Riot’s Reviews: The Creator
Considering everything that has transpired recently with the Hollywood writer’s strike, it is certainly interesting timing for there to be a new take on AI and its role in society. Script writing and post-apocalyptic nuclear attacks is an apples to oranges comparison to be sure, but it emphasizes the idea that this is a subject people are once again thinking about as discussions return to the implications of “advancing of technologies as both our savior and our doom” (name that quote). We’ve been here before, with standout movies like The Matrix, Terminator II, and Ex Machina (there’s so many more I could list here) giving us a typically cautionary tale of allowing AI to grow into something that is hazardous to the human race’s existence. The Creator offers the audience another take on this debate, where the audience is invited to imagine a world where the line between AI and humanity is so significantly blurred that we are forced to re-evaluate who or what maintains the right of existence.
Generous assessments of the plot aside, movies like The Creator are without a doubt the most difficult types of movies to review because it is hard to legitimately pick a side on its quality. Visually, it’s a stunning film, complete with gorgeous real-world locations that are layered with insanely impressive CGI elements. The seamless graphics are mainly on full display with the various robots and synthetic humans that are featured throughout the story, only serving to emphasize the beautiful scenery of the film. Considering the real-time struggle of other studios to put out CGI that matches the look of practical effects, it was refreshing to see a film (on IMAX as recommended by numerous online review sites) that astonished visually in the same way that the Avatar films have. Also, with a director like Gareth Edwards at the helm, the man responsible for what is arguably the best Star Wars film to date (I emphasize “arguably” because I’m still an Empire fan over Rogue One), there is a certain gravitas that is evident even in the film’s trailer.
Here’s the problem: the movie doesn’t make sense. As a general practice since I started the blog, I take notes in the theater (we sit in the back and I turn down the brightness on my phone) and I have never left a film having written so many questions that were never answered throughout the course of the story. Consistency is the weakest point of the movie and serves only to take you out of the moment as the events play out. Unfortunately that isn’t the only problem. The performances aren’t terribly convincing (particularly from John David Washington and Allison Janney which were both a surprise to me because I’ve enjoyed them both in other works) and the plot is filled with so many holes it might as well be swiss cheese. Every side character acts in an overly-emotional way that isn’t fitting to the scenarios they are in and the scenes, while remaining fairly linear, become scatterbrained by poorly interjected flashbacks that don’t serve to emotionally connect the audience to the characters. It’s been a while since I saw a movie that did a poor job with foreshadowing and had a painfully predictable “twist” at the same time.
The Creator borrows (far too often) from other, more popular and well thought-out films, culminating in a Return of the Jedi or Independence Day style ending that doesn’t feel earned and isn’t particularly satisfying. The questions it forces the audience to ask aren’t new per se, and the movie fails to make the emotional connection that is required for the heavy subject matter that it is. It also used what is slowly becoming my least favorite stylistic choice in films of late; the title card. Some directors have the gift to make their use impactful (for example in Asteroid City or even Bullet Train); however, this one felt like an attempt to be artsy when it wasn’t warranted. Keeping these reviews spoiler-free is an acutely difficult task for films like this, as a lot of the questions I had and would like to self-debate about would only ruin future viewings for other people. But simply put, central elements to the plot were so poorly defined (for instance: what kind of powers a main character has and what their limits are) that it was difficult to stay properly invested in the story. The fluctuating emotional connection to the main characters only ensured that interest waned quickly, even throughout the most high-intensity scenes. In the end, The Creator felt like an incredible opportunity unnecessarily wasted.
Riot’s Rating: 7.6/10: Happenstance as a storytelling element can only reach so far and “the creators” (get it?) could have saved themselves a lot of quality grief by giving this script another once over to help maintain consistency.
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