- Starring
- John David Washington, Madeline Yan Voyles, Gemma Chan
- Director
- Gareth Edwards
- Rating
- PG-13
- Genre
- Action, Drama, Science Fiction
- Release date
- September 29, 2023
Overall Score
Rating Overview
Rating Summary
There are three levels of artificial intelligence. Narrow AI is what we’ve become accustomed to in our everyday lives when we ask Siri for the weather report or tell Alexa to turn off the lights. Next is Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), in which AI will be able to learn and accomplish any intellectual task that a human can. This will inevitably and quickly lead to Artificial Superintelligence (ASI), which is the intelligence level of every evil AI that has ever tried to destroy humanity in a film.
The Creator
Set a little over 40 years in the future; Artificial Intelligence has reached levels that make it virtually indistinguishable from human intelligence. After an unnamed AI detonated a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles, America declared war on all AI across the globe.
The Creator follows Joshua, played by John David Washinton, a retired United States deep undercover operative whose mission it once was to track down and kill Nirmata, China’s leading AI scientist, thereby winning the war. After a botched operation that killed his wife (a Chinse AI sympathizer) and unborn child, Joshua decided to leave the war to others. But five years later, when evidence is presented to him that suggests his wife survived the attack, Joshua will do anything for five more minutes with her, including lead a group of U.S. military operatives on a mission to find Nirmata’s newest AI weapon and destroy them both.
The Creator is a masterclass in technical excellence with some of the most realistic digital effects ever seen on screen. However, as masterfully crafted as they might be, their design is equally uninspired. It’s a shame that so much technical brilliance was wasted on a film in which every other aspect is unoriginal, poorly thought-out, and, in some aspects, a bit of a mess. It’s a film in which handheld EMPs exist, yet soldiers fight robots in hand-to-hand combat.
It’s a fairly standard tale of redemption through putting someone else’s needs above your own, so in such a story, it falls to world-building to differentiate oneself from the pack. Unfortunately, The Creator’s screenwriters barely showed up, giving us a grab bag from dozens of other better movies and one plot hole after another.
The movie lacks a host of subtle details that would make the difference between mundane and magic. For instance, mankind has successfully created artificial general intelligence, but for no given reason, AGI has never evolved into ASI, which is the next logical step in AI evolution (a concept regularly given lip service in the film). For some reason, AI exists only in the form of humanoid robots and plays no role in human society other than as defacto humans or slave labor; the cars don’t even drive themselves.
The lack of creativity infests character designs as well. Early in the film, we discover that Joshua lost an arm and a leg in the LA explosion, but aside from a couple of shots of him without them, they play no part in the film whatsoever. Presumably, his injuries are to give him added reason to hate AI and provide additional subtext. Unfortunately, it’s never explored meaningfully, and his emotional journey is standard and formulaic.
Can anyone remember any movies where a soldier or law enforcement official with a cybernetic limb faced off against artificially intelligent robots?
Another buffoonish creative blunder occurs in a scene in which a small group of American Special Forces covertly drop into enemy territory at night to reconnoiter and suss out the location of a suspected AI weapons facility. However, their “advanced” armor lacks protective headgear, is relatively brightly colored, and, in lieu of night vision, has no fewer than two ignited high-beam headlights and a third on the end of every weapon as they “sneak” through the otherwise dark and treeless plains that are within eyeshot of the village they intend to infiltrate.
Want another medium-sized one? The film makes certain that the audience knows that The U.S. has unequivocally sworn off the use of AI in any form. However, in a scene late in the second act, the military employs two ridiculous-looking slow-moving robot bombs with “silly” personalities for “comedic” relief when an RPG would have done the job far more accurately and efficiently.
Then there are 25-megaton thermonuclear explosion-sized plot holes like the fact that The United States has developed a floating arsenal/military base/AI detection system (that for some unknown reason also has a farm inside of it) the size of Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer that hovers over China in low Earth orbit constantly searching for hidden AI development centers that, despite its ever-present city-spanning detection beam, it only successful finds during the film’s climax.
The movie shows multiple times that The U.S. has no problem dropping nuclear bombs from the floating platform onto areas full of innocent civilians. In fact, the movie regularly shows that the military exhibits no rules of engagement or concern of any kind for collateral damage in any combat situation, often mowing down dozens of unarmed men, women, and children during their various ground assaults.
So, we know that they don’t care about non-American human life. We know that they have unassailable air superiority. Then why do they continually send poorly armored infantry into areas that they suspect are havens for AI?
Want some more? The movie states that NOMAD (the name of the floating platform) took ten years to build, but for some reason, neither China nor any other country did anything in those same ten years to prepare to fight NOMAD. No one has antiaircraft missiles anymore? The platform shows no signs of having any defensive capabilities. Why hasn’t anyone tried to blow it up? How is it that EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD that was advanced enough to develop artificially intelligent beings wasn’t able to mount a defense against a slow-moving, unprotected weapon of mass destruction that is the size of Rhode Island but can be completely ***SPOILER destroyed by a single standard-issue magnetic bomb? END SPOILER***
The plot is as childishly overly simple and criminally underdeveloped as the world in which the film is set. The Creator is an unimaginative 2-hour running gun battle that includes an escort mission ostensibly designed to elicit empathy from the audience, and thanks to a handful of shockingly heartfelt moments delivered by the 6-year-old Alphie, who the 9-year-old Madeleine Yuna Voyles plays, we do feel something. However, it’s far too little, and much of it comes far too late, with telegraphed twists revealed with all of the gravitas of breakfast cereal.
