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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