The Creator movie review

MOVIE TITLE: The Creator

This futuristic drama by 20^th Century Studios is now playing in theaters.

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 2 hours 13 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B

IN A NUTSHELL:

The sci-fi story is about a war between humans and robots in the future. A former soldier finds a secret weapon: a robot in the former of a young child. The question is whether the robot-child was created to save or destroy humanity.

The film was written, directed, and produced by Gareth Edwards, along with his team. He was determined to not use green screen but to film on location with smaller cameras and incorporate the sci-fi elements later.

THINGS I LIKED:

The topic of Artificial Intelligence is certainly timely.
I adore John David Washington in everything he does. He comes from Hollywood greatness; his father is Academy Award winner Denzel Washington. Director Gareth Edwards was so impressed with his performance in Monsters and Men (https://amzn.to/3PHvkCJ ) that he wrote the character just for him!
I also love Allison Janney in everything she does!
The rest of the cast does a great job and includes Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson, and the young Madeleine Yuna Voyles.
The film has title cards for various sections of the story.
Most of the special effects are really cool and impressive. I love that there are different kinds of robots represented.
A monkey with a remote detonator. Ha ha
Impressive set pieces.
This is the kind of movie that really needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible.
A lot of the movie was filmed in beautiful Thailand. That location is on my Bucket List!

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

MANY of the scenes are visually dark, which will make seeing what’s happening difficult if you plan to stream this on a small device.
Honestly, I was a little bored.
Many times, massive explosions go off, yet certain people are fine.
More humor would have been welcome. The film is extremely dramatic and serious.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

We see a pregnant woman’s belly.
Talk of a nuclear bomb killing millions of people.
Some profanity
Some languages are spoken without subtitles.
A lot of people die.
Explosions and destruction.
A large variety of weapons are utilized.

THEMES:

Reality vs. Artificial Intelligence
Heaven
Love
Family
Hope

FUNNY LINES:

“Whatever it is in there, they’re sure worried about someone getting in.” – Shipley (Robbie Tan) “Yeah, or it getting out.” – Daniels (Ian Verdun)

INTERESTING LINES:

“Like it or not, Joshua, you are part of us now.” – Harun (Ken Watanabe)
“What is the purpose of your travel?” – robot “To be free.” – Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles)
“When the war started, they protected me, took better care of me than humans would have.” – Maya (Gemma Chan) “They’re not people, Maya. It’s just programming.” – Joshua (John David Washington)
“They’re my family.” – Maya “They’re not real people, Maya.” – Joshua
“This is a fight for our very existence.” – General Andrews
“Did you locate the weapon?” – Colonel Howell (Allison Janney) “It’s a kid. They’ve made it into some kind of kid. That’s the weapon.” – Joshua (John David Washington)
“What’s heaven?” – Alphie

“It’s a peaceful place in the sky.” – Joshua

“Are you going to heaven?” – Alphie

“No.” – Joshua

“Why not?” – Alphie

“ You got to be a good person to go to heaven.” – Joshua

“Then we’re the same. You can’t go to heaven because you’re not good. And I’m not a person.” – Alphie