User reviews

Walking into the theater, my expectations were a mix of excitement and curiosity, especially given the film's intriguing take on AI.

From the get-go, "The Creator" impressed me with its use of the $80 million budget. The cinematography was nothing short of remarkable, reminding me of the visual flair seen in "Blade Runner" "Elysium", "I, Robot" and "A. I." The world-building was immersive, creating a believable and lived-in environment that drew me in.

The performances, particularly the dynamic between Joshua and Alfie, were the highlights of the film for me. Their interactions brought depth to the story, and I found myself genuinely invested in their journey. However, as the plot progressed, I couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment.

The story, which began with promise, started to unravel. The pacing felt rushed, and the plot became increasingly predictable. I noticed glaring plot holes that were hard to overlook, and the narrative lacked the depth I had hoped for. The ambitious theme of AI's humanity, which initially seemed thought-provoking, was undermined by the film's inability to maintain coherence.

While I appreciated the technical brilliance of the film, including the special effects and sound design, the script was a letdown. It was as if the movie wanted to say something profound about AI and humanity but ended up glossing over these complex themes, opting instead for a more superficial treatment.

The characters, aside from Joshua, felt one-dimensional. I struggled to connect with them emotionally, this emotional disconnect was particularly evident in the portrayal of the AI characters, including Alfie, who, despite being central to the story, lacked the depth to make their plight resonate with me.

While "The Creator" started off with great potential, it ultimately left me feeling underwhelmed. The film excelled in its visual storytelling but fell short in its narrative execution. It was a visually captivating experience, but the lack of emotional depth and narrative coherence made it a disappointing outing for me. I walked out of the theater feeling that the movie, despite its grand aspirations, missed the mark in delivering a fully engaging and thought-provoking sci-fi experience. It could have been a masterpiece, but a missed opportunity at best.

This is a lesson to the movie industry on how to use a budget. 80 million dollars was used splendidly. The cinematography was amazing, (Not terribly surprising because Rogue One) acting was great, and the story was decent.

It wasn't without problems though. The story moves at an increasing pace and at some points you lose track of what's happening. Suspension of disbelief will be needed in some moments.

The theme of the story was to make AI to be more than just robots. I think they succeeded there, but at the expense of the humans. Most of the humans in the story ended up being one faced - except for Joshua.

The dynamic between Joshua and Alfie was by far the best part of the movie. The acting was great between the two.

It was a good movie. Not great by any means, but I'm all for supporting a movie that is trying something new.

Overall, I think Gareth Edwards should be given some more projects. AND filmmakers everywhere should learn how a budget should be used.

If the script had been as good as the special effects, then this movie would've scored a Perfect 10. That's because the special effects were absolutely beautiful and aesthetically unique. It's the type of sci-fi I love watching and which inspires my thinking on topics of the future and technology. Back to the script though...

The script for this movie felt uninspired and I didn't care about any of the characters at all. None of them had any unique qualities, and the dialogue was all totally predictable. It was definitely written by a professional though, but it just felt flat and it took no real risks. Towards the end of the movie, however, it seemed to pick up a little bit, but by that stage I wasn't invested in it anymore. Also, the movie went on for faaaaaar too long, considering I didn't care about the content.

So huge props to the special effects team for making me finish watching this film and not thinking it was a total waste of time, and that's the only reason it won't be unforgettable.

The Creator is an original sci-fi movie written, produced and directed by Gareth Edwards (commonly known as director of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story).

Lets start with the positives first. The Creator looks visually superb. They have really imagined a interesting future earth and used the production budget wisely, not over extending what is possible, and creating a curious mix of retro and future looking technology. The cinematography and location shots featuring the spaceships and battle scenes are really well done.

On the negative side, the script is not very strong and we are not fully invested in what is going on or the characters involved. We neither see the bigger picture of this post nuclear reality, nor are we given significant smaller details and depth regarding the people and what they are fighting for.

It is a bit of a mish-mash of seeing robots caring for children and animals and dressed as buddhist monks and US style imperialism (think post cold war foreign policy), with marines massacring indiscriminately while looking for 'the weapon'. We are given a nugget of thought when the Human / Neanderthal analogy is dropped in but it is never followed up with any real substance to carry the idea forward. Therefore we don't know who to root for and the viewer is left hanging.

The acting is average and not great, perhaps reflecting the reality of the budget more than the excellent effects do. John David Washington feels out of his depth with the emotional range he is asked to give, and is eclipsed by the child actor playing 'Alfie'.

Overall, it's not awful, it's a bit disappointing as the potential was there and perhaps another draft of the script could have taken it to another level.

6/10.

