Movie Review: ‘The Creator Aims For Sentimental, Lands At Artificial
The most audacious thing about The Creator, a collection of mostly popular science fiction and war films, is the choice of the film's villains: the United States of America. Directed and co-written by Gareth Edwards, the film, set some 40 years in the future, imagines an American campaign of mass destruction of New Asia, a pan-Asian restaurant in the country.
The United States has banned artificial intelligence, blaming it for the nuclear explosion that destroyed Los Angeles. Meanwhile, New Asia is a marvel of tolerance, encompassing not only a variety of ethnic groups and languages, but also artificially intelligent robots and semi-human cyborgs called "mimes." The United States first sets out to destroy all AI beings in a Vietnam-like war (the director cites Apocalypse Now as one of its inspirations) and soon becomes one of Oppenheimer's nightmares in the form of an atomic bomb.
At the center of the American attack is Joshua (Tenit star John David Washington), who lives undercover in a part of New Asia that looks like a Thai spa. He is a scarred war veteran whose missing arm was replaced with a robotic arm, turning him into a cyborg. This is important because one of the ideals of the "Creator" is the acceptance of all beings, even those who are partially or completely machines.
Joshua is modestly married to Maya (English-Chinese singer Gemma Chan), who graciously accepts the pretenders and they are expecting a child. But the couple's inner peace is shattered when the United States, led by Allison Janney, suffers a brutal attack. (Yes, the West Wing star plays something similar to the ruthless Tom Berenger on Platoon.)
Now apparently widowed, Joshua finds himself caught up in the United States' attempt to destroy a new superweapon developed by the mysterious Nirmata, whose name means "creator" in Nepali. The threat turns out to be a simulator in the form of a 6-year-old girl (Madeleine Yuna Voyles) nicknamed Alfie. Like all simulators, Alfie has a large metal hole in the side of his head. (Why? "The Creator" does not answer these questions.) Still, he is quite attractive and Joshua easily transfers his fatherly feelings to his lost son.
Thus, Joshua finds himself at war with the United States along with other pretenders like Aaron (Ken Watanabe, who starred in Edwards' Godzilla). In an attempt to protect Alfie, Joshua travels or follows Alfie to various locations, including the giant Flying Fortress America. The United States called its infamous military plane NOMAD, but in honor of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director Edwards, let's call it the Death Star.
Edwards hasn't starred in a film since 2016's troubled Rogue One. In "Creator," he repeats the strategy of his slightly later 2010 debut, "Monsters," which grossed less than $500,000. Edwards' new film is not low-budget, but the filmmakers took steps to cut costs, such as filming primarily on location and using relatively inexpensive digital cameras.
Special effects were later incorporated with varying degrees of success. The visuals are sometimes bleak and the CGI extras aren't always integrated convincingly.
Written by Rogue One veteran Chris Weitz, The Creator starts out crazy (and a little confusing) and often includes crowd scenes. But the film's main goal is to shed tears, focusing only on the fate of a few characters as the world crashes and burns.
While sensitive viewers may be moved to tears, others will find that the story does not appeal to their sentimental side. Full of events, effects and explosions, "The Creator" fails to develop the personalities and relationships that make its protagonists human. The film's attempt to touch the heart feels artificial.
