“Then we have something in common. You aren’t going to heaven because you aren’t a good person, and I’m not going because I’m not a person.”
So, this film focuses on a interesting viewpoint: what if Skynet weren’t the bad guys? In this Gareth Edwards directed film, John David Washington plays a hardened ex-soldier, grieving the disappearance of his wife, who is recruited to hunt down and assassinate the Creator, an elusive architect responsible for creation of advanced artificial intelligence that humanity has been at war with since a nuclear attack years earlier. Sound familiar? As previously mentioned, while one can draw parallels between the early events of this film and the future that Sarah Connor tried to prevent for her son, in that story, artificial intelligence becoming sentient was the cause; in The Creator, AI appears to be on the losing side of the battle with humanity. Score one for humanity. As a result, they only have one refuge: Asia, or to be more precise, New Asia. I found this to be an interesting viewpoint that was worth exploring with this film. Unfortunately, while the film has moments of intrigue and John David Washington gives an above-average performance as the protagonist (pun intended, given his character’s name in Tenet), things didn’t come fully together in this film.
The film had a good introduction, providing an early character twist that doubles as foreshadowing of a theme that continues throughout the film: no one is what they seem. Which is an interesting detail for the film, as it was rumored that the director didn’t tell the actors if they were playing robots or humans, instructing all the actors to play their characters as humanly as possible so that the characters would look more natural. It was reportedly during the post-production process when he decided which characters to turn into robots and which ones to keep human. The introduction, where we meet Joshua (John David Washington) was a great starting point to set up his character as haunted and wracked with guilt. Given the role he played in his own personal tragedy, this gave the character an air of authenticity and desperation that was pivotal to his motivation. The issues arise, as that character development gets lost as things start to happen. More self-loathing was needed in my opinion. I don’t fault Washington for this, as he could only play the cards that he was dealt, and the character also had to walk a fine line between his unethical past and his necessary redemption arc.
What could have helped in this endeavor would have been more time spent developing the relationship between his character and that of his perceived enemy but necessary ally, the artificial intelligence that he is recruited to kill. Things were constantly moving, and as a result, the dynamic and growth between these two characters suffered for it. The period of time in which they grow closer is presented as a matter of fact. It’s as if them growing closer was inevitable. Granted, it was likely inevitable given that it was necessary for the film. However, it needed to feel more organic and layered. Instead, the Alphie character for the most part is oblivious to Joshua’s motivations and unfazed by the idea that she is being used. This relationship is the core of the film, and there needed to be more to it. It needed more emphasis, more struggle. At least a debate or argument that the two had to overcome to solidify their bond. It was all too easy. They need to work for it.
On the plus side, I did enjoy the twist regarding someone near and dear to Joshua, although I wish its execution would have been followed through better. This twist had the potential to shatter the ground beneath the character’s feet and force him to question everything he knew about his relationship with the individual involved, which would have mirrored how the latter must have felt about former earlier in the film. Another complication came in a bit of a continuity error in reference to Alphie’s creation and one of the main characters’ ultimate fate. Given the person’s state, it made me question how they were able to create Alphie when the inciting incident needed for said creation hadn’t occurred yet. Felt a bit like the grandfather’s paradox.
Speaking of Alphie, let me start out by congratulating Madeline Yuna Voyles for her debut film role as well as a job well done. My issues aren’t with her performance, which like her counterpart’s was above average, but with her character, specifically her underdevelopment. Throughout the film, Alphie is being lauded as the weapon to end all weapons. The being that will bring humanity to its knees. In truth, after all that hype, I was underwhelmed with the character’s power. I mean, most of the time, the most impressive thing she does is turn things on and off with her mind. With the level of fear she is inspiring, I expected to see her do something that was on par with what Magneto did in First Class: stop missiles in midair and redirect them. From what I gathered of her ability, as Alphie matured, she was expected to have supremacy over everything technological. I can wrap my mind around that. The idea of the character bending technology to her will would make her threat proportionate with the level of fear that she is inspiring. The problem is, we never see that threat demonstrated, and as a result it all feels like a wasted effort.
Well, that was a lot on what I felt went wrong with the movie. Here is something I felt went right: visually, it is well crafted and artfully done. Against the backdrop of war between humans and robots, it was stunning. Despite being portrayed as a distant future, it felt timely and relevant. It’s action-packed and destined to hold your interest. It did for me, despite having several issues with the plot and certain characters’ development.
Given its competition this weekend, I don’t expect the film to have much trouble winning the weekend. However, I do not expect it to break any box office records. John David Washington’s charisma and dedication to his performance, as well as the athleticism that he brings to all his roles, promises to bring in the crowd, and I expect the crowd to enjoy the visual effects. However, I expect that most will have some issues digesting the story like I did.
