Julien Neaves, Sci Fi Head Writer
Plot: In 2070, 15 years after a nuclear detonation in Los Angeles starts a war against artificial intelligence, an ex-special forces agent is recruited to find and destroy a mysterious AI simulant called “The Creator.” But his true mission is to locate his presumed-dead wife.
Review: Okay, I am a few months late with this review (the film came out last September) but I just had to give my two cents about Sci Fi Action Drama The Creator from Gareth Edwards (Godzilla (2014), Rogue One). And “two cents” is an apt description, because this is going to be a short one.
If there was one reason I would recommend checking out The Creator is the visual effects as they are some of the best I have seen in a science fiction film in a while. The look of the simulants with their hollowed out heads was so seamless it was scary, and the robotic-looking AI bots were not too shabby either. The film also features some breathtaking cinematography and entertaining Sci Fi action.
In terms of characters, the standout was easily Madeleine Yuna Voyles as robotic AI simulant Alpha-O/”Alphie”. The young actress lit up the screen and was able to deliver on the emotional beats as well. John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman, Malcolm & Marie, Tenet) is a reliable actor and he delivers again here as ex-special forces operative Sgt Joshua Taylor. He has great chemistry with Voyles and is believable in the action sequences as well. Gemma Chan, Allison Janney and Ken Watanabe also feature and they make the most of their limited roles.
What kept The Creator from Sci Fi excellence was the story. While Edwards is able to craft a lived-in, believable futuristic world, the plot set in said world is somewhat lacking. The battle between humans and AI is practically bereft of nuance with the US painted as cartoonishly evil invaders and the AI and its sympathisers in New Asia as hapless victims. The multiple scenes of innocent AI and humans getting slaughtered felt overdone. And the story of Joshua and Alphie is almost paint-by-numbers predictable.
While I would have preferred a meatier and more complex story, The Creator is a visual delight and a consistently entertaining tale.
Editor Jules Score: 7 out of 10
Have you seen The Creator? What did you think of it? And you can check out more Sci Fi action and thrills below:
Julien “Editor Jules” Neaves is a TARDIS-flying, Force-using Trekkie whose bedroom stories were by Freddy Krueger, learned to be a superhero from Marvel, but dreams of being Batman. I love promoting Caribbean film (Cariwood), creating board games and I am an award-winning author. I say things like “13 flavours of awesome sauce”. Read more.