The Creator review: The most original science fiction film since District 9

After a seven-year hiatus (Rogue One), Gareth Edwards returns to the realm of science fiction in brilliant fashion with The Creator. Edwards’s eye for scale, strong performances and a strong emotional connection between Joshua and Alphie turns The Creator into one of 2023’s best films.

Edwards is a master at creating epic science fiction and The Creator is no exception. Adding perhaps the best cinematographer, Greg Fraser, to the mix helps in this regard. Set in a not-too-distant future, The Creator utilizes AI robots to depict the differing philosophies between Western and Eastern civilizations. Humanity began using AI to take on rudimentary jobs in this alternate Earth. Then, one day, according to U.S. government officials, the AI designed to serve humans takes control of a nuclear weapon and blows up Los Angeles. After the fallout, the U.S. pledges to eradicate AI. Meanwhile, in Asia, humans and AI coexist even to the point of romantic attachment.

The script by Edwards and Chris Weitz fills this world with captivating characters. John David Washington (Tenet) delivers his best performance to date as Joshua. He quite literally wears the battle scars of AI’s attack on LA and starts out as an undercover spy for humans, but once he meets Alphie he develops a bond that can’t be broken. Madeleine Yuna Voyles is fantastic as Alphie, an AI child with complex emotions and rare abilities that could destroy humankind. The Creator puts a heavy burden on this eventual father-daughter pairing and delivers for the most part. Allison Janney also shines in a rare villain role as a general.

The Creator is a film that works to Edwards’s strengths as a director, but there are a couple of issues. Joshua’s inspiration for returning to fight against AI is spurred on by his desire to find his wife. The motivation is strong if not for the fact the relationship is built on lies. Joshua lies about still working for the humans while Maya (Gemma Chan) also hides things from Joshua. It’s really hard to buy this as a strong relationship. Once it’s clear both Maya and Joshua lied, the focus of the story should shift to keeping Alphie safe. However, The Creator continues to keep the focus on the romantic connection.

The other issue is the film’s ending takes a big swing that doesn’t completely work, Most of the problems have to do with the final emotional beat focusing on the romantic connection over the parental one.

Overall, The Creator is a wonderful return to the big screen for Edwards.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into this special science-fiction epic. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is available to stream on Disney Plus.

War with AI in The Creator

The AI conversation in The Creator doesn’t focus on the evil robots attacking humans or today’s threat of the potential dangers of humans using AI. The Creator uses AI robots to examine the horrors of humanity.

Edwards begins The Creator with a montage showing how the United States declared war on AI. A nuclear warhead blew up LA and the US military blamed all AI for taking over the weapons. Edwards and Weitz take the – if one is bad, all are bad – approach to the American perspective on AI.

Fast forward a few years and AI is on the brink of extinction. Americans are usually the aggressors in The Creator, while the AI is trying to defend their rights to exist. They simply like humans, want to live, play cards and love.

Alphie’s presence triggers a search on both sides as she can potentially end the war for either side.

The Creator excels at exploring the emotional connection between AI and humans.

Searching for Mother

The Creator‘s strength with worldbuilding could easily break down without a personal narrative to follow. Edwards and Weitz manage to create a couple of personal motivations. The romantic desire for Joshua to find his wife is his driving focus.

Following the opening montage, a flashback scene shows Joshua with his pregnant wife Maya. Joshua’s attempt to call off an ambush is overheard by Maya. He lied to her about continuing to work undercover for the US. He tries to apologize but Maya leaves and seemingly dies in an attack by humans.

Flash forward to the present day and Joshua is out of the service until General Andrews (Ralph Ineson) and General Howell (Janney) show up. They’re trying to locate a weapon that can potentially end the war. Joshua is hesitant until they show an image of his wife.

As The Creator continues, Maya’s lies also come out. Her secrets are less of a betrayal than Joshua’s but reveal the issue with the film’s strange focus on the relationship. This wasn’t a healthy relationship so as much as the film wants you to care about a marital reunion, it’s just not interesting.

Outside of a few flashbacks, The Creator doesn’t do a good job of fleshing out why they love each other. Washington does a good job of showing his attraction and love for Maya. However, Chan never comes across as believably loving Joshua.

Fortunately, The Creator doesn’t hang its hat on this one personal storyline.

A Good Person

The unexpected connection between Alphie and Joshua is the true heart of The Creator.

General Howell sends Joshua and a team on a mission to recover a weapon that can end the war. Howell doesn’t know what the weapon is. She only has a general location, but Joshua’s more intimate knowledge of the area can be useful. Joshua finds the weapon, which is the first AI child. Alphie comes across as a human child outside of the hole in his head. He also has the ability to turn machines, computers, and even entire cities off. He can even age like a human.

Alphie’s curiosity about heaven and being a good person forges a bond between them. Edwards does a great job of letting Washington’s performance show his growing bond with this girl especially as the film reaches the end of the 2nd act. The performances between Washington and Voyles are strong enough to break through the film’s focus on finding Joshua’s wife at all costs.

The Creator final thoughts

Overall, The Creator is a terrific, original science fiction film full of beautiful action, strong performances and an interesting look at what it means to be human.

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