My friend told me if I saw this in theaters some of the gaping plot holes would stand out more - but as it is I saw it at home and frankly I could care less if there were some plot holes this is a very good film with incredible world building.

It tells the story of human v AI and our hero is a former soldier who is sent to track down the AI's ultimate weapon. Turns out the weapon is a child AI - who may or may not have the secret to his seemingly dead wife's location - and now our hero betrays his people to keep the AI safe and try to find his wife.

His journey with the AI takes him deep into the heart of this world, and he eventually grows to care for the AI and rebels against his own people. It may sound cliche, but these kinds of stories need to be told again and again.

By no stretch of the imagination is this corny like Avatar, this was a very good by the numbers sci-fi movie. Well acted, great special effects, good action scenes, and a big heart with a cool final showdown.

Def recommended, too bad I didn't watch this in theaters.

First of all, lets get to the good....

The visual effects are truly world class. Likewise, both the musical score and Dolby Digital sound effects were top notch! Hans Zimmer and the effects teams did a fantastic job.

The acting was also fantastic throughout for relatively known actors. Particularly the lead child actor/actress!

Now let's get to the bad.... As a Sci-Fi lover and aficionado, I can't tell you how annoyed I became as the storyline progressed. It's like it was written by a 10 year old. A 10 year old that wanted to cram every conceivable twist and turn into one movie, which became increasingly unbearable. Completely devoid of reality. It felt like the screen writer had never really watched, or been truly into Sci-Fi. Do they not understand films like this are the bread and butter to nerds around the world (like myself)?

The plot had more holes than all the cheese in Switzerland! Completely unbelievable from start to finish. Devoid of any actually research or basis in medium term science, which for a film set just 32 years in the future is crazy!

Having not read the book, it's hard to say if this is the directors, screen writers or authors fault (maybe all 3?). Long story short, they completely dropped the ball.

Both hero's and the villain's make it through countless and increasingly unrealistic ordeals, which simply take the edge off the great stuff in the film I mentioned above.

If it wasn't for the great visuals, sounds and acting, this would be a 4/10. However, given those part were great, I've given a 6/10.

It is such a shame. It could have been so much better if they hadn't tried so hard and simplified the plot. I hope future Sci-Fi screen writers take note!!!

In a world where a mess of a film like Oppenheimer is praised as a masterpiece and a genuinely well told story like The Creator is torn apart for minor flaws, one thing is clear: You can't trust reviews anymore. I avoided this one for a while thanks to other reviewers, but it turned out to be one of the better movies I've seen in a while. Yes, it's predictable, but so is everything else if you've seen more than 10 movies in your life. This isn't the Sixth Sense. It's a moving and generally well told and acted story of redemption that takes place in an impressing array of settings in a thoroughly detailed and imaginative world. If you've been avoiding this one due to the lukewarm reviews I'd recommend giving it a shot. For reference other movies I love include Gattaca, Bladerunner, The Fountain, Fearless, and Edge of Tomorrow.

Right away, this is a must watch film. If you love cinematic imagery, this is po*n.

The production is incredible. All the visual creative departments went ham on this, and it's incredibly beautiful, intricate and interesting.

However, the writing was, at times, terrible; even some of the acting, mainly the character named Josh wasn't good enough (the kid was great tho)

It felt like some of the scenes were "forcefully" inserted just for the sake of illustrating something, even though they had no logic or necessity (a robot bomb that's running? Really? Why not just shoot the bomb like you've already done dozens of time?)

And also let's not get into the philosophical opportunity that's missed here. I wished they would tangentially hit more some of the existential issues about AI vs humanity.

Anyway...Go watch the movie It's solid.

Visual Effects, CGI, and Filming:

Absolutely stunning scenery for a sci-fi movie. The effects and visuals were literally out of this world. A dash of Star Wars, a pinch of Blade Runner, a bit of I-Robot, a little Terminator, and an essence of Edge Of Tomorrow. I thought the Visual effects, CGI and the filming were all incredible.

John David Washington:

Absolutely a great performance. I remember him in BlacKkKlansman and just saw him in The Piano Lesson. Denzel has got to be proud, I think he is absolutely carrying on in his Father's footsteps and completely doing a great job at it. Watching this I could hear Denzel in his voice and demeanor, even though he has his own style and character. This is a guy to watch as one of the next big Hollywood Stars. Great job in this one.

Madeline Yuna Voyles:

Madeleine is the star of this movie without question. The young Actress from San Diego, California was 7 years old when she acted in this movie. Her first role and in my opinion she absolutely nailed it. Obviously a completely natural talent with an incredible depth of emotion at her disposal. She has already garnered nominations for Best Young Actress and Best Actress in a Science Fiction Movie. I loved every minute of her screen time performance. Keep your eyes out for this one....again, one to watch as one of the next big Hollywood Stars.

