And it isn’t ~totally~ wrong
AI has been all the rage; most recently with local celebs jumping in to join the 90s Yearbook trend. The conversation surrounding the new tech has had an air of caution. Humans need to be careful; what if the robots take over? What if we lose control over them? What if they destroy more than they fix?
The Creator is the latest film that buys into the hype.
The film follows a war between humans and AI, specifically the journey of ex-special forces agent Joshua, who is recruited to hunt down and kill The Creator. The elusive architect of advanced AI, The Creator has developed a mysterious weapon that has the power to end the war—and humans. When Joshua discovers the weapon, he’s surprised to discover that she is a young child with the ability to grow up.
Warning: minor spoilers ahead.
The beauty of The Creator lies not in the pretense, but in its ability to clearly send its message across. There’s nothing particularly new about exploring the technology of robotics, not even to the level of AI developing motions. But what the film does better than its predecessors is blur the lines between humans and AI. Rather than totally distinguish them and us, it makes a point to say: Hey, there is no difference. They do this by exploring the different relationships between AI and humans, whether romantic—yes, don’t get grossed out—or platonic. And the fact that AI is totally human passing (save a hollow tube that goes from “ear” to “ear”), only adds to the effect.
There’s a level of respect between these two species, and they’re all just after peace. But hey, leave it to victimized America to get in between it. Never mind that they have totally eradicated AI in their own territories, the rest of the world needs to do it, too.
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With enough action scenes, emotional pulls and an incredibly clear message, The Creator makes for a wholly effective film. But another thing to consider is the timing of it all. With AI becoming already so intelligent in our own worlds—impressively pulling up essays, reviews, photographs, graphics—and people losing their jobs left and right, is The Creator really here to say not just that it can happen, but that it’s inevitable?
But that’s a topic for another day; let’s go back to the film and discuss it as a film.
I’ve seen a lot of criticism against The Creator, with people saying it poses as a mishmash of other sci-fi films; and they’re valid. The weapon nicknamed Alphie is practically Eleven from Stranger Things, or Ellie from The Last Of Us. Joshua’s father-figure character is Jim Hopper and Joel Miller. The battle between robots and humans—how different are they from the standard wars against aliens or mutants? Nevertheless, The Creator is a film that demands to be seen in the cinema. When all else fails, the production holds strong.
Art Alexandra Lara
