The Creator

The Creator is a great technical achievement considering its budget of "only" 80 million dollars, because its magnificent visuals and production design put all those overpriced and computer-artificial sci-fi films of recent years to shame. Unfortunately, the same enthusiasm cannot be shared on the part of the script, the skeleton of which is a tired scheme that relies on so many coincidences and convenient strange decisions by the characters that it makes your head spin if you give it some thought. And it's a great pity, I would like to root for it. (11/21/2023)

Creator was supposed to be the sci-fi hit of the year, but the actual result was almost unwatchable, I suffered unbelievably. In short, Gareth Edwards made a film that, in its style, evoked the Star Wars I hated. I was kind of hoping it would be something along the lines of Independence Day, only with UFOs replaced by an artificial intelligence, but I was sorely mistaken. The film gave me the impression that with 40 minutes gone by, I still didn't know what was going on, there was no introduction to the characters or plot, just one scene after another, with zero viewer engagement. It's like putting episode 6 of a random series and trying to get my bearings on the plot. I was absolutely not entertained by Washington, and the rest of the characters didn't engage me either. The action was dull, I found it to be childish and unexciting. There’s nothing epic, no wow moment, no suspense or atmosphere, just something happening and I didn't really care by halfway through the film, I just wanted it to end. In the end I'm glad I didn't go to the cinema, I've never seen more boring action sci-fi. Disappointment of the year. 3/10. (11/19/2023)

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)

The Creator is one of those films in which the formal side wins out over the content. Visually, it offers appealing locations and, above all, the visuals of the "simulacra", but in terms of story it is a compilation of earlier sci-fi pieces without any major attempt to provide a new insight on the subject of AI. In this "compilation" respect, I thought mostly of James Cameron's work while watching it (Terminator, Avatar or Alita: Battle Angel). Alongside the themes of AI and humans vs. machines, the father-child (Joshua-Alphie) plane had some potential, but was drowned in mediocre concept and a weepy denouement. Of the cast, the young Madeleine Yuna Voyles appealed to me the most, the rest was rather bland. Still, The Creator is certainly worth seeing in the cinema, even if it doesn't offer much material for deeper reflection after the screening. (10/22/2023)

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)