I agree with you completely about the movie. The script doesn't explore the themes that it brings up. Ken Watanabe's AI character makes an offhand comment towards the end of the movie about the nature of the war that isn't explored at all but it raises so many questions. Emotionally it didn't connect the way that it should have. But it does look great.
Given Gareth Edwards's background in VFX & Production Design, it's not a surprise that this movie like his other movies looks incredible, but his achilles heel as a director will always be the script as in this instance co-writer Chris Weitz is more miss than hit as a writer, would love to see him paired with a very strong screenwriter!
Yeah, don't really understand why he didn't choose a different collaborator (or why the producers didn't insist) for what's meant to be a movie to prove himself after getting rewritten/re-shot on Rogue One.
Thanks for your reviews & guess I’ll need check this one out, as Dan Murrell has in his top 10 of 2023. Would love to have a video on you two and him debating this one. Have a great holiday weekend to all.
I took my mother with me to a sneak preview of this on Wednesday, and we both agreed it looked beautiful but were conflicted with the overall story (much to like your guys’s review). I like nods to the films of Kurosawa, Spielberg, and sci-fi spectacles like Blade Runner and Star Wars, but I found the story all too familiar yet convoluted, and the characters contrived. Also, it only cost $80 million to make, which is insane. It looked like something that would cost north of $200 million.
I feel like these are common criticisms across most sci fi epics, making them objectively niche. With this one, I felt like it has a lot to unpack and it isn't as surface level for general audiences to connect with. It's a fragment in time in It's own world - how we precieve the messaging and state of said world will dictate how we ultimately feel about it. I loved it.
I was really psyched for this movie based mostly on just how stunning the visuals looked in the previews. It actually turned out to be a lot different than I expected. Ulimately I kind of with you guys it starts strong, loses its way, and rushes the ending. The other thing is there are a lot of holes in the plot. For example, and I don't think I'm giving anything away, the sims keep pointing out they cannot harm humans, but as you can see even in the previews they have guns and are engaging humans in battle.
I don't think they initiated the violence, but rather were defending the humans that saw them as equals. I'm not big on robotics philosophy, but one of the big laws is that robots cannot harm humans or through inaction allow a human to be harmed. They seemed to be operating to prevent humans being harmed.
You have to turn your brain off for this movie and concentrate on only the emotional stuff... otherwise everything falls apart. Nothing really makes sense and the editing is trash.
I saw an advance screening of the movie. I'm in awe of what gareth edwards did both in terms of the scale of VFX work given small budget on top of an original worldbuilding. Story itself is not perfect, but the the craft, the acting, the cinematography, the special effects more than compensate. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this on the big screen and I recommend everyone to see - especially those people who complain that hollywood hasn't made anything original or interesting in the last 20 years. well - this is one great example!
Saw it last night and… agree wholeheartedly w/ your review. I want to love this film, it’s gorgeous. But the writing/directing/editing has… issues. That being said while I get your scores, I’d personally rate it a bit higher based on the visuals and world building & suspect I’ll revisit it once in a while. I would be very keen to see a longer cut to see if it rectified enough of the issues. For anybody curious about seeing it, it’s worth seeing in a theatre. Man I want to love it… but I just can’t. I’m very curious to find out how Gareth made this on $80mil… 🤯
Damn! Exactly as I feared. Visuals look fantastic, story looks like I have seen it many times. Too bad, would have been nice to get an original great scifi movie again. Been a while.