Script/Writing/Storyline/Directing:

Somebody somewhere mentioned swiss cheese.... I think the line was this script has more holes than a slice of swiss cheese. I couldn't agree more. It was as if each scene was absolutely perfect on it's own merit, but from different scenarios. Like a patchwork of independent stories. Sure the central theme was there but there was so much that just felt stitched together from different fabric entirely. I felt like everybody did the best they could do given the limitation of the direction they were led in by the director.

Final Thoughts:

I am a huge Sci-Fi fan. Blade Runner is one of my all time favorite movies. The premise of the movie is so time relevant given the current advancement of A. I. and Robotics. I just saw where robots are becoming lifelike very quickly and Elon Musk just said that A. I. has already surpassed all human knowledge....and that was last year. It won't be long before A. I. draws it's own conclusion about the human species being absolutely useless for the future of this planet.

John David Washington and Madeline Yuna Voyles gave absolutely outstanding performances. This was a joy to watch and visually stunning to see BUT........ it should have been much more. This should have been a Blockbuster of a movie, a touchdown. The ball got dropped somewhere and my suspicion is in the script/Directing Department. That being said I liked it, I loved John and Madeline's performance and chemistry, but something was off that kept this from being the tremendous award winning Sci-Fi Epic Blockbuster it should be.

Regardless of what I think, you owe it to yourself to give it a watch and experience The World of The Creator.

While the film boasts spectacular cinematography, breathtaking scenery, and top-notch special effects, it's truly disappointing that the storyline is painfully inconsistent. Despite the promising concept, the narrative fails to maintain a cohesive flow, leaving viewers grappling with disjointed plot points. The movie's visual elements, from stunning set designs to captivating photography, create a visually immersive experience that almost compensates for its narrative shortcomings. It's a regrettable case of missed potential, where the brilliance of the visuals struggles to salvage a story that lacks the cohesion necessary to make it truly memorable.

With stunning visuals reminiscent of Blade Runner and the more recent Rouge One this movie is stunning to look at. Unfortunately the script falls far short of living up to its inspired cinematography. It's full of plot holes and cringe worthy moments from it's extremely one dimensional villains. The plot twist are telegraphed from miles away and there are no real surprises to be had. Everything plays out exactly like you would expect it to. Which is a shame. The look and mood of this film is almost enough to save it. But in the end it falls flat and its potential is wasted. See it for the visuals. Forget it for its script.

The Creator seemed to promise so much through its trailer, and although it is still a very enjoyable film it feels a little too safe and run of the mill.

It's story follows the familiar tropes of humanity against AI, super weapons, chosen ones, and the reluctant guardian. None of these are overly original but they are decently executed in this film nonetheless.

The emotion of the piece is a bit hit and miss. Even though the performances are good, particularly Madeleine Yuna Voyles in the role of Alfie, I just didn't really connect to any of the characters. This lack of connection and emotion is one of the biggest things missing from this film.

There is no denying however that this film is beautiful. The natural landscapes are used well and the grainy camera style really adds a nice element. It also has a good score and the direction is very solid.

Ultimately The Creator is a really solid sci-fi film, but it just feels a little safe and derivative. Perhaps my expectations were too high as the trailer suggested this was potential a more high concept and emotionally gripping sci-fi, when I don't think that is the case. Still a good film though.

The reviews of this movie are more misleading than I have EVER seen. Everything that is said is the opposite of what I actually saw. The 2nd or 3rd review in featured (at the time of this writing) didn't even get the gender of the child right, even though it's stated several times (despite the short hair, she's a girl!). Underwhelming? Void of emotion? I felt overwhelmed with emotion the entire film, and had tears streaming by the end. It wasn't just me either. I heard whimpering from a grown man a couple seats over, despite obviously trying to hold it in.

Granted, I'm fairly emotional, so maybe not everyone will feel as strongly. But, this is essentially a war movie. It is a war between AI and humans in the future, but science is not really the underlying theme. It has a definite Vietnam feel, and America is not the good guy (hence the probable reason for political reviews). There's also innuendo of anti-terrorist (read anti-Islamic) violence in recent wars. Take that and the lead is a Black man, his costar a young Asian girl, and the entitled demographics might feel a tad sensitive.

With that out of the way, I went into The Creator with very little info. As sci fi is one of my favorite genres, it was on my watch list for the Fall. I saw and loved Gemma Chan on Humans several years back and was so glad to see her, in sci fi again nonetheless. If you like this film, I recommend that show, as the theme is very similar. She is so perfect that she was convincing as a robot. It added a bit of depth to this film, I thought, too, if you knew she had that role history. And, without giving anything away, Allison Janney made a great female version of the stereotypical stalwart military general.

