Gareth Edwards’ latest movie, The Creator, blasts onto the screen with the force of a nuclear warhead, throwing audiences into a sprawling sci-fi epic that’s equal parts awe-inspiring and occasionally frustratingly shallow. Like a perfectly sculpted sandcastle frailly built on a windy beach, The Creator boasts breathtaking visuals and an ambitious scope, only to crumble under the weight of its own narrative shortcomings.
Edwards, the visionary director behind Rogue One and the best recent Godzilla reboot, is no stranger to crafting visually stunning sci-fi worlds. And let me tell you, The Creator is a feast for the eyes. From the desolate wastelands of post-apocalyptic LA to the neon-drenched landscapes of New Asia, every frame is meticulously crafted with great detail, bursting with intricate scale and design. Cinematographer Greig Fraser (fresh off the heels of Dune and The Batman) deserves a standing ovation for his work here, transforming every scene into a postcard from a future we both fear and desire.
But unfortunately, The Creator is about as deep as a puddle after a light sprinkle of rain. The plot, while intricately woven with twists and turns, ultimately feels hollow at its core and limp on rewatch. It’s a familiar cocktail of AI-gone-rogue and human-machine conflict, rehashing themes explored in countless science fiction films before it. While Gareth Edwards throws in some interesting moral quandaries and philosophical nuggets, they’re quickly swallowed whole by the film’s breakneck pace, leaving viewers with more questions than answers.
And speaking of pace, The Creator is a relentless rollercoaster ride. There’s barely a moment to catch your breath between explosions, chase sequences, and emotional gut punches. This frenetic energy can be exhilarating at times, but it also leaves little room for character development. John David Washington is suitably stoic as our conflicted protagonist Joshua Taylor, but his performance feels constrained by the script’s one-dimensional portrayal. The same goes for the rest of the cast, including the talented Gemma Chan and Allison Janney, who are sadly reduced to glorified chess pieces in Edwards’ grand spectacle.
In fact, one of the film’s true MVPs is actually newcomer Madeleine Yuna Voyles, who shines as Alphie, the mysterious AI child at the heart of the conflict. Voyles imbues Alphie with a childlike innocence and an unsettling power, making her a character you both empathize with and fear. If only the rest of the characters were treated with the same level of care and complexity.
It’s worth wondering if The Creator might be a victim of its own timing. Artificial intelligence is everywhere these days, infiltrating our phones, powering our cars, even writing emails with an unnerving fluency. So, to sit down and watch a film like this, one that lays bare our deepest anxieties about AI becoming our master, can feel oddly prophetic, almost voyeuristic. Perhaps years from now, we’ll see The Creator in a new light, as a chilling foreshadowing of the future we were hurtling towards, or maybe, conversely, as a quaint relic of a simpler time when killer robots were still the stuff of popcorn flicks.
Edwards has tackled a potent subject with remarkable prescience, and while it might feel a little on-the-nose right now, there’s no denying the raw power of a movie that holds a mirror to our collective fears, even if it makes us squirm in our seats. Ultimately, whether it was the right time to release The Creator is a question for studio execs and box-office analysts. But for filmgoers seeking a sci-fi adventure that both entertains and unsettles, one that might make you hug your Alexa just a little bit tighter afterwards, Gareth Edwards’ latest opus delivers in spades.
Despite its flaws, The Creator is still a visually stunning and undeniably entertaining film. It’s a testament to Edwards’ talent for world-building and his ability to craft pulse-pounding action sequences. But beyond the surface, there’s a hollowness that can’t be ignored. It’s a film that screams “potential,” but ultimately falls short of reaching that full potential. So, if you’re looking for a visually dazzling sci-fi blockbuster, The Creator will deliver.
Score: 6/10
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Watch The Creator (2023) on Hulu
The Creator Cast
Cast
John David Washington as Joshua
Madeleine Yuna Voyles as Alphie
Gemma Chan as Maya
Allison Janney as Colonel Howell
Ken Watanabe as Harun
Sturgill Simpson as Drew
Crew
Director: Gareth Edwards
Writers: Gareth Edwards, Chris Weitz
Cinematography: Greig Fraser, Oren Soffer
Editors: Hank Corwin, Joe Walker, Scott Morris
Composer: Hans Zimmer
