This sci-fi movie that I’m going to talk about is interesting. Aside from the fact that it has a humans vs robots or A.I. background. Or that the marketing doesn’t mention the director, only his billion-dollar hit that came out seven years ago. The Creator is a severely underrated film that came out just in the tail end of the writer and actor strike that happened during the middle of the year.
1. Humans vs A.I.
This convention of storytelling within sci-fi is nothing knew. It’s the equivalent of fantasy’s rescuing a princess or going through a quest. In film, it’s been given a lot of attention within pop-culture. Obviously it’s human nature to be afraid of something that isn’t us. A robot fits that role since it’s unfeeling and just uncanny of what it can do that no human could. You have films like the The Terminator franchise, Blade Runner that each have an angle that they play with when showcasing a robot.
While some show robots as killing machines hellbent on eliminating humans. You have the sophisticated films that explore what it means to be human by having the robot have an intelligence where it offers a contrasting look at people who are acting more animalistic. The Creator is of course using the artificial intelligence angle to show more empathy towards the robots.
In terms of plot, it’s straightforward as you can get. We follow Joshua who is brought back into service when the military found the maker of the robots that are populating in Asia. Inevitably, he finds a child that is who Joshua assumes is the maker for the robot/human hybrids called Synths. In one way it’s a chase and war movie, with the action coming in when the invading American forces attack the robots.
If it isn’t obvious with the vibe of the whole picture, it takes it cues with Vietnam war films and those where the hero goes Native with the tribe. Some can take that approach as unoriginal but I see it as an homage since we don’t see obvious clues or references with the film is going for in terms of overall plot or direction.
Not to the detriment of John David Washington, but the movie never really gives him more to work with as a character. We learn that he was in a relationship with a synth, but he thought she was human. It’s one of those things where we see the flashbacks when they met and when they’re spending time with each other pop up within the film. I think how the film uses those moments sort of break the flow of the film since we transition from an action scene to something that is intimate.
It would’ve been more impactful had it been in the beginning where we can at least get an understanding of his hate towards robotics. What fixes that is when Joshua is with the young robotic synth named Alfie. The duo basically go from area to the next as a way to help Joshua find his wife. The chemistry could’ve been better sort of have it be like an unintentional father and daughter dynamic. I’ll give it this where it did go in that direction, and even hinting that Joshua is the father to Alfie.
One detail that I like is the ever so brief use of propaganda that the movie utilizes. Obviously, the U.S. has an anti-A.I. approach where it’s established that the country uses robots as just servants. Whereas in New Asia, it’s accepted as a norm. More so with the anime that Alfie watches before meeting Joshua, it’s the little details that enhances the world and at least shows us where things stand in the film.
2. Gareth Edwards
This is the second Gareth Edwards film that I’ve watched. The first one being Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and I haven’t had a chance to watch his Godzilla film from 2014. One thing that I commend him for doing is just making the film look great while working with a 7 grand prosumer video camera. It’s just crazy how the film works where to make it more cinematic than relying on an IMAX camera.
The action scenes in the film also work since they have that grit angle towards it. It’s that style that I absolutely loved when I was watching Rogue One. The way he sets it up is by not having the camera spaz out to different angles, that would make the whole action be unreadable. But more so by having it be where the audience is caught in the crossfire. That is his directorial aesthetic and only a few filmmakers can make the action be that pop and impactful.
Special effects wise, everything looks top notch and grounded. Again, I use the term grounded since everything that Edwards has done makes everything believable within the context of the world in the movie. With the orbiting satellite named NOMAD looks formidable in the sky. It got confusing how it’s established that it orbits in space, but some shots indicate can be in the atmosphere. Even the robots don’t look to uncanny, it’s clear which is which in terms of robotics. The way the synths look like remind me of this one special effect shot in Steven Spielberg’s of all movies, A.I. Artificial Intelligence.
3. Overall
The Creator is an underrated sci-fi hit of this year. It didn’t get the coverage due to the strikes in Hollywood, but I think it may be a cult-classic in a matter of time.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.