This is an anti-war film. It has some nice bits in there for those interested in natural history as well. The soundtrack is a little campy at moments, but is a huge part of the impact of the film. Speaking of camp, there is a little fun at parts (ie the dog), but it never outshines the serious tone. This is not an action flick that's going to make light of the violence. But, it's not depressing. On the contrary, it has heart and an optimistic message underneath it all. Plus, it was visually stunning. Everything from the aircraft to the people (including the robots) are perfectly designed and cast.

The Creator is a fantastic addition to its genre, both sci fi and war movie, driving the culture forward.

I do like a good sci-fi story. The sheer number of cringeworthily stupid details here makes it hard to watch?

A few examples of an extensive list: So there is this almighty KI developing the ultimate weapon in a secret laboratory. Its security consists of a couple of black-and-white monitors and a couple of human morons watching a sitcom instead while on duty.

The KI thinks that hand grenades with a counter of 10sec are a good idea. Of course they will come back, giving the robots a slapstick moment of comic stumbling into each other head- or limblessly after being blasted.

The escape in a rusty old pickup of undoubtedly american 60ies design souped up with incredible interior technology.

The robots you can sneak up to and deactivate with an off switch conveniently placed on the back of their heads.

Etc. Etc.

I saw this today and was hesitating because seems like it got a bunch of negative reviews attacking it. Seems like everyone was more biased because of their dislike for AI or their cliche Terminator reference. What I saw is a story about hope and maybe one last chance of some kind of redemption. This is one of the better science fiction movies to come out in years.

People were mentioning plot holes but I think it was at a decent enough pace where some folks complaining maybe weren't intelligent enough to follow along. Otherwise it's a pretty intelligent storyline about certain parts of society and it's tolerance for understanding. The relationship between soldier Joshua and Alphie was done effectively humane. Now I won't go too much into the why or what's revealed because that plays a vital part of the story, especially during the third act. Overall, I found this to be visually stunning with some of the greatest special effects in movies. John David Washington and Madeline Voyles carry the film's storyline. Both bring an effective humanity to the world they inhabit.

Fairly entertaining, good effects, but that's about it.

I had big hopes for this film but it's just an average sci-fi flick at the end of the day.

The main problem is it doesn't have a particularly compelling story and I found myself not really caring for the characters. They're just not given much depth and the script is also very basic. There are several plot holes or things that just don't make sense too.

However it does look a bit different to other sci-fi films, the locations are interesting, and the action, effects and sound are all done well.

So a mildly entertaining two hours but don't go in with high expectations.

I watched this from start to finish without being drawn into the story at any point.

I think John Washington is miscast here, I had the same exact experience when i watched Tenet... found myself very disconnected as I he didn't seem to make a proper connection with the role he was portraying.

That is not to say the film isn't without issues. They have been fairly well documented by other reviewers so I'll not labour the points here.

My main issue is with the lack of emotional involvment with the characters. The film measures zero on the emtional richter scale, but more, the screenplay just doesn't manage to get you excited or involved with anything that is unfolding. Additionally, the characters seem to have little connection to each other. In fact it is only at the end of the movie that Joshua and Alphie seem to have any tangible emotional cohesion.

Contrast this with The Golden Child 1986 where Eddie Murphy plays Chandler Jarrell and the connection he makes to The Golden Child played by J. L. Reate. Here you can see what a great connection is established on screen and the massive difference in outcome it produces. Both films have two similar sets of pairings in almost identical scenarios with a stark contrast in outcome.

Additionally Thought the film is incredible to look at, much of what unfolds makes no sense. I'd liken this film to an iconic fashion show where the crowd Oohs and Aahs at the fantastic creations that unfold on the runway, that no one (bar Lady Gaga) would ever be caught dead in at a normal social event.

Anyway, for me the film was a big dissapointment, I can't say John David Washington was the cause of this since the Movie has many other problematic aspects, but the ones I've mentioned were particularly significant for me.

5/10 sadly.

7 years on from his last big screen venture with the phenomenal Rogue One, The Creator isn't quite the comeback I had hoped for director Gareth Edwards. Visually, it's stunning with all of Edwards' 1980s science fiction influences on full display, but it often feels conflicted in tone and the subject matter it's trying to tackle, especially in today's world. Edwards pushes the relatable ordinariness of the androids and hybrid "simulants", but the potential menace of A. I. inescapably looms over the movie's head. For all its spectacular set pieces, detailed depth in its design and jaw-dropping imagery, the writing pulls the rug out from what could have been a modern sci-fi classic.