I saw the Creator at the movie theatre last week. For those who haven’t seen it yet, I’ll keep away from any major spoilers. The premise is that AI development reached such a level that robots were, for a time, ubiquitous in society, perhaps as numerous as humanity. They lived alongside in an often servile role. Then the explosion of a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles was pinned to robots, and any remnants of AI hunted down and mercilessly destroyed in the West. AI still is accepted in the East though, in a region called New Asia whose government and societal workings would have been fun to explore a bit more. It clearly serves as a reminder of the war in Vietnam and the US actions there, showing New Asia’s society as an intriguing meld of agrarian and high tech. It’s a Buddhist inspired culture where AI is welcomed and in fact cares for many a human refugee. New Asia serves well enough in its role, if a bit relegated as a backdrop, and the visuals were stunning. In any case, the crux of the movie is the US military learns of a weapon in development that will shift the balance in the war of AI extermination, and they pull a troubled ex-undercover soldier from his retirement to destroy it. It’s a straightforward premise, but earnest. I think that summarizes the movie as a whole: straightforward, but earnest.
So, what did I think of it? I enjoyed it! It’s not perfect; there are numerous plot holes. Some of the ramifications of the technological marvels shown, such as the ability to download a brain and then upload the results onto a very human-like robot, weren’t as fleshed out as they could’ve been. But even so, there were many poignant moments, and I was tearing up at the end. The visuals are stunning, the NOMAD satellite with its stark blue lights scanning the verdant mountains in particular evoking visceral unease. The soundtrack is fantastic. And it’s an original sci-fi IP in Hollywood, so something I’d love to see much, much more of. I thought the casting was excellent, in particular the young girl/AI. Her expression in the closing scene carried so much weight, so much subtext, for one so young. At the end of the day, I walked away from the movie theater having had a good time and wanting to discuss the movie’s finer points. I’d call that a success.
All the best,
M. Weald
P.S. I’ll get back to some books here next post. I’ve been reading either Year of Sanderson books or The Wheel of Time of late. Some hefty tomes, especially WoT.
M. Weald 