The Creator

The first blockbuster with a script entirely written by AI, The Creator certainly stands out with its impressive visuals, captivating locations, and occasionally excellent cinematography. However, story-wise, it's a mix of various sci-fi tropes and elements (think District 9, Chappie, Short Circuit, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Avatar: The Way of Water, etc.), making it feel like there's not a single original idea in sight. The first half-hour is fantastic, but it quickly devolves into an endless cat-and-mouse chase filled with clichés and stagnant plot points, ultimately leading to a predictable conclusion. The film tries to be emotional, but it didn't move me at all. Lately, I get easily hooked by father/child relationship dramas, but this one missed the mark. Despite its flaws, I still consider it an above-average entry in the otherwise weak sci-fi landscape of recent years. I highly recommend watching it on the big screen – IMAX especially enhances its visual appeal, ensuring a satisfying viewing experience, even if the memory of it fades a bit more each day after watching. (09/26/2023)

The Creator is a surprisingly average sci-fi flick that neither draws in nor surprises the viewer, let alone impress anyone with its production design. The film largely takes place in huts in Asian fields and, what’s more, in the dark. And when it comes to the futuristic city…well, that looks exactly like Blade Runner. And the heavy machines plowing through the jungle look exactly like something out of a Cameron movie. Another problem is John David Washington and his limited abilities as an actor – it’s impossible to believe him either as a conscientious refugee on the side of the rebels or as a protector of children’s innocence. And the repetitive grieving for his former wife, which doesn’t even elicit any emotion, becomes annoying over time. The only acting element that brings a bit of life to this film is young Madeleine Yuna Voyles. Two and a half stars. (10/02/2023)

A mix of Oblivion, Blade Runner, Elysium and Independence Day, with a meditative Asian setting and a completely uninteresting script and characters. It's a huge shame. The Creator demands big emotions from the viewer, but is unable to offer adequate material to make them happen. That said, the technical aspects are top-notch and the plot premise itself – the clash between A.I. and humans – is very timely and interesting. Untapped potential and Clair de Lune certainly doesn't save it. (11/25/2023)

An audiovisual feast... A beautiful setting in an underdeveloped Asia that is being destroyed by imperialist (American) scum with their ruthless missiles. Add to that a roaring Zimmer and maybe Radiohead. Unfortunately, though, with a stupid, unlikeable hero who doesn't know what he wants and betrays everyone who comes in contact with him. John David Washington is cruelly out of place here, and even the little girl is better than him, but that's the least of the problems. The narrative structure is fine, though I was expecting a more interesting twist, but the bigger problem is when some things contradict each other, failing to follow the given rules of the imagined world, which itself works rather oddly. They must have left a lot out in, and it often feels like stroking against the grain. There’s a good film buried in there somewhere, but Gareth Edwards has badly mishandled it and I can't work out if it was already on paper or later in the editing room. (09/30/2023)

Why was such a mundane story set in such an amazing world, why did I not care about the characters, and why was the ending so drawn out as to be almost annoying? Gareth Edwards couldn't build (and tear down) on the foundations of Godzilla or Star Wars Rogue One, and this time he came up with something of his own. Unfortunately, he didn't quite succeed. The story is about as dull as the Hans Zimmer music that accompanies it, and if it weren't for the technical flourishes that rival Avatar and that kept me entertained pretty much nonstop, The Creator would have been a mediocre attempt at sci-fi with an idea. I got the urge to watch Blomkamp's Elysium, which is similar in some ways, but it didn't play at anything. (09/30/2023)