The sci-fi adventure The Creator questions whether artificial intelligence is the big bad bogey or not.
A war is raging between humans and robots possessing artificial intelligence. But, at first, it’s not clear which side is wearing the black hats and which the white. Joshua (John David Washington) is an American special forces soldier operating undercover in Asia. He’s deeply in love with his wife Maya (Gemma Chan), a key member of the AI resistance. As the AI stronghold where they live is targeted and attacked, Maya is blindsided by her husband’s revelation. The pair is separated and a massive explosion results in Maya’s death.
Joshua returns to the US heartbroken. His life falls apart. Five years later, he is visited by the military brass and urged to return to the war zone. They fear that an AI mastermind known as The Creator has developed an advanced weapon that will win the war for the East … and it is about to be deployed. They maintain that Joshua is best placed to uncover the architect of the omnipotent device and destroy them and the weapon itself. The reason: Joshua is the only one with an intimate knowledge of the layout of the land. Joshua pushes back, but his head is turned after Colonel Jean Howell (Allison Janey) reveals to him that Maya may still be alive and living in the war zone. Shortly after he arrives back in Asia, Joshua discovers that the said weapon is a seemingly innocent six-year-old girl named Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). She has been gifted special powers. From that point, Joshua begins to question everything he thought about AI including what’s real and what isn’t. Little by little, he and Alphie bond.
Co-written with Chris Weitz and directed by Gareth Edwards (the pair worked together on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), The Creator is visually arresting. Cinematography is by Greig Fraser (Dune) and Oren Soffer, and production design by James Clyne (Avatar). Another plus is the score by dual Oscar winner (Dune and The Lion King) Hans Zimmer.
Still, for all its character permutations, the essence of The Creator is a straightforward story that doesn’t break new ground. At nearly two and a quarter hours, it also felt interminably stretched, with a number of flat patches.I wanted more – some real surprises – but I didn’t get them. While I’m a sucker for emotional connection in movies, this one didn’t resonate with me.
Sure, John David Washington tried hard and puts in a decent effort, while Madeleine Yuna Voyles came across as an empathetic youngster. Truth be told though, I wanted to care more about them and their ordeal than I did. There wasn’t even a hint of real emotion.
In summary then, the potential of The Creator was more compelling than its realisation.
Alex First
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Alex First is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.