If we take outfactor Nolan‘ equation, the “Creator” can happen the great science fiction film of the 21st century. It has all the ingredients for success: a good story, a balance between action and words, addressing the issues that concern the society right now, a good professional at the wheel and a cast that makes everything that happens believable. So, having said that, you can only imagine how little buzz Disney has made because we’re still mired in post-pandemic trauma. In other times, people would hear about a project for months.
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Actual history
Without giving away too much of the plot, The story revolves around the conflict between humans and artificial intelligence. After several years in which robots have become a part of humanity’s daily life, taking over all kinds of jobs, the nuclear explosion in Los Angeles is causing a wave of fear about artificial intelligence, in which the United States is leading a crusade to eliminate them. Edwards approaches this point from a realist perspective, using the same arguments and aesthetics that Bush once used after 9/11 to fight jihadists. In fact, groups that help robots are considered terrorist by the West and persecuted anywhere in the world.
The most interesting thing in this perspective is that on the other side of the world, in the East, robots are not seen as a problem, and it becomes a safe zone for them. This reflects the geopolitical standoff that is currently under consideration, albeit with a rather negative view of the means the US is using to counter the threat.
It should be added to this genetic engineering, cyborgs, government population control and cloning… all this is quite organically present in the film. The theory of AI as the next step in human evolution is quite interesting.
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Own personality
We’ve already seen a lot of ideas that The Creator revolves around in movies like this “Terminator”, “Yo Robot”… Mr Other films such as Apocalypse Now, Aliens, and Blade Runner influence his aesthetic. but still the movie feels original. Edwards managed to give it his own style with a good mix of well shot action scenes and a story that develops consistently and hooks the viewer from the first moment.
Visually, the special effects are naturally integrated into the set, making a futuristic world full of robots palpable. It’s probably the most believable movie in that sense, The society presented several decades in the future is, on the one hand, very similar to the present, and in other aspects radically different. This combination of everyday life and innovation makes all elements reliable.
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Good cast
John David Washington withstands the weight of the film andn work that conveys much more than in other cases, nothing to do with the fearless role of “Tenet”. His relationship with the child protagonist, Madeleine Yuna, has enough chemistry to keep the story moving where it should.
In the rest of the cast we find solvent as always, Ken Watanabe, already magnetic Gemma Chan. Added to this is a group of supporting characters (Benedict Wong, Amar Chadha-Patel, Ralph Ineson…) who contribute to the good overall tone of the piece.
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Conclusion
“Creator” is a a great sci-fi movie with an interesting approach, with enough action to satisfy the demands of this audience and flawless execution. Perhaps, only at the end does he stray from the path laid out for two-thirds of the film. Interestingly, the bad guys in the film are Americans and there are many references to Eastern culture. China is too big a market not to take care of it like it deserves.
