It has been a while since we've heard from Gareth Edwards. 2016's fantastic Rogue One, to be exact. Perhaps basking in the praise of creating one of the better Star Wars films? Or resting from quick back-to-backs after the 2014 film that put him on the map, Godzilla. Either way, Edwards became known for handling large scale blockbusters (and respected IP) with talent and his "brand" became his sense of scale.
There's a lot to admire in his decision to shift his talents toward an original IP and story - that he helped write - as opposed to taking one of the I'm sure several offers that were at his doorstep (IMO he'd be great for an Avengers film and I'm sure Marvel agrees).
So now, 7 years after his most recent film, we get The Creator, an original sci-fi story with Edwards at the helm. And while it may not be the most mind-blowing thing you've ever seen, there's a lot to admire throughout both in terms of the story, but almost equally so in Edwards decision to go this route. Should he be aiming to expand his brand to "original sci-fi" or "original stories", I'm all here for it.
Without going into spoiler territory, The Creator tells of a world where humans created AI, and in turn, some unnamed AI villain/group dropped a nuclear bomb on Los Angeles. The U.S. banned AI and vowed to eradicate them, while Asia lives and utilizes them, despite the U.S. hunting for an AI weapon that could turn the tide of the war. It may feel familiar, and that's because you've heard it before, but Edwards and Co. do a solid job making this feel unique, even if the broad strokes are not. John David Washington plays Joshua, an ex-military man who gets roped into the mission to find the weapon AI is creating. Beyond that, I won't share much (the trailers reveal a little bit more), but I really enjoyed the story overall, especially because it nails the ending. There's a lot the script has to say on the world and AI - much of it, it does well - but it doesn't forget to make a human connection to the heart that, by the end, we're granted some well-earned emotional beats.
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| "You saw Tenet right? Tell me you saw Tenet!" |
When it comes to original science fiction, one of the most challenging components is creating a world that feels new, makes some degree of sense, and is awe-inspiring. It has to be something people haven't seen before. In that realm, I found The Creator did a pretty good job with unique AI humanoid design, a logical backstory, and the creation of NOMAD - a USS "battleship" in the sky with a highly advanced targeting system. There's also a degree of restraint where guns are still guns, armor is still armor, and some things are unchanged which is good to avoid taking a "boil the ocean" approach as this is only a handful of decades ahead of 2023.
It's largely from the USS NOMAD where Edwards massive sense of scale is introduced. Along the way we're privy to some well-directed action sequences - that features many violent deaths. I wish some were more special as there can be a tendency in early ones to feel like a bunch of back-and-forth "pew pew!" segments, but they get better as the film goes along and as previously mentioned, the finale earns its keep. One of the most admirable things Edwards has done here however - and I think it's going to have a massive impact on the trajectory of his career - is that he made this for $80 million. There was a big focus on real locations, small crews, and filming efficiency that drove that, and that number is staggering given the output of what we get on screen. These visual effects are superb, and given the fact they cost 2-4x LESS than other films that sometimes don't look remotely as good *cough Quantumania cough cough*, I think Edwards just signed himself up for some likely incredible budgets in the future. I can't even begin to imagine what he could do with $150-200 million...
If The Creator has any flaws outside of various moments of "we've seen this before", it's that I'm not sure the story's logic completely checks out in ways that would enter spoiler territory, but as I've thought more about it...I have questions. It's also begging, gasping for a better original score and is a prime example where a Hans Zimmer or Ludwig Goransson could have greatly elevated the material and emotional heft (edit: Hans Zimmer actually did the original score for this; it's one of his most forgettable ever unfortunately). But I imagine both of them were probably pretty busy.
For many reasons, The Creator is a film that's worth admiring, which is part of the reason I gave it the "full review" treatment. Original science fiction and stories are things we need a continuous stream of in our entertainment mediums, and Edward's direction and efficiencies has impacts that could ripple across the industry if The Creator does well. As we've seen with recent strikes, it's clear studios and other segments of Hollywood are all about "the buck", and the amount accomplished on screen for $80 million here is an achievement worth praising.
CONS
- Some story and world elements aren't that unique
- Certain plot points create questions for me after the fact. Not holes, just more "why did they do that?"
- An iconic original score could have been a game changer
- Under-utilized cast outside of the core duo
- Great, original science-fiction story that deals with many elements of our world today and the future of AI
- Well-earned and orchestrated finale that hit some effective emotional moments
- John David Washington and Madeleine Yuna Voyles provide strong core performances. The latter is very impressive for a child actor
- Well-designed world that doesn't overdo it, but has very cool and unique elements
- Gorgeous cinematography of actual locations and deft editing/pacing
- Special effects that wow. And then you learn these special effects were only $80M...and they're all the sudden insane
- Consistently entertaining as it tells its original story
Rath's Review Score | 8/10
You seem to have enjoyed it more than me. I did admire the craft - it looks amazing - but found the story half-baked. That young actress was phenomenal, however.
ReplyDeleteI tended to be forgiving about the story because it felt unique (I remember feeling the same way about Elysium back in the day). I also just have to admire how damn impressive the budget mgmt is on this one.
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