The Creator - Gareth Edwards, John David Washington - 2023

[Trench]

My full thoughts:

THE CREATOR (2023) - Director Gareth Edwards (ROGUE ONE, MONSTERS) says that if he had known in 2018 (when he conceived this story) what he knows now about how exponentially A.I. tech would advance in those five short years, he wouldn't have set THE CREATOR so far off in the future - 2055 and beyond. Co-Writing with Chris Weitz (GOLDEN COMPASS, ABOUT A BOY) the screenplay proposes a world where the West has banned A.I., while the East (a fictional country dubbed New Asia) embraces it. This means war.

I think the film is set in 2065?

I think he should've set the film much further into the future IMO - at least 50 years further. The tech on display looks far more advanced that it feels unlikely to have advanced that much in just 40 short years (taking into account the film made in 2023). Unless the government is hiding huge advancements in vehicle and space tech from us right now, no way we're going to have those types of vehicles and futuristic space stations/weapons in just a few years. It's always been a pet peeve of mine how shortsighted filmmakers and screenwriters are. Look at the original Blade Runner - we STILL don't have flying cars and mega cities and we're way past 2019.

The film itself was enjoyable. Nothing we haven't seen before but it was well executed and I was fully engaged throughout. Someone above mentioned Star Wars and at times it did feel like a SW movie with all the robots. Given Edward's background I'm not surprised the film has a SW sheen over it, like it could've been a rejected script for a sequel to Rogue One. Still, I thought the film had enough heart and a good enough story to stand on its own as a decent sci-fi yarn.

[Dom D]

Dom, it looks fantastic!

And not just compared to the latest CGI-greenscreen shitshows like The Meg 2 or Expendables 4 which I also saw in the cinema recently... this looks amazing compared to proper movies. Best looking film since the Blade Runner sequel.
.

I wouldn't disagree with that. It's a really gorgeous flick, that has a truely cinematic quality to the images.

As I mentioned above this was my main interest in the film as I can't really think of anther instance where a prosumer camera has been tasked with a big budget spectacular. The image is very grainy (or noisy as it's digital I guess) but it's a pleasant grain. Sometimes the grain is understandable as the camera appears to be shooting in the dark, which is one of the great strengths of the FX3, even in bright daylight scenes though the grain is still there which is harder to understand. Possibly its added in post.

But I think the night time scenes in this in particular have a really nice look. It looks like night time looks through human eyes more than any other film I can think of. I hope other filmmakers are taking notice.

The FX3 has a rolling shutter but I never noticed it despite the handheld camera work. I also wouldn't have picked the movie as being shot on a full frame sensor rather than the smaller Super 35 that Hollywood films typically use.

The effects are pretty flawless. Nice to see them compositing the effects elements into scenes that have been filmed rather than creating the entire scene in 3d and compositing the actors as is the more common practice these days. Makes for a film that feels like the real world rather than a digital creation- see Snyder's latest.

As for the film, meh.

[JoeS]

My full thoughts:

THE CREATOR (2023) - Director Gareth Edwards (ROGUE ONE, MONSTERS) says that if he had known in 2018 (when he conceived this story) what he knows now about how exponentially A.I. tech would advance in those five short years, he wouldn't have set THE CREATOR so far off in the future - 2055 and beyond. Co-Writing with Chris Weitz (GOLDEN COMPASS, ABOUT A BOY) the screenplay proposes a world where the West has banned A.I., while the East (a fictional country dubbed New Asia) embraces it. This means war.

An American soldier, Joshua (John David Washington), falls for an Asian scientist, Maya (Gemma Chan). The couple are separated on the battlefield. Years later, Joshua is part of a military attack on New Asia for the expressed purpose of finding and destroying the chief A.I. engineer - The Creator. Zeroing in on The Creator, Joshua stumbles across the newest, most advanced model of New Asian robotics - Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles) who takes the form of a young girl.

THE CREATOR is quite clearly patterned after the Viet Nam war (Edwards has copped to it) and there are allusions to carpet bombing and farmer 'terrorists'. The first act is needlessly bogged down in these battle analogies. Fortunately, once Joshua and Alphie join forces, the personal element has a chance to breathe and gain traction. It's this middle section that is the most interesting. Edwards' affection for the work of James Cameron is clear, and one could propose that the movie takes place in a time zone between BLADE RUNNER 2049 and the opening Future War sequence in THE TERMINATOR.

THE CREATOR is impressively mounted for a modestly budgeted production considering its scale. Grieg Fraser and Oren Soffer collaborated on the digital photography and create some grand images. The CGI and Hans Zimmer's score as similarly spectacular. Allison Janney and Ken Watanable are fine in support and Voyles is very touching as the robot. Like his role in TENET, Washington isn't able to carry the weight of being the 'protagonist' in such a massive endeavor, even if he has an occasional moment or two. Edwards and Weitz err in having the emotional climax of the picture take place a full half hour before the finale (you guessed it - more battles!), which makes it feel all the more drawn out. The plot doesn't truly add up if one things about the details and consequences.

THE CREATOR is an ambitious look at the next stages in Artificial Intelligence, flawed, but worth a look if only for the visuals and the periodic interesting idea that breaks through the clamor.

[Barry M]

I didn't have any problem with the actors, but I was missing Tony Gilroy.

[The Silly Swede]

Dom, it looks fantastic!

And not just compared to the latest CGI-greenscreen shitshows like The Meg 2 or Expendables 4 which I also saw in the cinema recently... this looks amazing compared to proper movies. Best looking film since the Blade Runner sequel.

A shame it didnt have anything except its looks.

[Dom D]

I'm looking forward to seeing it. Not for the film, which looks dreary as fuck, but for the production. It's got an $80 million budget and is shot on a $3k "prosumer" camera. Very curious to see how the low budget impacts the look compared to the $330 million films that are losing fortunes at the box office.

[JoeS]

I like the movie more than Silly Swede, but, totally agree that John David Washington is a lead weight. Fortunately, some good ideas do break through. It sort of exists in a similar universe as BLADE RUNNER 2049. It has issues, but, it's certainly better than average and has some moments

[The Silly Swede]

Like I said I would, I went and saw this.

Visually, it is just top notch. Beautiful. Good photography, good CGI, good everything.

Plot wise, it is just not there. I got the feeling that a pretty good film was lurking somewhere in there, but everything was Hollywood-dumb, obvious and explained as if the audience is retarded.

The biggest problem with the film though, is as I suspected, John David Washington who is a terrible actor. His so called acting is all over the place. Very hammy at times, very detached quite often, very bad all of the time. This is a fundamental problem as if this film has any chance of working, it is due to his acting. But since acting is some sort of believable way of displaying emotions, and this is far beyond JDWs range as an actor, the film loses its only chance of working.

[EdwardMatthew]

The poster says only in theaters September 29th.

ohh my bad didn't see that thanks for telling.

[Dom D]

Just thinking... is that the first "original" concept big budget blockbuster type movie out of the studios since Tenet? Nothing else is springing to mind. The ad team aren't taking any chances with it though. Look at that big "from the director of Rogue One" imposed over a poster that appears to be for a Star Wars movie.

[The Silly Swede]

Looks completely unorginal in every way. And starring the awful John David Washington, who inherited only the smugness from his father, not the talent or charisma.

I'll probably watch it anyhow, cause I am a sucker for sci-fi.

[Scott]

The poster says only in theaters September 29th.

[EdwardMatthew]

is it released ? and where to watch it

[Scott]

Amid a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, Joshua, a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife, is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war—and humankind itself.