Let me start by divulging that I have some personal history with writer/director Gareth Edwards whose first film 'Monsters', debuted at a Decibel Festival produced event in Seattle in 2010 with none other than Jon Hopkins who both scored the film and DJed the event. 'Monsters' was a brilliant debut from a visionary director who I was confident had a bright future in cinema. What I didn't realize was that Edwards would go on to direct the only decent Star Wars film ('Rogue One') going back to 'Empire Strikes Back', which would pave the way for the only decent Star Wars television show ('Andor'). Needless to say, I'm a fan of Gareth's unique take on science fiction, which never shies away from geopolitical stances, heart and mellow drama. 'The Creator' is his most personal and complete vision, which not only leans into all the the above; it perfects the fantastical, action version of science fiction that Star Wars largely pioneered.
Removing the story for a minute, which I found compelling and original, you can't deny the stunning cinematography that at times channels Emmanuel Lubezki's hyper-intimacy. This is admittedly my favorite technique, particularly when it's used subtly as it is during various memory sequences that protagonist Joshua, played by John David Washington, experiences throughout the film. It is this complicated love story between both Joshua and Maya, brilliantly played by the always enigmatic Gemma Chan, that drives both the tone and plot of the entire film and that ultimately elevates it to a personal/human level where few science fiction films dare to travel ('Solaris', 'Annihilation' and 'Looper' come to mind). This is where 'The Creator' truly shines in my opinion; but I am admittedly a sucker for a heartbreaking love story, which 'The Creator' most certainly is at its core.
From a technical standpoint, 'The Creator' is in a very unique class of science fiction that feels imminent. The world Edwards and his team has created here is visceral, enthralling and frighteningly plausible in ways I have never really seen executed this well. Instead of leaning into the brutality of ecological devastation like 'Blade Runner 2049' the environment they have chosen to build around is a lush, rural, spiritual world where both robots and humans live in unity. It's a unique take on science fiction that I found to be esthetically pleasing. Musically, Hans Zimmer once again delivers a gorgeously emotive score that combined with the mind-blowing sound design and surprisingly diverse, Rock driven soundtrack delivers the best auditory experience I've had in a theater in years.
Taking a page out of James Cameron's playbook ('Aliens' and 'Avatar' in particular) The geopolitical tensions have placed the U. S. on the defensive and in true fashion of the U. S. Military Industrial Complex have created the ultimate super weapon N. O. M. A. D., whose mission is to seek out and annihilate any AI bases globally. Placing the core of the AI resistance in various rural Pan-Asian settlements was a tactful choice that for me conjured the devastating conflict in Vietnam. I interpreted this war between the pro and anti AI forces as an analogy of a more timeless conflict between Eastern and Western thought, culture and values. SPOILER:,When Maya's father, played to perfection by Ken Watanabe, tells Joshua "you know it was a coding error" in relation to the nuclear bomb that AI had supposedly detonated in LA killing over a million souls, you could begin to see the not so subtle knock on human hubris and the United States' unwillingness to admit its mistake as this would require taking actual responsibility for its actions. I personally found this to be the most intriguing and relevant aspect of the story, which also speaks to the relationship between Maya and Joshua. All that said, I'm not surprised to see sci fi nerds, pro U. S. Military stans and critics of AI lambasting this portrayal of U. S. Military aggression against an AI resistance truly seeking peace between the two warring sides; but as we all know, war equates to profit in relation to the U. S. Military Industrial Complex. This is not necessarily an original concept in relation to science fiction, but it is one that Edwards found a new home for and I applaud him for it.
'The Creator' is not without its flaws, most of which spawn from the lack of context between the evolution of AI to where the film takes place. They did add in some backstory in the form of historical news footage that could have been executed better. That said, the focus of the film was never on the origins of AI, it was on the incident that lead to the war we're currently watching unfold and more importantly the complicated love between two people on opposite ends of that conflict. As love often does, it spawns a third which is truly the central theme of this film...love is the answer.
Removing the story for a minute, which I found compelling and original, you can't deny the stunning cinematography that at times channels Emmanuel Lubezki's hyper-intimacy. This is admittedly my favorite technique, particularly when it's used subtly as it is during various memory sequences that protagonist Joshua, played by John David Washington, experiences throughout the film. It is this complicated love story between both Joshua and Maya, brilliantly played by the always enigmatic Gemma Chan, that drives both the tone and plot of the entire film and that ultimately elevates it to a personal/human level where few science fiction films dare to travel ('Solaris' and 'Looper' come to mind). This is where 'The Creator' truly shines in my opinion; but I am admittedly a sucker for a heartbreaking love story, which 'The Creator' most certainly is at its core.
From a technical standpoint, 'The Creator' is in a very unique class of science fiction that feels imminent. The world Edwards and his team has created here is visceral, enthralling and frighteningly plausible in ways I have never really seen executed this well. Instead of leaning into the brutality of ecological devastation like 'Blade Runner 2049' the environment they have chosen to build around is a lush, rural, spiritual world where both robots and humans live in unity. It's a unique take on science fiction that I found to be esthetically pleasing. Musically, Hans Zimmer once again delivers a gorgeously emotive score that combined with the mind-blowing sound design and surprisingly diverse, Rock driven soundtrack delivers the best auditory experience I've had in a theater in years.
Taking a page out of James Cameron's playbook ('Aliens' and 'Avatar' in particular) The geopolitical tensions have placed the U. S. on the defensive and in true fashion of the U. S. Military Industrial Complex have created the ultimate super weapon N. O. M. A. D., whose mission is to seek out and annihilate any AI bases globally. Placing the core of the AI resistance in various rural Pan-Asian settlements was a tactful choice that for me conjured the devastating conflict in Vietnam. I interpreted this war between the pro and anti AI forces as an analogy of a more timeless conflict between Eastern and Western thought, culture and values. SPOILER:,When Maya's father, played to perfection by Ken Watanabe, tells Joshua "you know it was a coding error" in relation to the nuclear bomb that AI had supposedly detonated in LA killing over a million souls, you could begin to see the not so subtle knock on human hubris and the United States' unwillingness to admit its mistake as this would require taking actual responsibility for its actions. I personally found this to be the most intriguing and relevant aspect of the story, which also speaks to the relationship between Maya and Joshua. All that said, I'm not surprised to see sci fi nerds, pro U. S. Military stans and critics of AI lambasting this portrayal of U. S. Military aggression against an AI resistance truly seeking peace between the two warring sides; but as we all know, war equates to profit in relation to the U. S. Military Industrial Complex. This is not necessarily an original concept in relation to science fiction, but it is one that Edwards found a new home for and I applaud him for it.
'The Creator' is not without its flaws, most of which spawn from the lack of context between the evolution of AI to where the film takes place. They did add in some backstory in the form of historical news footage that could have been executed better. That said, the focus of the film was never on the origins of AI, it was on the incident that lead to the war we're currently watching unfold and more importantly the complicated love between two people on opposite ends of that conflict. As love often does, it spawns a third which is truly the central theme of this film...love is the answer.
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