Gareth Edwards' The Creator: Harrowing, Yet Heartwarming

 

Theatrical poster of The Creator, now in theaters. Courtesy of 20th Century Studios.

So, on October 10, 2023, me and my friend saw The Creator. I detected a little Star Wars vibe in the trailer. With the final result, I saw vibes of Star Wars, and the likes of Blade Runner, Avatar, Elysium, even Armageddon. It was harrowing in the struggle for humanity to survive with and without artificial intelligence, heartbreaking towards the end, yet heartwarming with that chosen one kid trope.

John David Washington leads The Creator as U.S. Army Sgt. Joshua Taylor, here to literally save the world from the worst of Artificial Intelligence. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios.

In The Creator, in 2065, John David Washington played a U.S. Army Sergeant trying to protect a girl with artificial intelligence capabilities from rogue Army forces as part of a bigger issue of keeping humanity from extinction. Between the battle against all odds and trying to keep a calm kid from living a Lethal Weapon­-esque nightmare, Washington’s character of Joshua Taylor came off as a reluctant guardian similar to Hugh Jackman’s original last appearance as Logan in the X-Men films and today’s more bitter Indiana Jones with Short Round tagging along. Regardless, Washington’s professional football repertoire sure came in handy on the war zone, so I give him points for taking the blows.

There were small moments of enjoyment from Washington’s character’s rude demeanor towards other government operatives and Madeline Yuna Voyles as the girl hero Alphie imitating said demeanor, like an innocent kid with a bad mouth and comic timing.

Small moments of funny inappropriateness aside, the overall Creator was heavy to me with its repeats of old science fiction survival thriller stories such as 2006’s Children of Men. I felt some references to James Cameron’s Avatar with the mighty tanks bulldozing over a different nation’s villages. Speaking of “mighty”,  that’s one word to describe Allison Janney as Col. Howell, who recruited Taylor. She came off as sadistic and relentless in making sure Alphie was in the Army’s hands to help them defeat an antagonistic AI that’s bringing the world to its last legs. I’ve usually seen Janney in comic motherly roles, but this was like watching a gender-swapped Kent Mansley from The Iron Giant, and she played it well.  And I won’t specify the heartbreaking parts; let’s just say you could get thrown off deciding who’s on the bad side and who will just otherwise be a backstabber.

You can't tell yet, but Allison Janney's quick on the trigger as U.S. Army Col. Howell in The Creator. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios.

I was way off when I learned it was Ralph Ineson who played General Andrews who also recruited Taylor. Between the dim lighting, possibly heavy makeup, and Ineson shifting his Yorkshire accent for a gruff American one, I thought he was either Andy Serkis, Bobby Cannavale, or Tim Roth. Similar to Janney as Howell, Ineson’s character was relentless in his pursuit of Taylor and Alphie, even though he just barked orders at his subordinates most of the time instead of sprinting around the danger areas.

I would say the best part about the film was Alphie closing her hands in a prayer-like position, and her AI powers keeping her and her loved ones out of harm’s way. I guess it was director Gareth Edwards’ way of showing that against all odds, if you pray and let go of your troubled mind, through darkness comes light. Some may have found some faithful ideals from Star Wars­-type media before, but this tops it off.

Madeline Yuna Voyles as Alphie from The Creator is no ordinary little girl, unless you think the magic touch to stop a rogue robot is ordinary. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios.

Despite it copying other dark tone/heartbreaking moments, The Creator was not without some greatness in the form of Denzel Washington’s fast and oldest kid and the unlikely friendship between him and an unassuming young girl chosen as the key to save the world. I hope that going forward, media can show how AI won't go rogue but will actually work with humanity for the better. I opened my horizon to find some good in this heavy work, now I challenge you to do the same.