I find it very interesting how the very points that turned you guys off were read very differently by other critics who praised them. Like loving John David Washington's arc, and really loving the emotionality, etc. I'm seeing it today, and I wonder where I'll land in that discussion. I'm really into seeing some eye candy in IMAX, no matter what else happens. The visuals look really beautiful, with an incredible sense of scale, much like Dune. (And that's just me seeing it in the trailer on my computer!! lol)
You know what I hate about film critics, you are all so jaded about movies. To me the tropes were not tired and worn out, yes some were familiar but not everyone has seen Platoon and Apocalypse Now. Given the time constrains I do believe they developped the relationship between Joshua and Alphie, because they built the relationship between him and Maya and as soon as the reveal happened it was easy to see him transfering that love to Alphie. Also with AI being good, why not. Originally the AI little girl was suspose to be evil, using her form to bequile the viewer, but thats just Second Varient. What would have been more on the nose if they turned to the cameras and were all like see, AI bad and is taking our jobs. Truthfully we dont know what the relationship humanity will have with AI, so having AI.monks that respect life, well that was a nice thought.
I wish they had worked as hard on the script as they did on the visuals. Great visuals, good performances, lackluster script. Good attempt though. Still worth seeing.
Perhaps it is a result of the Writers' strike and the SAG-AFTRA strike but I hadn't heard of this film until yesterday, and no trailers were suggested to me through social media. Perhaps the AI passed over me? Now that I have found and watched the trailers, I think that the film looks like a MidJourney/Dall*E remix of Apocalypse Now, Blade Runner, A.I., Oblivion, and T2/Aliens.
I thought this movie needed about 10 minutes or so of flashbacks building his love for his unborn child to help us believe his dedication to Alphie. It also felt like there was some missing scenes near the end. Particularly at the temple. Despite this, I thought this movie is top 5 for movies in the genre "computers/robots/AI fight humans". I thought it was very good.
I really didn't see it as as much as a sci Fi movie, but rather more of a political one. Although they used imagery of Vietnam, it was more akin to the wars in the Middle East after 911 and the US' quest for revenge. The hit all the beats of the war on terror, but as AI as the enemy.
Hate needle drops in my futuristic sci-fi movies. ALWAYS takes me out of the worldbuilding. Chris Bumbray of JoBlo nailed it "the Hans Zimmer score isn’t given enough of a focus in the movie’s first half, with Edwards using a few too many needle drops."
I had high hopes especially with Hans Zimmer scoring it. Haven't see the movie but just listened to the soundtrack and unfortunately it is lackluster. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Finally caught up with this and agree with your take. The screenplay needed another revision or two as the plot often felt rushed especially towards the end. Maybe it would have been more satisfying as a series.
I thought it was tremendous. Greatly elevated by the art and design of the world. They shot the movie on Sony FX3 : prosumer video cameras and it looks terrific. It’s a shame it bombed
The movie has strong ideas -- but never follows through with most of them. While actively watching this movie, I was questioning whether or not John David Washington is a good actor -- the actor playing Alphie was acting circles around him ... and she was 8(?). But, it does look gorgeous.
Why would NOW be a particularly bad time to make a message movie saying "AI" is a great thing, we should all embrace it"? Has there been some recent AI-caused catastrophe that I missed?
The writer's strike? The fact that AI-written scripts were a big issue in that strike? If so it would seem that the concept of whether AI is good or bad and whether we should embrace it reaches beyond, and is more complicated, than the issue of using AI software to write a movie. While the news in Hollywood concerning AI might be "all bad" recently, deeply philosophical, ethical questions don't really just revolve around what goes on in Hollywood. Wouldn't much of this movie have already been made, or well into production prior to the writer's strike? And if so, then also a good bit of money invested in it. Do they have to shelve its release for a good while because there was a writer's strike?
Spot on review. I just got out of this, and I thought the same thing, like maybe there’s a really solid 2 1/2 hour or three hour version of this movie that feels more complete. They rushed the wrong things! That said, it is the most gorgeous and lived-in/textural big budget spectacle I’ve seen in a long time.
Haven't finished the video yet. Unsure if I'll see it given the mixed reviews but i just wanted to note that the title font is just like Martin Scorcese's The Aviator.
