The soldier Joshua (John David Washington) is on an undercover mission. Since the artificially created intelligences destroyed Los Angeles with an atomic bomb years ago and killed millions of people, the USA has been waging a cold war against New Asia, in which the AIs have found refuge and remain legal. But Joshua’s mission has its pitfalls. Because he falls in love with Maya (Gemma Chan), who lives with the AIs. The two get married and Maya becomes pregnant. And it still is when US troops suddenly strike. Joshua loses his wife and child in a hail of bombs. Five years later, he of all people is recruited to find and eliminate a weapon developed by the AI against humanity. But his return to New Asia turns into a trip into the past. And the weapon isn’t what he expected either.
Edwards tells the story The Creator definitely not a new story. The story about artificial life defending its existence is reminiscent – sometimes visually – of Ridley Scott’s masterpiece Blade Runner. The theme of artificial life forms that want to defend and extend their existence has been something of a fixture in the sci-fi genre ever since. But while Scott kept his antagonists ambivalent and, despite all his understanding of their situation, did not turn them into saints, the sympathies are there The Creator distributed quickly. In this respect, Edwards’ film is similar to the work of Neill Blomkamp, who is famous for works such as District 9 or Chappie also made statements about the treatment of non-human life – and, similar to Edwards, represented a clear position.
In The Creator It’s particularly easy to side with AIs because most of them look and behave like humans, except for a large hole in the back of their heads. Above all, a very charming AI child will make it easy for the audience to also take sides with the artificial life forms. But there’s more to Edwards than just sci-fi. Because with the tragic love story about Joshua and Maya, the director also manages to create a level of action that doesn’t work with a hole in the head, but with one in the heart. John David Washington conveys the suffering that he feels even five years after the death of his wife and child and that never leaves him at any point in his life with the necessary gravitas to explain the motivation for his actions. And to add the emotion that is so important for a film like this. It is around this core that Edwards builds the rest of his story, rightly trusting that this moral compass will guide the audience.
In addition, with the look of his film, although not always really new, Edwards creates one of the most believable and visually impressive visions of the future in a long time. Cameraman Greig Fraser, who does Dune has given it a fascinating new life, also contributes in The Creator quite work. As do the effects specialists and CGI artists who make the realistic look of Asia 40 years from now possible. For example, when gigantic tanks bulldoze an Asian village with its rice fields and straw huts, these are images that remain in the memory – and do not have to shy away from comparisons with other great sci-fi stories for the cinema.
Were The Creator Even fresher and a little bolder in story and execution, Gareth Edwards could have created a new milestone in science fiction cinema. Despite all the quality of the film, it’s not enough. Because although the love story and emotional appeal work well, the film lacks something new that takes a look at the subject that no one has presented before. From the shadow of one Blade Runner can The Creator can never really be solved, even if the execution of the variation on the theme is absolutely successful.
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