The Creator: A Dystopian Science Fiction Epic Tackling Artificial Intelligence and Love

London (dpa) – Seven years ago, British filmmaker Gareth Edwards thrilled fans with his spin-off film “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”. The 48-year-old then took a long time to work on his next project. But the timing is perfect.

His dystopian science fiction epic “The Creator” deals with one of the top topics of the moment. It’s about the dangers and opportunities of artificial intelligence. At the core of the complex and visually impressive drama is a tragic love story.

Declared war on the AI

The year 2065. After a nuclear explosion in Los Angeles that killed a million people, the USA has declared war on artificial intelligence (AI). The technology is being banned and systematically destroyed, not just on US territory. With a huge spaceship called Nomad, special forces are on the move to eliminate artificial life forms and their origins worldwide.

In contrast, AI is part of everyday life in the country of New Asia. Humanoid robots help in the fields or as taxi drivers and even raise orphans. In New Asia, US special agent Joshua (John David Washington) is supposed to find the mysterious AI architect Nirmata. Undercover, he falls in love with the AI ​​engineer Maya (Gemma Chan). When he is attacked, he is exposed and loses his heavily pregnant wife.

When there is a surprising sign of life from Maya five years later, the grieving Joshua embarks on another mission in New Asia. Nirmata has developed a superweapon that can end wars and supposedly also wipe out humanity. Joshua should destroy them. But the weapon is a robot girl with emotions. Joshua takes the child into his care and develops feelings for her. He calls her Alphie and goes with her to search for Maya.

Complex protagonist

After “Tenet,” John David Washington once again proves to be the perfect choice when it comes to playing a complex protagonist in an intelligent Hollywood blockbuster. Alongside Gemma Chan (“Eternals”, “Crazy Rich”), Oscar winner Allison Janney (“I, Tonya”) shines as a tough special agent who shows no mercy in her fight against artificial intelligence. The Japanese jack-of-all-trades Ken Watanabe (“Inception”) plays the robot Harun.

Instead of relying on expensive studio sets, director and screenwriter Edwards filmed in the picturesque landscapes of Cambodia, Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan. The futuristic buildings, vehicles and characters were added later. This is probably why “The Creator” was cheaper than “Oppenheimer” or “Barbie”, with a budget that was reportedly around $80 million. Still, the film looks absolutely spectacular.

When James Cameron’s action classic “Terminator 2 – Judgment Day” depicted a bleak vision of the future around 30 years ago in which AI takes control from 1997 and tries to wipe out humanity, it was considered a sci-fi fantasy. It was similar with “Blade Runner” and its sequel “Blade Runner 2049”. Given the rapid development of AI, what Edwards shows in “The Creator” no longer seems so absurd and is thought-provoking.

“I think it is quite likely that AI will be a good thing for humanity,” says Edwards in an interview with the German Press Agency in London. “There will certainly be some negative things, but if you look at major technological milestones, it wasn’t the technology that was to blame for negative things, it was people who misused it.” It’s the same in Edwards’ film. “We are not the good guys,” says the filmmaker, who emphasizes the human side of the machines.

“The Creator” is convincing on all levels

The robot child Alphie, movingly played by Madeleine Yuna Voyles, is reminiscent of Pinocchio. Unlike the famous puppet or android David in Steven Spielberg’s 2001 drama “AI – Artificial Intelligence”, Alphie is aware that she can never be human. She just wants a peaceful coexistence between humans and robots. However, as long as the Nomad spaceship is traveling against AI, this seems impossible.

In harmony with the spectacular images, a powerful soundtrack by the German film composer Hans Zimmer and his colleague Steve Mazzaro (“No Time to Die”) creates atmosphere. It was discussed that it “shouldn’t sound like a Hans Zimmer soundtrack,” says Edwards. «Because other composers copy Hans Zimmer. And so it can quickly repeat itself.” For “The Creator” Zimmer and Mazzaro combined futuristic sounds with classical motifs and used traditional Asian instruments.

The result is impressive. “The Creator” is one of the best science fiction films of recent years and, in the literal sense, great cinema. Gareth Edwards has created an exciting and moving epic that avoids common clichés and is convincing on all levels. “I don’t have all the answers,” says Edwards, who deliberately leaves some questions unanswered. “The answers are never that interesting.”

2023-09-26 16:36:57
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