PORTLAND, Maine — [Editor's note: This article is a critical analysis of a film and does not represent the views of NEWS CENTER Maine, but that of the author.]
A new sci-fi blockbuster brings a world of artificial intelligence machines to life and shows them living side-by-side with humans in a not-so-distant future.
It's called "The Creator," and the movie stars John David Washington in the lead role as a man trying to find his wife in the middle of a chaotic war.
Story
"The Creator" opens with mankind inventing artificial intelligence in the form of robots that can walk, talk, reason, and live normal lives. But after Los Angeles is hit with a nuclear explosion, the U.S. turns on AI, believing it responsible. It labels the machines a threat and moves to eradicate them in a massive war.
Across the globe, Asian nations continue to develop AI and form a region called New Asia. Here, AI machines are everything from farmers to cops to lovers and more. In response, America constructed a massive orbiting weapon that can launch missile strikes. They call the machine Nomad.
The film introduces a man named Joshua (Washington) and his pregnant wife, Maya (Gemma Chan). They live in a home on the beach and enjoy a quiet life together alongside the AI.
But everything changes with an American military strike. Joshua is revealed to be an undercover agent looking for an AI designer, and Maya leaves him, only to seemingly be killed in a Nomad missile strike.
Five years later, Joshua is contacted by the American government and given a mission to track and destroy a new weapon in New Asia, where he lived with Maya. They also give him evidence that she may still be alive.
Driven by a desire to see her one last time, Joshua goes along on the mission and finds the weapon. But it turns out to be a child (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). Unable to kill the little girl, he names her Alphie and decides to protect her from a military eager to destroy every last AI machine.
Analysis
Director and co-writer Gareth Edwards creates a fascinating and vibrant world of humans and thinking, living machines occupying the same planet a few decades in the future. The robotic designs are creative and, frankly, look pretty cool.
Seeing Nomad in the atmosphere beaming lasers down as it tracks potential military targets is haunting and gives the movie a strong visual identity. And the wide variety of AI machines being everything from Buddhist monks to day laborers lays a strong foundation for this film's world.
Unfortunately, the writing doesn't quite match the movie's impressive visuals, with a rushed ending and some less-than-impressive humans the audience spends way too much time with.
"The Creator" gives viewers some amazing machines to ponder over as people, but it's unfortunately not committed to exploring much of their point of view in this futuristic world. There are important questions to consider with AI like. . . what makes something alive? And can humans truly create and design another living thing? But the film isn't interested in answering these questions as it dedicates most of its runtime to a bland military conflict.
Some viewers will be perfectly fine enjoying this story that they've seen before in movies like "I, Robot" and "Blade Runner." Others may be a little disappointed the film doesn't quite live up to its potential, wasting the obvious talent of Washington.
"The Creator" isn't an awful movie. It's worth seeing for the world it creates. The film does offer some tender moments, a few laughs, and an OK story. Some folks may just walk away wishing it'd been a bit different.
Also playing this weekend
For those wanting something a bit more horrific and gritty, "Saw X" is also opening in theaters this weekend. Here's the synopsis:
"A sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable."
To see which movies are playing at a theater near you, click here.
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