THE CREATOR review by Marinell Haegelin
Gareth Edwards ’ film The Creator takes audiences into a future that seems more feasible than science fiction — a hybrid sci-fi . The director and co-writer Chris Weitz ’ s ambitious project meets expectations and begs for communication afterward . Societies should be questioning the imminent future of uncontrolled technology more , particularly when it spawns entities whose capabilities are universally undetermined , there is a gradual loss of integrity in politics , and , when guardrails collapse , repercussions are untethered .
Special Forces op Josh Taylor ( John David Washington ) is concurrently caught in an undercover operation and a traumatic experience with his wife , Mya ( Gemma Chan ), at their beach house ; news coverage commemorates the nuclear attack on Los Angeles , California , ten years ago to the day . Fast-forward five years : the now ex-special forces guy is grieving and just existing when military brass comes calling ; General Andrews ( Ralph Ineson ) and Colonel Howell ( Allison Janney ) need Taylor ’ s help because of his familiarity with New Asia . Recruited again , but Josh has an ulterior motive ; onboard the USS NOMAD — Humanity ’ s Hope , the mission is finessed . Josh ’ s target is the Creator , a nimble evasive designer of advanced artificial intelligence , whose newest mysterious weapon ’ s capability is touted to end the war and mankind . The Creator must be found and destroyed at any cost . The team goes behind enemy lines ; they take huge risks while ferociously fighting ; they barely reach the inner sanctum and … Josh is stunned . He christens the child-form Alfie ( Madeleine Yuna Voyles ). With Harun ( Ken Watanabe ) and guards in hot pursuit , Josh concentrates on his underlying motive ; ever friends , Drew ( Sturgill Simpson ) and Kami ( Veronica Ngo ) help him . Josh is close as long as he and Alfie ’ s luck holds .
© WALT DISNEY GERMANY
THE CREATOR
USA 2023 OPENED SEPTEMBER 28 , 2023
DIRECTED BY : GARETH EDWARDS
WRITING CREDITS : GARETH EDWARDS , CHRIS WEITZ
PRINCIPAL ACTORS : JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON , GEMMA CHAN , KEN
WATANABE , STURGILL SIMPSON , ALLISON JANNEY
The cast performances are noteworthy , particularly in that the film ’ s screenplay balances on a premise vulnerable to misinterpretation , yet neutral with neither android nor human censure . The cinematography of Greig Fraser and Oren Soffer , filmed in classic deep , rich 2.76:1 aspect ratio , is breathtaking and captivating . To paraphrase Edwards , the filmmaking teams hopscotched around the world using guerrilla methods — small crews , natural lighting , and selective sound recording , e . g ., the nature sounds during end credits . Locations included Thailand , Vietnam , Cambodia , Japan , Indonesia , Burma , and Nepal . Visual effects , e . g ., AI armies , were added once editors Hank Corwin , Scott Morris , and Joe Walker had finalized the edit . However , inserting chapters into the film was extraneous and effectively slow its natural flow . Hans Zimmer ’ s score is frosting on the cake .
Edwards created an out-of-this-world film that undoubtedly will create thought-provoking dialogue — The Creator is a must-see . 133 minutes
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