Amidst what are sure to be audience’s regular protestations (if you’re like me – they’ll be out loud [it’s ok, I was in an empty theater]) of, “Why didn’t he just…,” or “Couldn’t they have just…,” and “That was stupid, they just did ‘X’ in the last scene. Why not do it again here,” the greatest travesty of the film is that John David Washington still hasn’t found a vehicle that is worthy of his prodigious talent. Amongst the wreckage that is this by-the-numbers technical triumph, Washington gives it his all and manages to piece together depth and nuance from a watercolored Mona Lisa.
Ultimately, The Creator is a 2-hour bit of Ahsoka-level sci-fi moved along via coincidence and convenience and makes no sense when held to any scrutiny. It’ll make acceptable background noise when it goes to a streaming service, but that’s it.
WOKE ELEMENTS
UPDATE:Â So, I guess that I missed that the movie took place in the fictional land of “New Asia” and not “New China” (I could have sworn that’s what they said in the theater). Therefore, I’ve adjusted our woke score a bit and edited the woke elements accordingly.
- A Western film that is a bigger piece of anti-American, pro-Asia propaganda has never been made. Even the NBA thought it was a bit much. Since it plagues every moment of the film, we dinged it pretty hard for it.
- Almost all New Asians are portrayed as peaceful victims who want only to be left alone to live serene and harmonious lives, which makes sense when you consider the number of countries that stand as shining examples of human rights activism and democracy in East and Southeast Asia (just ask the Chinese Uighurs).
- The evil Americans are all Adolf Hitler with no regard for non-American lives. They are the worst kind of John Kerry Vietnam baby-killing demons to ever exist. Oh, and the only one who has a change of heart also happens to be the only minority among them.
James Carrick
James Carrick is a passionate film enthusiast with a degree in theater and philosophy. James approaches dramatic criticism from a philosophic foundation grounded in aesthetics and ethics, offering insight and analysis that reveals layers of cinematic narrative with a touch of irreverence and a dash of snark.
22 comments
Gilly
October 3, 2023 at 8:11 pm
Yeah I have to agree that the Anti American stuff was way out of line. Reminded me of Avatar. But for a sci-go popcorn flick it wasn’t that bad.
Galambos Tamas
October 4, 2023 at 1:47 am
Compare it to Ahsoka isnt fair, since the sw series is not perfect, but also isnt full of plotholes, i can explain first 7 eps anytime. (yet to see 8th)
so far, all reviews said that this Creator visually good, otherwise pretty lame cliche story.
James Carrick
October 5, 2023 at 8:00 am
Thanks for the comment. The comparison was one of level of quality, not one of content.
Galambos Tamas
October 5, 2023 at 8:38 am
i have to admit the quality of Ahsoka final episode was really low ( i am allergic to things like too thick plot armor) , others good or ok imho. but sure i am biased a bit, it was great to see Rebels and Clone wars characters again. i hope they learn from their errors.
James Carrick
October 5, 2023 at 8:41 am
They won’t.
Galambos Tamás
October 5, 2023 at 9:11 pm
i hope that Filoni actually like SW universe, not just a soulles money grabber. Maybe he yet to learn that some things work for 20 minutes animations are less cool in live action, or sg like that.
Red
October 4, 2023 at 6:03 pm
*** Spoiler *** about that handheld emp – why not just smash it with a hammer? I’m sure that would work perfectly
James Carrick
October 4, 2023 at 6:27 pm
Why not smash the robot or the EMP with a hammer? If you mean the bot, I’d ask why get within arm’s reach of the bot at all? Make a big EMP bomb and launch it from the orbital station.
Jas
October 25, 2023 at 11:55 am
That you, Hillary ?
Holden Caulfield
October 4, 2023 at 7:21 pm
Considering Nirmata is Nepalese and that it was filmed in Thailand and is playing heavily off a reverse Apocalypse Now Vietnam War vibe. Written and Directed by a Brit with a cast of British, American and Japanese actors for the main roles and support/extra’s being Thai and Vietnamese. Produced and special effects done by folk from the US, UK and Australia. Yeah the film has a ton of flaws as highlighted in your article but the Chinese propoganda angle is just frankly, stupid.
Julie
March 1, 2024 at 12:08 am
Nirmata is played by an Australian actress.
Red
October 5, 2023 at 4:38 am
The robot in that scene where they used EMP instead where they insisted that only Joshua can do it.
But about EMP bomb – that was in my mind for half of the movie and then I thought “ok, they don’t have it here”. Then that scene came so yea, great logic.
Also I still can’t decide what was more stupid – sneaking in front of a sleeping robot or civilian shuttle being able to fly to gigantic war station and dock.
