“The Creator”

As a body of work, science fiction is usually most appreciated by those who are highly educated and more curious than the average person. It’s not an elite genre, but it’s one that thinkers tend to gravitate towards. “The Creator” manages to alienate both fans of sci-fi as well as those just looking for a thrill ride at the movies. This passive, overdone, wannabe epic from director and co-writer Gareth Edwards has too much obnoxious action for people looking for elevated science fiction and is too emotionally complex for people seeking straight action, which means it will appease only a select few.

Set in 2070, the world is at war. Humans and AI robots are clashing over a nuclear attack that was detonated over Los Angeles five years earlier. Joshua (John David Washington) is an ex-special forces agent who is overcome with grief over the loss of his wife (Gemma Chan). He is recruited to hunt down and kill the elusive architect of the most advanced form of AI, a person known only as The Creator. If Joshua can succeed in his mission, he has the potential to end the war. As he gets closer to finding The Creator, Joshua discovers that the AI community’s most powerful weapon is a robot in the form of a young child called Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). This causes inner turmoil as the man develops a relationship with the very thing he has been sent to destroy.

Co-authored by Edwards and Chris Weitz, this isn’t a well-written script. The story is thin, and it’s one that’s both too obtuse yet also too predictable. The film raises complex issues about the fuzzy lines of good versus evil, the hope of an afterlife, the power of faith, and the devotion to family.

It teases an exploration of modern-day themes like bigotry and the casualties of war. The AI robots are seen as “less than” and “the other,” which is a dangerous sentiment that’s poisoning society today. There are obvious parallels that make a statement on everything from the Vietnam War to a general intolerance of others. This is my major criticism with the film: it raises so many interesting and complicated ideas, but Edwards chooses to abandon them in favor of ‘splosions. It’s not that the action is unwelcome, it’s just that there are too many smart, intellectual ideas that are abandoned. It’s like Edwards gave up with a shrug, because they go nowhere.

The emotional aspects of the story are devastating and well done, but they feel out of place. Nothing fits with the straight action that overpowers the more intimate narrative. The dramatic personal story is abandoned in favor of heavy wartime action, and it’s hard to feel any sort of sympathy or empathy towards the characters. The relationship between Alphie and Joshua is touching, but it’s impossible to become attached when everyone is out to kill her. (Not to mention that she’s super powerful and can control everything, so nobody stands a chance. So what’s the point?) The film isn’t visually compelling either, with ash-colored, dark cinematography and mediocre CGI that’s anything but a pleasure to watch.

In the end, the film reminded me of a dumbed-down version of “Ex Machina.” There are big ideas, but they are used as a stand-in for actual character development and compelling writing. The film raises so many smart, intellectual ideas, but Edwards never follows through. “The Creator” isn’t a total dud, but it’s the very definition of lazy.

By: Louisa Moore