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The Creator – Film Review

Cast: John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Ken Watanabe, Allison Janney, Sturgill Simpson, Ralph Ineson

Director: Gareth Edwards

Synopsis: War rages between humanity and artificial intelligence (AI) after a nuclear bomb is detonated in Los Angeles…

Review: Over the course of this year, it has been hard to ignore the increasing prominence of discussions surrounding the usage of AI and where the progression of this technology might lead. Will humanity and AI peacefully co-exist in the not-too-distant future, or will the machines rise and take humanity’s place? Given these questions, there’s something eerily prescient about the latest film from Gareth Edwards. It’s one of the most visually striking films you will see all year.

The year is 2070, and AI has been banned in the Western hemisphere after a nuclear bomb was detonated in the city of Los Angeles fifteen years prior. However, while the West has prohibited the use of the technology, it is embraced by the Eastern hemisphere, and they have integrated AI into their society. When the US learns that the AI is developing a superweapon that could turn the war in their favour, the US army sends Sergeant Joshua Taylor (Washington) to find the weapon and destroy it, only for Taylor to discover that this weapon is, in fact, a robotic simulant in the form of a young child (Voyles).

Humanity facing off in a struggle or at war with an advanced AI of some variety has been a well-trodden path in cinema history, with films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049, The Terminator and The Matrix franchises, and most recently M3GAN. All of the aforementioned films, in their own wholly unique way, presented a richly developed world which established the circumstances in which humans and AI were, if not at war, then distinct divisions between them. The screenplay, written by Edwards and Chris Weitz, via a newsreel prologue, establishes a fully fleshed-out world, explaining how the AI started out as allies, working side by side with humanity before going rogue. Given the regularity with which cinema has often tackled this subject, it would be easy for the film to be derivative of what has come before it. However, while there are obvious influences, the story asks pertinent questions about where this technology could go and whether integration between man and machine is possible.

Furthermore, as evidenced by some stunning imagery in Godzilla and Rogue One, Edwards brings some breathtaking visuals to this world, whether it is the AI who have integrated into society or the vast and behemoth military weaponry that the US has in its arsenal. The impressiveness of the visuals is even more remarkable considering the film’s relatively small budget of $80m, which should serve as food for thought given the high budget and comparatively poor quality of the visuals of some blockbuster films in recent months.

As the central character in this war between humanity and AI, John David Washington is as compelling as ever. We see how he was, at one time in his life, blissfully happy with his wife Maya (Chan) until a devastating event in his past transformed him into a world-weary soldier who chooses to protect this young child when he learns that there could be a connection to Maya. Speaking of the simulant, whom Taylor dubs “Alphie,” given that she was only seven years old during production, she delivers a remarkable breakthrough performance as the heart of the film and steals the entire show. The two build a rapport as they travel to prevent Alphie from falling into the hands of the US military. Furthermore, the discovery of this simulant gives Taylor a fresh perspective on the fragmented nature of the world he inhabits, which also feels very apt given the bitterly divided world we currently live in. With his experience with directing intense action scenes in a galaxy far far away and gargantuan kaiju beating each other up, Edwards brings that expertise to the film’s action set-pieces, backed by another superb score from Hans Zimmer.

Despite boasting some stellar names, the performances of the rest of the cast are hampered by a lack of development, particularly Allison Janney’s Colonel Howell who seems hell-bent on finding this new weapon and cares for little else besides that. Similarly, Ken Watanabe’s simulant soldier Harun is a badass and heroic fighter, but he doesn’t get room to grow beyond these traits. While the film’s exploration of AI and its potential future applications is thought-provoking and nuanced, the same cannot be said for its on-the-nose examination of how Western countries, particularly the US, can conduct invasive military campaigns on foreign soil, which feels somewhat heavy-handed.

Nevertheless, in an era where big tentpole blockbuster films tend to be attached to existing properties or as a part of a franchise, it is refreshing to see an original and thought-provoking piece of filmmaking come to the fore, particularly given its approach to a subject that humanity will be talking about for many decades to come. Could this film be prophetic? Only time will tell.

While it may not have the most well-developed characters, boasting mesmerising visuals and a thought-provoking approach to its topical subject matter in a richly developed futuristic world ensures this is a welcome return to the realm of blockbuster filmmaking for Gareth Edwards.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters – Film Review

Cast: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, Aisha Hinds, O’Shea Jackson Jr., David Strathairn, Ken Watanabe, Zhang Ziyi

Directors: Michael Dougherty

Synopsis: Since the emergence of Godzilla, the monster organisation Monarch has uncovered several other titans hidden in locations around the world, and a battle ensues between man and titan for global supremacy…

Review: It was the major aspect of 2014’s Godzilla that left hardcore fans of the King of the Kaiju so disappointed. Namely that for a film called Godzilla, he was but a minor spectator for the most part. Though when he did atomically roar his way into the proceedings, it was marvellous movie Monster magic. Hence, for the third film in the MonsterVerse, after a trip to Skull Island, the King is back and there are quite a few new monsters who are challenging for his throne.

In the aftermath of the Godzilla VS MUTO battle that laid waste to San Francisco, humanity has found themselves recovering from the devastation and preparing themselves for the eventuality of Godzilla resurfacing. We see this primarily through the perspective of the Russell family, with Emma ( Farmiga) and her daughter Madison (Brown), who’s torn between her mum and her father (Chandler). Simultaneously, the Monster organisation Monarch, has been working to discover the locations of other gargantuan monsters that are in hidden locations on the planet, posing the very real risk of these titans being unleashed upon our world.

Definitely not a fan of the man upstairs it would seem…

As entertaining as it would be to just watch two uninterrupted hours of Godzilla scrapping it out with other monsters, a core component of these monsters movies is the accompanying human element. The previous film had a compelling human element that started off brightly, but was ultimately horrendously squandered. Here there is potential to recapture that promise, but in spite of a staggeringly large collection of human characters, very few really stand out. Millie Bobby Brown’s Madison and the emotion that her family is dealing with shows the most intrigue, and the ever reliable Charles Dance delivers some compelling moments. Yet for the most part, all these characters are basically just exposition mouthpieces to move the story along.

Though admittedly they are the secondary characters, it would have helped enormously if the script could have given these actors more, and in some cases better material to work with. The script leaves an awful lot to be desired as there’s no development on the vast majority of them, and nearly all of the attempts to cracks some jokes rarely get the laughter muscles moving. The bigger problem though is that there are far too many characters all vying for screen time, and it really bogs down the over-arching story, which could definitely have done with some refining.

However, the big selling point of these films is the throw-downs between Godzilla and the other titans. Director Michael Dougherty ensures that anyone who was left frustrated by the lack of Godzilla will not be disappointed this time around. These scenes are what these films are really about, giant monster mayhem, and it’s all edge-of-your-seat stuff. The epic scraps especially between Godzilla and his fellow titans are edge-of-your seat entertainment. The design and CGI for these monsters is fantastic, and King Ghidorah makes for an extremely compelling villain.

Yet, in spite of the three films that the MonsterVerse has provided us, it simply hasn’t quite managed to capture that perfect balance between crafting compelling human characters, and the enthralling movie monster carnage. Though it definitely has, for the most part, got the latter right so far. It’s clear from what we have seen that all of the elements of the perfect monster movie are there within their reach. With the fourth film set to stomp onto the big screen, one can hope they can perfect that formula and unleash the mother of monster movies that pleases man and titan alike.

The scraps between Godzilla and his fellow monsters are glorious, but the film is hampered by mostly bland human characters and a shaky script that prevent this monster melee from soaring to great heights.