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(Author’s note: Ahoy there, Cinegeeks! Roy here. For the next few posts, I’ll be going over 4 movies that we really tried to talk about on the Podcast but weren’t able to; to know the reasons why, listen to our podcast episode reviewing the upcoming Martin Scorsese epic KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON.
First off: THE CREATOR.)
If you’ve been listening to the Pod for a while now, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of science fiction and heady movies. I love the genuine visceral thrill I get when I’m watching something that I know isn’t just entertaining but also something that acts as a mirror to me and how I view my humanity. Many movies have made me take that long, hard look at the man in the mirror (insert Michael Jackson “hee hee” here), and Gareth Edwards’ post-Rogue One effort The Creator is up there with the best of them.
It’s the year 2055, and the United States has declared war against Artificial Intelligence because of a catastrophic event that nearly wiped out the majority of Los Angeles. Their mission: find The Creator, the one being the U.S. believes “birthed” A.I. as it’s already known, and who they believe can end the existence of all A.I. on Earth. Because of his personal link to the conflict, retired U.S. Army sergeant Joshua Taylor is brought back to the fight to help look for the Creator and a new weapon that could possibly end the war.
Gareth Edwards is a fantastic director. After impressing with his freshman effort Monsters in 2010, he was given the reins to lead the epic big-screen return of the King of Monsters in Godzilla in 2014. Edwards knew that people would pay to watch Godzilla-level cities no matter what happened, so he wisely fine-tuned the movie’s focus on the effect of the monster on the people in close proximity to the wake of the King’s path. He did the same thing in Rogue One in 2016 when he once again decided that focusing on the smaller, less epic stories of the Rebel Alliance would be the crux of the film.
It feels as though all of the lessons he’s learned along the way in making all three films are in full display here in The Creator, where he’s not only director but writer as well. The script deftly balances epic world-building with intimate portraits of familiar but futuristically distant pictures of everyday life, which allows for greater focus on the story and its greater themes. Edwards’ script can be taken at face value, and that’s all fine and dandy; dig deeper, and you’ll find themes of tolerance and how the world could be a better place if we all just took the time to talk out our differences instead of acting on our worst impulses. Given the events unfolding around the world today, the movie’s message rings even truer than ever.
John David Washington continues to make great out-of-left-field choices in terms of the roles he takes, and in my opinion, it further solidifies his own place in Hollywood beyond the shadow of his Oscar-winning parentage. He imbues Joshua with a steely coolness that both exudes strength and a wounded soulfulness that masks a world of hurt from both sides of the war. Many may call his portrayal wooden, and I respect that opinion. I am, however, of the school of thought that espouses that not all heroes should be swashbuckling heartthrobs that people should swoon over.
Washington’s Joshua is the anti-heartthrob hero, and it’s especially effective since the majority of his screentime is with who I believe is the film’s secret weapon/beating heart - Madeleine Yuna Voyles as Alphie, a mysterious child our protagonist encounters on his way to look for the Creator. Saying any more about Alphie is a spoiler, but suffice it to say Voyles is stellar as an innocent soul trapped in the middle of an interspecies conflict. You can’t help but feel protective of her whenever she’s onscreen, and a huge reason is the tenderness that the chemistry between Washington and Voyles exudes. You just have to see it to feel it. The rest of the cast shines brightly, too: Gemma Chan and Ken Watanabe are fantastic in short yet impactful roles, and while slightly undercooked, Allison Janney’s Howell could’ve been a one-note villain but ends up eliciting a surprising amount of sympathy.
Full disclosure: I was in tears for a few minutes after this movie. The last time a movie left me like that was Parasite. That film was also quite a head trip, with an unexpected whopper of an emotional ending. It’s movies like that and The Creator that make me still hopeful for cinema in spite of its slow trudge towards full-tilt commercialism; in spite of movie executives everywhere deciding to throw money at surefire hits that end up being “empty calories,” there are still some who believe in the true power of film. Of how it can and should be. That it can move people to change their worldview (for better or worse). I’m not saying that all movies should be like those two, but if, once in a while, a movie could leave me as moved as a celebrated Oscar Best Picture winner, then that’s an absolute win in my book.
(Photos : 20th Century Studios/20th Century Studios)
The Creator premieres October 4th in Philippine cinemas nationwide.
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