I understand the film has problems. However, there hasn't been any decent *large* scale sci-fi content, with the exception of Dune, in quite sometime now, and I am yearning for anything sci-fi related, that is of a grand scope. Its just such a welcomed reprieve from the glut of superhero content we have been bombarded with the past 10 years. So its problems notwithstanding, I will shell out the money to see this in the theaters, just to support content like this being made as an alternative to Marvel and DC.
lol That review went about as I expected. Just saw it myself, and while it is not the knockout that I had hoped it would be, I felt it was still an incredibly well done film that handled those tropes in an interesting enough way that always kept me invested. Combine that with the new gold standard in visual effects and two pretty great lead performances and I walked out wanting to immediately watch the film again. 8/10
I enjoyed the movie and I’m happy they made a big budget sci-fi flic that isn’t based on a franchise. It felt an awful lot like Rogue One with a lot of CHAPPIE or District 9 thrown in. The thing is that they sort of conflate AI, which is a centralized system with robots who act independently. I wish they paid more attention to this difference. Also why are there grandma robots? Anyway it’s a 7 and totally worth seeing in a theater compared to most of what I’ve seen this year.
Ha ha, yes we certainly did get the trailer a LOT over this last couple of months. New movies come out on Wednesdays here in France and I rushed out to the very first screening at 10.30 in the morning, and me, well I was not disappointed at all ... I was swept along and thoroughly enjoyed it, enough to not care about whether the theme actually merits my emotional involvement because the performances of John David Washington and Madeleine Yuna Voyles totally did that for me!! Yeah the ending lost me a bit too but because it went on too long I felt, and I agree somehow didn't quite earn it. But great movie nonetheless, I'll certainly go see it again in a couple of weeks!!
To me, the obvious influence is Ghost in The Shell. This should have been the quality of the live GITS. The young actress was phenomenal, and so adorable.
I made sure to watch your review first before watching this movie, and surprisingly have to say I loved this movie. I wish it was another hour longer. It's one of the rare times i'll have to agree to disagree. Thought this was a masterpiece of artwork and storytelling. I'm giving it a Solid 8.7/10
Gareth Edwards makes beautiful looking sci fi films with seamless FX, but he has yet to make something that doenst send me to snoozeville. He's so dedicated to a real world aesthetician that he renders sci fi worlds mundane. There's no wonder or joy in his stories. His characters are always sapped of real energy, life, or personality. Like Rogue One before it The Creator somehow makes robots/droids/AI more compelling than the humans. The 3rd act, as rushed as it was had more verve and urgency than the 90 or so minutes that preceded it. It almost saved the movie for me.
It’s lack of character building and truncated Joshua/Alphie relationship progression. Along with all the illogical aspects and inconsistencies that start to chip away at this movie when you introduce a robot that can turn off any machine but doesn’t (and also can’t keep it off??), robots that can’t aim and can be tossed around and used as human (or rather robot) shields, a whole country of AI lovers that doesn’t have ANY defense capability, and on and on…
I’m seeing it tomorrow. I guess it’s good I’ve never seen Baby Yoda in anything but memes. The trailer alone just about brings me to tears, so I find it difficult to believe the emotional groundwork isn’t there. Might it not be there narratively speaking, but instead there in the unspoken nuances of the performances? I’ve definitely seen films where that’s the case. Bad timing or not, aren’t we meant to consider what the film is doing? Just because we’re being told by even the developers of AI that it’s bad news, isn’t the film telling what may be a likelier truth? That it is - like human beings - what it chooses to be? How can a film be arguing entirely for the benignity of artificial intelligence when a sentient AI has committed such an act of terrorism at the heart of it?
Yeah, I think I'm with you on this one - it just feels like a massive wasted opportunity. It looks great! There are some really good things on the screen and huge talent doing fantastic work! Ultimately though, it just has nothing new to say about AI or anything to add to the genre. I imagine that this maybe more of a 'me' gripe but I felt like this version of AI is such a wierd, outmoded one - The one where AI is developed alongside robotics to produce inefficient human replicas in a vacuum of tech advancements.
