Artificial intelligence has been at the fore of the major new outlets’ headlines quite a bit this year thanks to strikes held by the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actor’s Guild. That is because writers and actors alike have focused on the potential of AI to replace them on and off screen. The sudden focus on artificial intelligence and its potential role in human society is rather interesting considering how much focus television and movies have placed on the matter for decades. From the likes of Star Trek and Person of Interest on the small screen to the famed Short Circuit and Terminator franchises on the big screen and so much more, AI has been at the center of so much entertainment on screen for ages. Yet another movie centered on AI was added to that ever-widening realm this year when 20th Century released its new movie, The Creator. Set for home physical release Dec. 12, the movie is neither the best nor the worst movie of its genre due to its story, which will be discussed shortly. The movie is saved at least in part through its look and special effects. This will be addressed shortly. The discussion on the look and effects, and the general writing in the hour-long bonus “making of” bonus feature that accompanies the movie adds to the appreciation thereof. It will also be addressed later. Each item noted is crucial in its own way to the whole of The Creator a presentation that is worth watching at least once but sadly not more than that.
The Creator, the latest science-fiction cinematic offering from the Disney-owned 20th Century Studios, is an intriguing offering for science fiction fans that while not necessarily memorable, is worth watching at least once. That is due in large part to its featured story. The story is hardly original, as it centers on a conflict between man and machine in the distant future. The machines, called “simulants,” are blamed for the death of more than a million people in Los Angeles after a bomb was dropped right in the heart of the city. Not to give away too much of the story, but as it is revealed late in the story – co-written- by writer/director Gareth Edwards (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Godzilla, Monsters) and Chris Weitz (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Golden Compass) – it was the humans, not the simulants, who were responsible for the deaths and led to the war. How the revelation comes will be left for audiences to learn for themselves. Of course neither the military nor the media let the public know this reality, and when our lead protagonist, Joshua (John David Washington – Tenet, BlacKkKlansman, Malcolm & Marie) discovers this and another key reality in his search for his wife, Maya (Gemma Chan – Eternals, Crazy Rich Asians, Humans), his superior, Col. Howell (Allison Janney (The Help, Juno, The Hours) tries to keep the secrets covered, too. Her end does not turn out well (again, not to give away too much).
Speaking of Joshua searching for Maya, that secondary story is the main item that sets this movie apart from so many other movies and television shows centered on the division between man and machine. He only does what he does because of his love for Maya and his hope that some way, somehow, he will find her. He does find her and is ultimately reunited with her but that reunion comes with quite a caveat that results in quite the bittersweet ending to the story. What makes the ending bittersweet will also not be revealed here for the sake of those who have not yet seen the movie, but it definitely does not leave viewers with a warm and fuzzy feeling. Prior to that difficult finale, Joshua learns that Alphie (played by newcomer Madelein Yuna Voyles) is far more important in his own search than he realized. There is even a foreshadowing of her role in the story that is so subtle about halfway through the story that makes that and his search for Maya all the more crucial.
Now throughout everything – including the role of Alphie – the comparison to so many other movies’ stories becomes all too clear, which leads to the main problem with this movie. Alphie as a central character immediately conjures thoughts of the little girl in Universal Pictures’ 1995 action flick Waterworld considering she was so crucial to everything. One cannot help but wonder if Edwards and Weitz must have taken some inspiration from said movie for this aspect of this movie’s story. The overlying concept of the battle between the humans and machines points directly to yet another 20th Century movie and its sequel, Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water. In those movies, it was the military taking on the natives of their planet. In this movie, the military is taking on natives in the form of artificial intelligence who also only want to live in peace alongside the humans. Knowing that both of those movies took way too much liberty from Allied Filmmakers’ 1990 movie, Dances With Wolves, it makes this comparison all the more problematic, too. Keeping all of this in mind, about the only positive aspect of The Creator’s story is its underlying love story between Joshua and Maya.
Now while the story at the center of The Creator is only somewhat original, that is not enough to completely doom the movie. Its special effects and design are collectively one of the movie’s saving graces. That is because despite being a science fiction flick, the use of CG was kept to an extreme minimum, as is revealed in the movie’s lone, hour-long bonus “Making Of” featurette. All of the backdrops for the movie were live, on-site locations across Southeast Asia. Yes, there were aspects of the movie that were computer generated, such as the really cool Total Recall-esque vehicles, the robots and the lasers in the firefights. However, the majority of the content featured in this movie is live action. In an era when so many action and science fiction flicks are so overloaded with CG it is nice to see a movie of that realm that actually does not rely so heavily on such aspects. It is kind of interesting that Edwards, as a filmmaker, would actively strive to avoid the use of so much technology in a movie that is all about the reality that technology (AI in this case) is here and we should learn to live with technology. That in itself makes for so much interest here, and in turn reason enough to watch this movie at least once.
Speaking of Edwards’ determination to stay as true as possible to filmmaking, his comments in the bonus “Making Of” featurette about wanting to avoid the use of CG as much as possible are refreshing. It shows that while the story itself is less than memorable, his attempts to make the movie look believable make up for that issue. Audiences will be interested to learn that even in the city scenes, which look a lot like scenes from Blade Runner, were in fact largely painted and then coupled with the CG vehicles and other effects. That lost art of actually painting backdrops is a nice touch here, along with the actual backdrops that were recorded across Southeast Asia. As the “Making Of” featurette continues, Edwards gets even more into depth with discussions on items, such as camera angles and lighting that are sure to engage audiences who are particularly into such matters. All things considered the bonus “Making Of” featurette is the movie’s only bonus content but even with that in mind it still offers plenty of insight that will ensure viewers’ engagement and entertainment. When the engagement and entertainment ensured by the bonus featurette is paired with the story’s one positive element and alongside the directed approach to the movie’s look, the whole makes The Creator a presentation that while largely forgettable, is still worth watching at least once.
20th Century Studios’ recently released science fiction movie, The Creator, is an intriguing new offering from the studio that is neither the best nor the worst of this year’s new cinematic offerings. Its story survives thanks in large part to its secondary plot, that of the love story between Joshua and Maya. The primary story, which ties directly into the love story, serves greatly as a detractor from the presentation. Luckily it is not enough to doom the movie, again, thanks to that secondary story. The look of the movie and its related effects are the real foundation for this presentation. That is because of the minimalist use of computers. The bonus “Making Of” featurette that accompanies the movie in its forthcoming home release features discussions by Edwards and others behind (and in front of) the cameras about the movie and its story. This actually helps increase the appreciation for the movie at least to a point. To that end it is just as important to the movie’s presentation as the movie’s story and its look. Each item examined here is important in its own way to the whole of the movie. All things considered they make The Creator a movie worth watching at least once.
The Creator is scheduled for release on 4K UHD and Blu-ray Dec. 12. More information on this and other titles from 20th Century Studios is available at:
Website: https://20thcenturystudios.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Avatar
Twitter: https://twitter.com/20thcentury
