You have to give kudos nowadays when a director produces an entirely original blockbuster, not part of a franchise or reboot. That is precisely what director Gareth Edwards has done. Instead of heading down the easy option of producing something already out there, he has come up with The Creator, a science fiction action movie that is as relevant today as it is in the future, that of Artificial Intelligence and whether it’s a good or bad thing. While this adventure is stunning visually, and some good ideas are peppered throughout, it sadly isn’t the triumph I think we were hoping for.

The world has embraced Artificial Intelligence until a nuclear bomb is dropped on L.A. and the Americans outlaw robots. However, New Asia did not, and so the American Army started a war so they could wipe out A.I. Joshua, a former soldier, is undercover for the American Government looking for the source of a new and powerful weapon that could wipe out the human race, known as The Creator. Grieving over the death of his wife and unborn child, Joshua finds that the Creator is not what he expected.

Edwards’ film starts off slowly as he builds his world, particularly the history of Joshua, part robot himself after losing his arm and leg. It does feel slightly uneven as it flashes back and forth in time, but then it settles down, and Edwards builds his dystopian world where you cannot tell the A.I robots with humans until you look at the giant gaping hole at the side of their heads. His impressive set pieces are reminiscent of those in the old Vietnam movies like Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter, with sweeping shots of explosions and spacecraft attacking the natives while they run for their lives.

As the film starts to find its feet, this is when it starts to slip away from Edwards. The script is fragile, and once The Creator has been revealed, you find that it becomes more repetitive with the action scenes and even the inclusion of a light moment (a dog playing fetch with a grenade is fun); it starts to take a familiar route as if Edwards doesn’t know how to get where he wants to take his audience.

The characters are not correctly drawn out, including our hero, Joshua, who we follow throughout the movie. By the final act and the finale, we face a heart-wrenching moment that sadly doesn’t work as we lack genuine empathy with the main characters. Edwards, who did an excellent job with his previous sci-fi film, Rogue One, allowed his characters to breathe between the battle scenes. They take one breath, and we are back to the fight sequence.

It’s politics also seems to be all over the place. One moment, it tells us that A.I. is evil as they have the power to destroy, and then later, it’s almost anti-American as it shows the US attacking the Asian nation and almost behaving like the A.I. they are trying to stop.

The performances are a mix of excellent and bland. Gemma Chan, who has been so good in shows like Humans, is given very little to do, while it is nice to see the always reliable Alison Janney playing against type as a tough-nosed Colonel, although again, she is given little screen time. Young Madeleine Yuna Voyles does an excellent job as Alphie, while John David Washington, sounding increasingly like his father, Denzel, does his best carrying the movie, sadly let down by the woeful script.

The Creator is a brave movie tackling a subject so heavily in the news while at the same time giving the audience something unfamiliar. Sadly, it didn’t work, and I wanted to work. It looks fantastic but lacks the punch in a script that wanders off in all directions, not knowing where it’s going.

3 out of 5

Director: Gareth Edwards

Starring: John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chen, Alison Janney, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson, Amar Chadha-Patel, Marc Menchaca

Written by: Chris Weitz and (also story) Gareth Edwards

Running Time: 133 mins

Cert: 12A

Release date: 28th September 2023