Movie 16 - The Creator (2023) , Dir. Gareth Edwards.
The movie has so many plot-holes one might think that its Swiss Cheese.
The movie is set in the future (2055-2060). The story revolves around AI and how Americans start to hate it . The movie revolves around a weapon that is an AI humanoid kid that can control technology and the Americans want to destroy it because they built a brand new space station and don't want it to be destroyed.
It follows Joshua (John David Washington) a spy, after his wife Maya(Gemma Chan) was killed by the US, when the US want him to go on a mission to kill the weapon created by Nirmata (Gemma Chan)
Let me highlight some of the good aspects of the movie.
The beginning sequence that shows a brief history of humans and AI robots like in performing daily tasks, surgery and eventually a turning point where LA is nuked and a war between US and AI robots begin. it is showed as an old 90's style infomercial. The way they show the sequence is able to hook the viewer on early because it is able to convey what the setting of the story is going to be like.
The NOMAD base design is pretty cool and unique, it reminds me of the star ships from Foundation(2021- ), It stands out and is able to make a statement that 'we are serious' which is good in setting the tone.
The CGI is also good, high tech items don't look ridiculous and some of the AI robots that have faces are uniquely designed showing the human and the robot part without it looking ugly.
Now the issues.
The movies seems to be stuck in the past by using cars that are just an 80's pickup truck with a high tech dashboard. Also the cars shown in the city are very very old. Some of the tech is very bulky and heavy for a human to carry. If it is indeed the future there should be some sort of minimalism with regards to weapon technology.
The plot is very cut up and gets irritating after a while due to the amount of negligence to details and the inability to use common sense. The plot line about Nirmata (Gemma Chan) who is creator of the weapon and who is of major importance to the AI robots is not shown enough which makes one wonder how important she really is. Eventually makes them think that she is a useless character. If she is actually such an important character that the US don't mind nuking cities and sacrificing their troops, show that early. It is only revealed towards the end to Joshua that Maya and Nirmata are the same.
There is a short flashback scene before the reveal of Nirmata of Joshua spying on Maya and trying to get close to her. They could've expanded on this scene and given more depth to the characters. Instead at random intervals in the movie they are showing the characters dancing on the beach and laughing which fails to be emotional as clarity of what the actual situation was is not clear.
The movie is so fast paced that it doesn't give enough time for the viewer to connect with a character. From what i have observed the movie has tried to show a that sometimes robots can have a bigger heart and emotional quotient than humans. The attempt to feel for the robots in their dying moments is butchered by random cuts to shots that have no existing and lasting impact.
The scene during which Joshua and the weapon are escaping makes no sense because first of all the convoy surrounding them should be heavily guarded and the since the escape sequence takes place in a tunnel there is not a lot of room to go without being boxed in. But somehow they make it to the airport and get a ticket and leave without being recognized which you think wouldn't happen as the military would issue warnings all over the city for escaped convicts.
Like a typical alien movie whose thinks the world is only USA, Show the other part of the part of the world and how they are affected to AI. They could show the positive and negative aspects of how humans have used AI in settings like war and education around the world. It is unclear if they are trying to show a future utopia or dystopia as they are showing only 2 perspectives that are USA and New Asia(fictional, consists of present day (2023) south-east Asia).
Despite the movie having issues, John David Washington did a phenomenal job, personally he was the only character that i liked seeing as he always brings is best and is able to show true emotion without making it feel un-earned
The movie has a strong beginning but falls off as the story goes on, it's an attempt at a modern take on AI that is worth considering to watch. 4/10
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My next review is going to be The Marvels (2023)
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