Film Review - The Creator (2023)

Man Versus the machine is a story that has been in cinematic history since the early days of film. As the decades went on, technology evolved and so did the one thing we once seen to help us, the machine.

We’ve been warned about it in the likes of the Terminator films, Blade Runner, The Matrix, even Hal 9000 in 2001: Space Odyssey. Cult horror Child’s Play ,Alex Garland’s ex_Machina, M3GAN warn us Artificial Intelligence has gone beyond the master and servant.

Humanity mindset is one of intrigue but also one of fear.

Gareth Edwards The Creator takes humanity’s battle with A.I beyond ChatPGT now A.I are able to pick arms play into our anxieties.

After his troubled last film Rogue One (with alleged Studio interference) seven years ago, the British filmmaker finally gets his chance to make that epic world free of interference . His vision that reflects the reality of war and we haven’t learned from Skynet giving controls to AI.

In this one, we find ourselves several decades into the future, 2070. We made the fatal mistake of given certain powers to the machines, who set off a nuclear bomb that destroys Los Angeles.

The US have been previously at war with simulants (Artificial Intelligence) for 15 years. Joshua (John David Washington) and ex-special forces living a life in ‘New Asia’. Living a tranquil life with his wife Mia (Gemma Chan) until they come under attack from the US.

Five years on now haunted by the lost of his wife, we learn Joshua was undercover to find Nimrata . The one person considered the creator of all Simulants. He is once again pushed back into the fold of the Special Forces.

That Nimrata has created the ultimate weapon to fight back against the American’s NOMAD weapon. If he can’t destroy that weapon it will lead to the end of humanity.

No one has a clue of what that weapon is? Surely it can’t be the AI young girl whom Joshua calls Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles)?

Let’s get one thing straight: The Creator is not perfect. It has many flaws, with the actual plot being one of those areas. It’s not terrible, just a little formulaic, tapping into some well-worn genre tropes. The likes of Neill Blomkamp‘s District 9, Alfonso Cuarón‘s Children Of Men are big influences, and even Blade Runner, Akira, and Apocalypse Now have a presence in the story.

Don’t expect Edwards to reinvent anything new in science fiction. What he has done is “humanized” the man versus machine dynamic, reminding us that humanity is sometimes “the creator” of our own downfall. We designed and created the robots, and as time goes by, technology becomes smarter. What we also have here is a war film with the Vietnam War a big inspiration. This will strike a raw nerve with some, tapping into the themes of the military-industrial complex and American imperialism.

Gareth Edwards is one of the best world builders in cinema, and the visual aesthetic of the film is fantastic. If the gossip is true, Edwards made this film on a budget of $80 million.

In Hollywood terms, that’s a small budget compared to the films from companies like Disney and Warner Bros, who allocate $200-300 million to directors.

The Creator was filmed on location in Thailand instead of relying on the green screen used in superhero films. It employs raw shooting, guerrilla filmmaking, and CGI that seamlessly integrates with its surroundings, giving it an organic and realistic feel rather than a fake screen or pixel. This seamless integration impresses on every level.

The Creator missed an opportunity to delve deeper into the human relationship with AI. Nevertheless, it’s a rarity in Hollywood to find a film with some originality that isn’t part of a franchise. Sadly, many people have been influenced to the extent that they will only watch certain types of films. If a film doesn’t feature superpowers, they consider it unworthy of their time, and that’s disheartening.

The star of the show is Madeleine Yuna Voyles, who is incredible as Alphie. For someone so young and just starting out, she delivered so much emotional depth, especially through her expressive eyes that will tug at your heartstrings.

It’s a shame that The Creator will probably disappear from cinemas without a blink of an eye. It’s a captivating and refreshing piece of filmmaking with a slice of originality that we should support, especially when never-ending franchise films begin to fade away.