You may well be correct that The Creator drops the narrative ball in the last half. The Rotten Tomato score seems to indicate so. But there should be some recognition of Edwards' ability to put together a $200 million-looking movie for $80 million. He has provided a template for Hollywood to repent of its profligate ways and create blockbusters at sensible costs. The Creator may yet prove to be a hugely influential film.
The one movie that I think is overlooked greatly on this type of premise is "A.I" , it is a great movie that not many appreciate. I am not interested in this at all. Also, Washington was my major issue in "Tenet" which I liked a lot but he should not have been the lead.
For anyone still on the fence: Yeah, go see it. Sure, it's got plot cliches, eye-roll moments, and rushed pacing. But it's visually impressive, has a cool soundtrack, retrofuturistic lived-in tech, effortless world-building, sick action choreography and incredible VFX for its budget. It almost seems like smart people are embarrassed to admit they like this movie. But I think it's a movie worth seeing for yourself. Worse films regularly get better critic scores.
We're very conflicted here! Lots that we like about it, and you're right, it's a very cool theatrical experience. But eventually it didn't work for us. Thanks for watching.
Why are people trying so hard to elevate this movie? "Smart people are embarrassed to admit they like this movie" I mean really? How about people loved the visuals, but didn't like much else about the movie?
@@jalconque Because it took a risk in a time where studios are risk-averse. That's important for art and entertainment, and should be encouraged. That's why people are elevating it
I went to the movie with 2 of my adult sons. Surprising we had similar emotions of enjoying it but disappointed. While it my be the SCIFI movie of the decade, we are only 3 years into this decade. Why disappointed? Emotionally or visually it doesn't deliver the surprise of seeing something for the first time like STARS WARS, or the MATRIX .
"They don't lay the emotional groundwork." This is ubiquitous in mainstream genre movies and tv now. It feels like the obsession with visuals has de-emphasized storytelling. I don't know if writers have gotten lazy or producers think scripts don't matter. But there is a lot of incoherent nonsense out there with incredibly high production values.
Visuals and Sci-Fi movies don't do it for me anymore I seen it and yes all the tired tropes are in this movie but it's still sweet it's still heartfelt and it's well-acted that doesn't make it a top five sci-fi will be all time I've never believed that high when I saw the first trailer but I did really like this movie a lot
Finally watched this and agree 100%. Amazing visuals and world creation. Poor narrative structure and character development. I still moderately enjoyed it.
The visuals were amazing and inventive. I can’t say the same about the writing. It felt like a refugee story was turned into robots, completely ignoring computers don’t think like us. And if computers do become sentient and elect to have emotions and program PAIN into their code, then I want that shown. That would have elevated the writing. If not for the visuals I would have walked out. I flat out thought the fundamentals of the story were dumb and simplistic. Three young guys left, I think out of boredom. I don’t think this movie will do well.
Honestly "The Reluctant Shepard" would have been way more original and thoughtful title to lead with imo then, The Creator.😅 Never once pulled me in, in fact, the opposite. This whole review sounds like an example of high concept, Low execution, or rather the opposite: High execution given the visuals you mentioned, and low concept simply because of the failed emotional depth and recycled themes the script offers. Washington is gifted but I smell Hollywood nepotism given his repeated ability to get cast in these albeit high minded, large scale sci-fi blockbusters, that never seem to deliver box office wise. I would prefer to see him develop an oeuvre of an old school, character actors-Character actor. Scripts rich in depth and humanity, rather whatever his agent continues to advise haha
I listened to 5 mins of this review. I will just say these two (and his partner) have been reviewing for 10 years. They still don't have 25k subscribers. That is all.
this movie was pretty but so frustrating. none of the characters ever felt real and, as a result, the world felt a bit shallow and lifeless despite being wonderfully rendered.
