Director Gareth Edwards delivers a visually stunning film that unfortunately has nothing new to say.
As a science fiction fan, you long for new and original ideas in the (home) cinema. The 100th “Star Wars” infusion has now had its day. The anticipation grew all the more when director Gareth Edwards (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”) announced his first film in seven years: “The Creator”. A sci-fi thriller that is not based on a book, comic or other source material.
However, the film is not as original as the trailer suggested. Edwards and his co-screenwriter Chris Weitz (“About A Boy”) rely more on all sorts of genre classics and forget to tell their own story. A lack of depth wouldn’t be a bad thing if at least the action was convincing. But even that falls by the wayside for “The Creator”.
And the human-machine war greets us every day
About the plot: In a not too distant future, intelligent machines are part of everyday life. However, until an artificial intelligence presumably detonates a nuclear bomb over Los Angeles, sparking a war between “the West” and the AI. The machines are only still permitted on the continent “New Asia”. There they are probably developing a secret weapon that will ultimately decide the human-machine war. Former Special Forces soldier Joshua Taylor (John David Washington) is sent to Asia to neutralize the weapon. However, it turns out to be a hybrid of a human child and a robot that has special abilities.
The film’s premise alone, which initially gets tangled up in overcomplexity, isn’t really original. We have already known machines that work as workers to make people’s lives easier, but strive for autonomy, since the “Matrix” spin-off “Animatrix: The New Renaissance”. We also find images of the androids whining for mercy in the trash compactor in the animated short film. An atomic bomb on Los Angeles, detonated by an AI – James Cameron had already created such a horror scenario in the 80s with the great “Terminator”.
The topic of artificial intelligence is certainly on everyone’s lips at the moment and filming a new story about the topic is quite difficult. However, there are so many perspectives and new perspectives that can be brought in here. However, Edwards and Weitz don’t do exactly that. Instead, the two rely too much on old-fashioned themes and symbols that we already know from all sorts of other films. There’s also some “Star Wars” here, some “District 9” or “Elysium” there, and then everything is garnished with script clichés about lost love, “machines are people too” and the trope of the chosen child. Even if Edwards and Weitz might want to say something about the Vietnam War or the East-West conflict, at least they don’t say anything new.
Where’s the action?
Of course, the wheel doesn’t have to be reinvented for action-packed science fiction. With a simple hook and good set pieces, you can create an entertaining spectacle that takes full advantage of the fictional world. And even that “The Creator” only does to a limited extent.
Most of the time, protagonist Josh moves from one place to the next on his escape with the robot child Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). There are no really memorable moments. Just some forced humor and the feeling that the writers didn’t know exactly how to move their characters through the admittedly beautifully captured scenery. Action comes mainly from the usual shootouts between humans and machines. It’s all clearly shot and cut, but after the first time it seems as exciting as watching paint dry.
In the last third there is some tension in a larger battle scene, which is very reminiscent of the finale of “Rogue One”, including a pseudo-Death Star. At the end, when the film takes us into a completely new environment that doesn’t look like “Blade Runner” in Southeast Asia, something like tension arises. Unfortunately, “The Creator” leaves this environment as abruptly as he arrives there. And ultimately, this is all about blowing things up to take out another superweapon.
“Whether human or machine, in the end we are all the same”
It’s a real shame that Gareth Edwards and Chris Weitz couldn’t think of a more interesting way to tell their story. A simple story of neat sci-fi action is certainly good, but “The Creator” would have done well with a little more ingenuity. Above all, a different perspective on the topic such as artificial intelligence would have been desirable.
Instead, the moral comes out like something out of a second-rate children’s book: Regardless of whether we are humans or machines, somehow we are all the same. And: Aren’t we humans the real monsters? You can tell it like that, if of course the right perspective is taken, which doesn’t happen with “The Creator”. Strangely enough, the film is neither over-moral nor neutral in this respect, but rather takes a stand without conveying precise reasons. In the end, the machines are the good guys because…?
What does the increasing mechanization of humanity actually mean? Can machines even feel? “The Creator” touches on all of this without really wanting to delve into it. The moral of “good AI, bad people” seems a bit out of place in times when not only Hollywood authors have to fear for their jobs because of it. A more nuanced approach that looks at both sides and encourages thought would have been good. The subject takes a back seat to beautiful landscape shots and convincing special effects – Gareth Edwards’ specialties.
What remains is a too naively told parable about a future world in which humans and machines live together. If the tension had at least worked, there would be nothing to complain about. But since “The Creator” wastes far too much time and offers no entertaining action, the film unfortunately turns out to be an unoriginal imitation of tired Hollywood clichés.
“The Creator” is now available to stream on Disney+.