‘The Creator’ Film Review

John David Washington heads up a solid cast as Joshua, a weathered ex-special forces agent who’s assigned the perilous mission of locating The Creator, a being who’s developed an A.I. weapon that could potentially decimate mankind. While the film is sumptuous to look at and some of the concepts in the film are thought-provoking, the sum is not greater than its parts. The story never quite gels and is as austere and functional as the best A.I. robot creation.

At times Washington’s intonation is eerily like his father’s, which is an eerie replication of the original Washington, Denzel. John David is the highlight of the film, giving a passionate and emotive performance. As he frantically searches for his wife Maya (Gemma Chan), who he believed was dead, his pain and desperation are palpable.

Another highlight is Madeleine Yuna Voyles, who is Alphie, the A.I. weapon everyone is looking for. Her doe eyes and sweet face make her an endearing robotic creation. It’s easy to understand why Joshua can’t complete his task of killing her. The story starts to unravel a bit when he finally finds her. Alphie says more than once that robots want to be free. Free from what? Ruling the world?

Allison Janney is fantastic as Captain Howell. Her no-nonsense actions are the glue that holds Joshua’s mission together. Ken Watanabe is gripping when he’s on screen but he’s sorely underused. Sturgill Simpson, Amar Chadha-Patel, Marc Menchaca, and Robbie Trann round out the strong cast.

The Creator, like the HBO series Westworld, espouses the concept that humans are bad, and robots are good. The Creator is also secular in its approach because it presents man and his creation, A.I., as the zenith of the universe. A.I. is the god replacing man’s godlike reign.

Gareth Edwards has previously directed Godzilla, Monsters, and Rogue One. His eye for salient landscapes is undeniable and on full display here. Some of the scenes are like Blade Runner on steroids. Washington’s Joshua, aptly named, is the primary calibration of the story but once he finds Alphie, the story rambles at points. Edwards co-wrote the script with Chris Weitz (Rogue One, About a Boy, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith). Most of the time the dialogue is witty and brightens a dark scene. It’s only occasionally that it’s borderline pedestrian.

Cinematographers Greig Fraser and Oren Soffer give the film its numinous look, every frame a work of art. This is a film that should be seen on the big screen and their resplendent visuals are a primary reason. Maestro Hans Zimmer, who has to be one of the busiest composers in the business, lends his lucid notes to this dazzling journey.

The film runs 2 hours and 13 minutes but moves like a locomotive. Though the gorgeous film looks like it has a massive budget, it doesn’t. The budget was $80 million, and Edwards employed similar production tactics to what he used on Monsters to keep the budget reasonable. He didn’t build extravagant sets but chose to film on location. He also used the Sony FX3 camera to film, which is an affordable piece of equipment that gives cinema quality. 

Entertainment One, 20^th Century Studios, and New Regency are the production companies behind the Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release, which lands exclusively in theaters on September 29, 2023.