The nomenclature alone should be enough to tip you off that they just weren't thinking as deeply as they could've. "New Asia" "AI" "Simulated People" these are first draft names. Hell I had a friend say they should've call the AI "A.I.-Qaeda" which is so on the nose & hack & yet somehow still more thoughtful. Frustrating as this is I think the best looking live action film I've seen this year. But it's just a middling Sci-Fi film that'll likely be forgotten.
Based on the mixed reviews, I think I will wait to watch this on streaming because it nonetheless sounds interesting. There was a sci-fi movie that came out earlier this year dealing with A.I. called The Artifice Girl that I would definitely check out.
I agree with your review. The production design, sets, costumes, score, cinematography are all first rate. The story I thought was predictable, rushed, and contrived generic 3rd act. I gave it a marginal recommendation… 6.4/10
4.5/5 for me. I cried multiple times. Makes these 🎥s that cost $200-300 million look like SHIT. The narrative themes of “district 9” combined with the visual aesthetic of “blade runner”.
this just sounds like you're reviewing barbie, except you praised everything in that movie you criticize this movie about...and the budget comparisons are only being levied at other sci fi action movies....but what about movies about toys that cost 150 million and then just don't even play with the toys!?!?
I thought John David Washington was miscast in Tenet and his presence made that film less than what it could have been. I wonder if the same could be said about The Creator. (I haven't seen it yet.)
The movie had a little flaws but it was still an awesome movie and honestly with all the great criticism against it Hollywood will never take a chance on new ideas. Enjoy your Marvel/DC and Star Wars movies throughout the future. Audiences and critics are the biggest hypocrites in the movie and gaming media. I want to hear any more complaints. You made your bed now sleep in it.
Completely agree with you both. Really impressive what they were able to do with the budget, loved lots of the visual effects and design work, but that's about all I have to say. Thanks for the review!
Unfortunately, JD Washington and the kid aren't that charismatic. Washington's monotone acting chops can't quite carry a film yet (remember Tenet?). BUT, I'm a SciFi nerd and will see it in my support for the genre.
I just saw it today. It was okay. I feel like they were trying hard to make a Nolan style action scifi epic but it ended up feeling more like Avatar with robots.
No one can make big expensive blockbuster movies as boring as Edwards. He actually made a Godzilla movie boring. That's how skilled he is at it. Give me a free ticket for this movie and i don't have anything else to do and i'll watch it. But there is no way i'm paying anything to watch a Gareth Edwards movie.
i had come around to this viewpoint after Godzilla but he was able to pull me in with this one. unfortunately, he reminded me why i felt the way i did lol
Mixed feelings. I feel like movies based on IP are sometimes better than original sci-fi. This was depressing, too violent and not great. Perhaps we should find a different way besides our money to have Hollywood make better original movies. Right now, I am fine with all the movies based on existing IP because they sometimes are better than the original movies we get.
Thank you for saying that. So many people are claiming it's "original" when it's clearly derivitive of a billion other movies. I've seen so many comments deriding the audience as hypocrites for not supporting this movie and throwing shade on blockbuster IPs. People like what they like and want what they want. We don't want this movie because, visuals aside, its not a good movie. A
this movie is probably one of the most unoriginal works i have seen in a few decades. the screenplay is so bad that it should be used as curriculum in universities to teach people how not to write.
Are you guys lining up to donate your likeness? Lol. The only thing that I loved about this movie was imagining myself upload my mind to a flash drive and then upload that data of myself into a different body where I felt most myself kinda like I assume many other trans women and men wish they could have been born fully themselves and such. This was a bad movie. I walked out half way when the US came in with their bombs and started to bomb all these people and AI individuals. I hate seeing people fake get bombed by the US when real people are really getting bombed by US bombs sent to like Israel so that they can be shot from Israel to holocaust Palestine and Palestinian kids aka and people for some fake white supremacist religion of evil reason like making a lot of money off of the industrial war complex reasons. It's so hurtful seeing all these kids with their brains coming out of their heads or actually seeing their heads just open and there is no brain there, and then also kids and people being dug up from under the rubble. It's so unfortunate and sad that people are just casually chill with genocide. I also though did like the way that Allison Janney was killed. I was like, girl yes! Her death was satisfying like the deaths in jurassic park. Lol. I hope this movie doesn't become another franchise you have to keep up with.
