Directed by Gareth Edwards

Starring – John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chan

The Plot – Amid a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, Joshua (Washington), a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife, is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war-and mankind itself.

Rated PG-13 for violence, some bloody images and strong adult language

The Creator | Official Trailer – YouTube

POSITIVES

Without the safety net of a big name brand like Marvel or Star Wars behind it, asking for an 80 million dollar budget in contemporary times isn’t exactly an easy task, however Edwards justifies it with his most ambitious project to date, which adds another edge-of-your-seat installment to the greatest science fiction epics of all time. As to where last week’s “Expend4bles” blundered away a 100 million dollar budget for laughably bad results, “The Creator” makes the most of its millions with on-site locations, picture perfect special effects work, and sharply stimulating cinematography from longtime Edwards collaborator, Greig Fraser, who imbeds a lived-in brand of realism to the way he capitalizes on impactful imagery. These elements grant a scope and scale to the proceedings that make this feel demanding of the biggest screen imaginable, and when rounded out by Edwards decision to shoot the entirety of the film in a basic Sony FX3 full frame camera, is all the more impressive for what he’s able to accomplish. As for the creative factors inside of the storytelling, the film is equally blessed with an abundance of realistic world-building and clever technology that not only speaks volumes about the extent of the dependencies of artificial intelligence inside of this world, but also the grounded approach that Edwards uses in a story that is set forty years in the future, and yet feels as currently relevant as any topic that film has focused on. Obviously the parallels to our own current trysts with artificial intelligence drive more than a few talking points within the film, but ideally it’s how Edwards draws out the good and the bad of this cultural evolution that feels most responsible, with plot devices and conflicts that are definitely familiar from other Science-fiction classics, but assembled here in ways that make them feel uniquely fresh and satisfying. At 128 minutes long, it is the rare example of a two hour film that rightfully deserves to be longer, especially since the pacing of the storytelling is continuously moving and weaving throughout so many themes and respective timelines, all without ever sacrificing the elements of tension that grip us into a roller-coaster of emotions with these characters that I found myself investing so heavily into. That tension intensifies itself in spades not only from Edwards immersing us in the stakes that continuously hang overhead in the expansion of the narrative, but also in the masterful musical achievements from the great Hans Zimmer, who once more underlines an urgency and vulnerability to his instrumentals that captures the haunting balance of humanity that hangs overhead. As expected no two tracks feel musically or tonally derivative of one another, nor does his tracks ever spoon-feed the emotions that the audience are supposed to be feeling, instead imbedding an interpretive nuance that can’t help but keep your mind wandering throughout the psychology of these characters. This is especially the case for Washington, whose stoicism has always defined his roles to this point, but here feels like the first time his emotional impulses have taken flight. Washington commands empathy not only in the extent of his character’s torturous backstory, which understandably shapes a bit of a recluse as we come to initially know him at the start of the film, but also in his believably rich dynamic with Voyles’ Alphie, which could easily turn cutesy or corny in the wrong kind of film, but instead feel genuine in every earned action between them, with Washington’s heart steering him to new heights. Nine-year-old Voyles remarkably dazzles in her debut role, commanding such a noble presence and gravitas to her character that is obviously decades ahead of her experience, all without losing the subtleties of her childlike charms that continuously warm their way into our hearts. Finally, Allison Janney gives an unconventional turn as the movie’s primary antagonist, affording her such audacity in the ruthlesness of her character, which steam roll anyone unfortunate enough to come into contact with her. Like most great antagonists, Janney’s Colonel Howell has a backstory that’s easy to highlight where it all morally went wrong for her, all without justifying such actions, and in terms of an iconic career involving many eclectic personalities, her work here feels like a breath of fresh air thirty years in the making.

NEGATIVES

As previously conveyed, the film blasts through its 128 minute long-distance journey with enough urgency for a script half of its length, and while that’s great in maintaining an emphasis to the pacing of the storytelling, it comes with a price occasionally in the way it steamrolls over emotions and subplots with the subtlety of a Sherman tank. Because I was so thoroughly invested into this world and these corresponding characters, I found myself intrigued by the character and moral debates that they continuously shone a light into, but disappointed by how they never pushed it further, beyond being surface level. On the emotional spectrum, this leads to certain monumental scenes being resolved in a matter of minutes, where ultimately I wish the film and its tonal capacities sat and stewed with those feelings for just a little while longer, if even just to allow the audience to buy into the stakes that it’s trying to sell us. On top of this, the editing is a bit clunky during the first act of the film, where Edwards, obviously influenced by Christopher Nolan, tries to simultaneously bend multiple timelines together in a way that feels a bit jarring, until you’ve come to understand and interpret the visual differences between characters at distinct timelines. It does eventually settle down once you experienced it enough times, but it did lead to an opening twenty minutes that took some getting used to, especially since there’s little outside of character appearances that allows the audience to distinguish just when and where we are at in Josh’s life. Speaking of appearances, while nothing that I took off in my final grade, there is a monster sized continuity error during the beginning of the third act that involves Joshua’s appearance that I can’t believe they kept in the finished product. To believe it in terms of the context of the story, you would have to believe that he was knocked out while his hair was unbraided, then braided at some point by an enemy while he was unconscious on their ship.

OVERALL
“The Creator” is a stunning spectacle of science-fiction splendor that serves as Gareth Edwards’ long-awaited impressionable mark on the industry. With the year’s best special effects, a trio of triumphant turns, and a titanic scope and scale inside of this lived-in world that doesn’t feel far from our own, Edwards makes the most of the film’s 80-million-dollar price tag, and even if its scattered pieces garner familiarity, its conflict with artificial intelligence feels as relevant as ever, especially in an industry currently on the frontline with it.

My Grade: 8/10 or B+