This movie and I had a weird “journey”. When I first saw the trailers for The Creator, I wasn’t convinced, but the more time I saw the trailer (as it was running in front of most of the films I watched in the cinema), the more I became convinced this could actually turn out decently. So, by the time I was seated, I had some expectations. And the movie delivered, but also did not deliver…? Yeah, this will be a weird review, but bear with me.
Let me start with the positives first. The Creator might be the best-looking movie of 2023, especially when we consider the budget of “only” $80 million. I loved the rough, not clean aesthetic of this “future world” whilst all the robots and locations looked real. I had no problem believing this was the future, and I don’t think there was ever something (effects-wise) that would pull me out. If there were one “area” The Creator won, it would be the CGI, and big companies like Disney have no excuse for producing $150 – $200 million movies that look messy, unfinished and sloppy.
The other thing I must compliment is the performances, or, better said, the chemistry between John David Washington and Madeleine Yuna Voyles. Especially Madeleine as Alphie gives a great performance, given she is a literal child and this was her first role ever, she did spectacularly. John David had a challenging role, where despite him being a lead actor, he wasn’t given much and had to rely on Madeleine and their chemistry. Had that not worked, this movie would have fallen apart, but luckily, it worked. You will buy their “dad/daughter” relationship, where they struggle at first, but eventually, you believe they became close, and John’s character grew because of Alphie.
Now, where this film lost me was everything else. There is a saying in Hollywood that goes: “If you want to steal, steal from the best.” This refers to screenwriters stealing ideas for movies and putting their own spin on them. Unfortunately, it seems like Gareth Edwards (the director and co-writer of this movie) and Chris Weitz only heard that saying without the addendum of adding your own spin on things, as this movie presents you with ideas that have been explored in a plethora of different and much better movies. From Blade Runner (1982, my review here) to The Terminator (1984) and many more, I am not exaggerating when I say there is nothing original about this film or in it. Every idea has been explored much better and more deeply in different movies. Every theme is just a surface-level idea that, yet again, you would have seen executed a hundred different times across many other films and shows. I understand it’s hard to come up with something new, but unfortunately, if you make a sci-fi film and stake your entire plot on these big ideas and neither goes deep enough, you are in trouble.
You need to connect with those themes to be impacted in any way, shape or form by what is happening on the screen, and since there was nothing new to grab onto and everything this movie wants to talk about (sentient AI, the idea of rights for the AI, how the AI can be used for or against us), I have seen done before countless of times, everything that happened in this film didn’t resonate with me at all. Every major scene, every “big” death that should have impacted me simply did not do anything for me. That is why this feels like the most “meh” movie of this year, and if it weren’t for the stunning CGI and good chemistry between the two lead actors, I would have rated it much lower.
Hopefully, this explains the title of this review to you, as The Creator is not a bad movie per se. It has a decent cast, but except for the titular duo, everyone feels wasted in their roles. I could possibly make the argument for Ken Watanabe having at least some character development, but that is about it. Allison Janney gets nothing to do. And The Creator joins the ranks of movies like Don’t Worry Darling (2022, my review here) for having Gemma Chan in the movie and wasting her completely. On top of all that, every idea or theme seems shallow, barely scraping the surface level and almost lazy. In a weird way, it feels like the more detail and care that went into the CGI to make this film look stunning, the less amount went into the story elements and trying to say something new. That doesn’t make The Creator a bad movie; it just makes it… well, a movie. It makes it one of many movies that will be forgotten, only to be “rediscovered” 10/15 years from now, with clickbait articles titled: “How was this hidden gem ignored when it came out! You need to watch it right now!”
Overall, The Creator wants to be an epic sci-fi with deep themes and messages about AI. What this film ended up being was a stunningly looking sci-fi whose themes are as shallow as a kiddie pool. Every idea this film presents has been done better, and you can see every story element or twist coming a mile away. If you want a visual feast where you can “switch your brain off”; I would recommend this movie cautiously. If you are looking for something more challenging or want to watch a great sci-fi, this ain’t it, chief. This movie is as average as it gets, and if it weren’t for the CGI, my rating would have been lower.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke