The Creator (2023)

Director: Gareth Edwards. Cast: John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chan, Janney Allison, Ken Watanabe. Sci-fi/Adventure. 143 min.

• Ever since the Frankenstein monster killed Victor Frankenstein, ever since James Cameron's Terminator and numerous other revolting self-aware robots (2001: A Space Odyssey, The Matrix, I, Robot, Ex Machina, ...) became the defining narrative for A.I. in cinema, the idea has always been that the Creation will eventually destroy the Creator. That A.I. is the enemy. Now, for the first time, we have a brilliantly made film that invites us to accept artificial intelligence as a friend, as an entity that might not necessarily invoke the apocalypse, that can actually take care of us and each other ... that might even be better than us, and (should I say it?) deserving to take over the planet.
• John David Washington (Denzel's son) is a retired U.S special forces soldier, recruited to hunt down and kill "the Creator", who is rumored to have designed the ultimate A.I. weapon, only to realize: that weapon is an artificially intelligent child. I won't spoil the origins of this child, but let's just say by the end of the movie (one which I didn't check my watch even once during the entirety of its 2 hour-plus running time), you will sympathize that it would be unethical for the soldier to complete his mission. 
• Interestingly, the U.S. government here is the aggressor - the side of the battle that wants to blow A.I. communities into non-existence. And the Asian societies are on the opposing side, giving shelter to A.I. beings, and supporting their nurturing presence. I was charmed how well this reflects the current sociopolitical climate - the US being more traditionalist, and the Far East more accepting and forward-thinking. 
• Gareth Edwards, the director, is known as the maker of the only decent Star Wars spin-off, Rogue One. Here he borrows heavily from the Southeast Asia jungle helicopter scenes of Apocalypse Now, incorporates the atmospheric darkness of another A.I.-driven powerhouse, Blade Runner, and his robots are obviously plucked right out of the apartheid-inspired sci-fi masterpiece, District 9. But that's totally fine. You can steal others' ideas, as long as you do it well.
• The Creator was the first time a movie (or any medium, for that matter) made me understand that maybe ... A.I. is not a threat. Maybe by acknowledging it in a sym"bio"tic relationship, we can become better with A.I. This is a movie that doesn't shy away from starting a difficult yet important discussion.

MoGo's rating: 9/10

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Oppenheimer (2023)

Director: Christopher Nolan. Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Alden Ehrenreich,  Jason Clarke, Tony Goldwyn, Kenneth Branagh, Matthew Modine, Rami Malek, Casey Affleck, Gary Oldman. Biography/History. 180 min.

• Christopher Nolan movies have a few recurring notions, but the most prominent (Memento, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet) has always been the concept of time. In Oppenheimer, he visits it again with the countdown to Trinity - the first detonation of a nuclear weapon, the moment when the trajectory of human civilization forever changed. To emphasize the importance of that, he has a long tale to tell.
• Yes, Oppenheimer is long. The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer and what led this genius to invent such a monstrosity is dry, at times boring, and deservedly dark. And while Nolan makes every effort through the script's flashbacks and flash forwards and toggling between color and black-and-white to keep us engaged, there is a reason for this dreariness. Similar to some masterpieces in movie history (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, The Godfather: Part II, The Deer Hunter, Das Boot) where the longer the film, the more impactful the climactic ending, here the entire movie is a preamble to prepare us for the 20-minute Trinity Test scene. That scene is worth every minute you spent to get there. That scene is why we go to the movies. 
• There were a few moments which I found incompatible with the greatness of the rest of the film. Opening scenes showing subatomic particles whizzing past in a dark background to give an idea of how quantum physics works were somewhat ... cheesy. And Oppenheimer's hallucinations of charred human bodies as a sign of his feelings of guilt after Japan's nuclear bombing, were cliché and repetitious - I was expecting more creativity from Nolan. But other pieces of this large puzzle fit fine, including but not limited to Einstein's role in the story: not the main figure, but always watching from the sidelines. Very wise character development.
• If no other major contender shows up by the end of the year, especially how together with Barbie it brought post-Covid moviegoers back to the theaters in droves this past summer, Oppenheimer has the chance of becoming next year's main Oscar winner, including Best Picture award, long overdue Best Director and Best Screenplay awards for Nolan, and Best Acting awards. While Cillian Murphy's cachectic appearance as the guilt-ridden protagonist gives him an edge in the Best Leading Actor race, previously nominated self-reinvented success story Robert Downey Jr. as politician Lewis Strauss, the driving force behind controversial hearings to revoke Oppenheimer's security clearance, should be considered a shoe-in for the Best Supporting Actor prize. (Watch for Gary Oldman as President Truman towards the end of the movie.)
• If you still have the opportunity, watch Oppenheimer on the biggest screen possible. This is a movie that is meant to be seen in all it huge wonderous glory, in the theaters. Try not to watch it on a TV. And you should be prosecuted if you watch it on a smartphone.

MoGo's rating: 9/10

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