua’s tough decision to go against orders and protect Alphie.
With The Creator, Gareth Edwards has delivered an original science fiction film that’s full of a surprising amount of emotion and heart, an incredibly effective take on a sci-fi trope that hasn’t been done anywhere nearly this effectively since James Cameron’s original “The Terminator.”
Rating: 9/10
The Creator will be released in theaters nationwide on Sept 29 with previews on Thursday night.