The Creator

So, I'm currently in Los Angeles in the year 2055. In this future, advancements in artificial intelligence made everything better. There are even robots! You should come visit! Wait, what's that? I've just been told it's a nuke. A nuke. A nuke?!

(Boom)

I'm okay.

What happened, Daisy Mae?

I think I wandered into The Creator's first few minutes. That's that new sci-fi movie from Gareth Edwards, that fellow who did that one Godzilla film back then. (That narrows it down, thanks.). Jethro, can you explain what else happens in that film?

OK.

After that incident above, the US declares war against AI itself. It's still popular in "New Asia," so that's where most of the fighting is. The US government has a kill satellite, NOMAD, that makes blasting AI outposts easier. But they soon get wind that Nirmata, the mysterious Creator of AI itself, has a new superweapon. Naturally, they need someone to destroy it.

Enter Sgt. Joshua Taylor (John David Washington). He was maimed in the L.A. attack and lost his wife, Maya (Gemma Chan), during a NOMAD attack. He only gets on the mission when his c/o's, Howell and Andrews (Allison Janney and Ralph Ineson), show him that Maya's alive. He soon discovers that the superweapon is actually a robot girl, Alphie (Madeline Yuna Voyles), who can control technology at will. Taylor decides to protect Alfie from his superiors. The chase eventually leads them to NOMAD itself.

This is essentially a futuristic Vietnam War movie. My mind went there once Taylor and his comrades make it to New Asia (it was shot in Thailand). Their opponents have no capacity, and as the film reveals, no desire to fight back. You'll especially hate soldier McBride (Marc Menchaca) when he threatens a puppy. It has a surprisingly funny gag involving an overly polite translator during the raid. But other than McBride, most of Taylor's comrades are forgettable cannon fodder. That includes a dead soldier who is briefly downloaded into a robot; I even forgot his name.

Taylor himself is quite likable. His character type maybe familiar, but we're on his side once Maya is lost. His and Alphie's relationship is compelling, especially as they discuss their chances of Heaven. Howell and Andrews are either decently detestable villains or pretty good anti-villains. That depends on your interpretation of the mid-film reveal. Ken Watanabe is quite good as robot guerilla leader Harun. But Taylor's old comrade Drew (Sturgill Simpson) and his robot wife, Kami (Veronica Ngo), are underutilized.

The real star of the film is its technical style, which was produced with a bargain budget of $80 million. There's plenty of impressive mechanics, which include some goofy walking bombs, a massive tank, a robot octopus and NOMAD itself. But the visual effects department's greatest achievement is seamlessly integrating CGI robot parts with actual actors. James Clyne's production design presents a visually appealing future on both sides of the Pacific. Cinematographers Greig Fraser and Oren Soffer do a good job visualizing its war movie tone. Its greatest aural achievements come from NOMAD's ominous drone and Hans Zimmer's latest grand score. Somebody is surely going to get an Oscar-nomination, if not a win, for this film.

The Creator is a decent sci-fi film. It's somewhat overlong at 133 minutes, but it's such a trip taking in its technical style. It helps to have a good pair of co-leads to take us through the future. See it on the biggest screen you can find. I think you'll get a good matinee out of it.