CK
October 12, 2023 at 2:03 pm
Aside from the positive aspects mentioned in this critique, my continuing thoughts, when leaving the movie and since then, are pondering at how such an anti-American movie could be made (unless foreign funded) and why no one is making a big deal about it!
I am glad to read that the critics are speaking up but are we as a society really so deaf, blind and mute?!?
Don
October 22, 2023 at 3:47 am
It was so blatantly Anti-American I actually laughed out loud when the giant tanks showed up with the words US ARMY written across them on every side…always visible in frame. I guess they wanted their Chinese masters to never lose sight of the fact that the Americans were the bad guys.
some guy not a woke or broke chud
October 27, 2023 at 7:33 pm
the movie was so boring that you missed some of the more serious bull$h!t. i think i realized and checked out as soon as the audience was shown his wife got nuke’d and then 10 minutes later the liar military woman was telling him she was alive. like cmon now. there was no way to edit the film to make it look less stupid ? this is the first 15 minutes of the film i think. by the half-way mark i was incredulous that the film had another HOUR of bull$h!t to shovel. all i’m saying is i need a free shovel with this movie to dig my way out of the bull$h!t.
what i think you missed:
the new asia rebels kept SAYING they were peaceful. and yet they shot that unarmed ex-cop guy in the back from a hover jet while washington was looking for his dead wife’s ring. remember?
and they KEEP saying they are peaceful and want to live in perfect harmony, except when they blow up the ex-cop’s robot waifu with an ice cream uber eats bomb.
the whole “who were the bad guys?” thing was done much better in STARSHIP TROOPERS. but that was a genius satire by a real director. and based on a real hard scifi book by a celebrated author. seriously just give paul verhoeven 80 MILLION DOLLARS to make a real picture and drop these gareth edwards / denis villanueve people off in the garbage.
the problem is the script writer, who is also the director. GARETH. you can see instantly his weakness as a writer in the 2010 film he directed and wrote MONSTERS. a 2 hour roadtrip movie with no characters, no plot and all cgi. which is what this movie is. i forgot he did rogue one, which also felt like a never ending road trip film. same with his godzilla film, and his goofy idea to keep the monster out of the film all together. in both rogue and godzilla it just seems like something is happening and the camera follows some random people for a while. at least in CREATOR we have a main character, even if hes unrelatable because he says his entire family is dead and hes dead to the world and has no motivation.
gareth edwards goes on my list of directors to avoid. he joins my ever growing list with has-beens: george lucas, ridley scott, steven spielburg, jim cameron, jj abrhams, m night shamaylan, denis villanueve etc.
it was about the same as AVATAR for me. low level scifi with nothing of value except some b-tier laser blasting here and there. for some strange reason this movie felt super racist about tibetians too. weird robot dalai lama stuff.
ASH_FaLL
November 13, 2023 at 11:27 am
This movie doesn’t make sense how can the US was allowed to developed and build Orbital Dropping Nukes, what about Russia, China, North Korean, Iran, and many more countries out there? The movie look visually stunning but its a total flop it u ask me aside from having a big budget of 80 Mil USD that none of the FLOP Movies could ever have yet still have a decent story to tell.
The Dad
December 28, 2023 at 9:00 am
SO WOKE! SO DIVERSE! Lets review the agenda:
Black guy = hero? CHECK
Asians and Arabs = peaceful and enlightened yet oppressed? CHECK
Whites = war mongering bad guys? CHECK.
D
January 2, 2024 at 12:54 am
Yanks only like movies where they save the world
Mark Aaron
January 30, 2024 at 10:11 pm
James Bond is an American hero! Weird accent though…
Rqnting reviewer
January 20, 2024 at 4:56 am
Spoilers…
I thought the inicial setup was ###### (oh nos, nuke goes off so all west say no to ai but not new asia) then I got drawn in with the action and came around to the plot for a short while thinking there was going to be juicy plot twists and explenations. Coming up with thoughts like “oh alphie is special because its definitely his kid mixed with ai” or “i bet his wife was actualy ai as well” all twists that seemed predictable but would have been great even so. Instead we get an ai thats slightly magic, mega tanks that cant aim down and a brain dead wife that miraculously gets brain scanned back to life and put into an ai by a gadget so common place that special forces deem it fine to leave it, in a previous scene, behind enemy lines but that the ai couldnt have done for 5 years beforehand. Not to mention there was literaly no reason for the military to rerecruit the mc to hwlp them raid an ai base. They literaly go in through a tiny hatch in a rural village, place a signal thingy and then nuke an entranceway a few kilometers away from where they were operating halfway down a valley. All the mc does is guess at a second hatch that they go through a few metres from where they just jumped down a hatch.
Mark Aaron
January 30, 2024 at 10:05 pm
Fast forward to 2040…
“That’s the way it’s always been. White people and Americans are evil. Remember the documentary, ‘The Creator’?”
Weekendgetaway
April 9, 2024 at 1:59 am
Definitely pro Chinese propaganda to the point where you have to question the motivations of the talent. So Gareth Edward’s is Chinese stooge? Not just like the nba take the money and shut up, but actually let’s convince Americans they are wrong in their own house. The production companies may have American names but this was straight from the CCPs lips to the big screen.