Gareth Edwards just doesn't have it. Godzilla, Rogue One, and this, it's always the same with his story telling. Gorgeous, really impressive visuals and interesting ideas, that just never come together in a way that's emotionally satisfying or insightful or exciting or anything like that. His films are always a mess. In every one of them, it's like he has an idea for the story and the film sets it up in interesting ways, but then by the time you get to the middle and into the meat of the story and the plot thickens, he just loses the thread, it becomes a mess, and a tight rope act of how to just get the story across the finish line in a relatively coherent way.
Don't waste your money on this woke propaganda. When the movie ended, my theater was dead silent. As soon as the credits started rolling everyone just got up and headed for the exit. The saf thing is that we all went in wanting to like it.
I agree with you completely about the movie. The script doesn't explore the themes that it brings up. Ken Watanabe's AI character makes an offhand comment towards the end of the movie about the nature of the war that isn't explored at all but it raises so many questions. Emotionally it didn't connect the way that it should have. But it does look great.
Given Gareth Edwards's background in VFX & Production Design, it's not a surprise that this movie like his other movies looks incredible, but his achilles heel as a director will always be the script as in this instance co-writer Chris Weitz is more miss than hit as a writer, would love to see him paired with a very strong screenwriter!
Yeah, don't really understand why he didn't choose a different collaborator (or why the producers didn't insist) for what's meant to be a movie to prove himself after getting rewritten/re-shot on Rogue One.
@@UnstableYT-u7kI think it was a robotic prosthetic arm? It was shown but never talked about.
I like the film quite a bit ....but you can clearly tell lot of the third act has been trimmed down .....the actress who plays alphie is amazing
Wasn't she great? She had a lot of poise and presence.
It actually wasn’t reportedly trimmed down at all. It just sort of fell into a generic 3rd act
The more you think about the ending, the less sense it makes...i think that's why they kept it quick
Thanks for your reviews & guess I’ll need check this one out, as Dan Murrell has in his top 10 of 2023. Would love to have a video on you two and him debating this one. Have a great holiday weekend to all.
I took my mother with me to a sneak preview of this on Wednesday, and we both agreed it looked beautiful but were conflicted with the overall story (much to like your guys’s review). I like nods to the films of Kurosawa, Spielberg, and sci-fi spectacles like Blade Runner and Star Wars, but I found the story all too familiar yet convoluted, and the characters contrived.
Also, it only cost $80 million to make, which is insane. It looked like something that would cost north of $200 million.
I feel like these are common criticisms across most sci fi epics, making them objectively niche. With this one, I felt like it has a lot to unpack and it isn't as surface level for general audiences to connect with. It's a fragment in time in It's own world - how we precieve the messaging and state of said world will dictate how we ultimately feel about it. I loved it.
I was really psyched for this movie based mostly on just how stunning the visuals looked in the previews. It actually turned out to be a lot different than I expected. Ulimately I kind of with you guys it starts strong, loses its way, and rushes the ending. The other thing is there are a lot of holes in the plot. For example, and I don't think I'm giving anything away, the sims keep pointing out they cannot harm humans, but as you can see even in the previews they have guns and are engaging humans in battle.
I don't think they initiated the violence, but rather were defending the humans that saw them as equals. I'm not big on robotics philosophy, but one of the big laws is that robots cannot harm humans or through inaction allow a human to be harmed. They seemed to be operating to prevent humans being harmed.
You have to turn your brain off for this movie and concentrate on only the emotional stuff... otherwise everything falls apart. Nothing really makes sense and the editing is trash.
I saw an advance screening of the movie. I'm in awe of what gareth edwards did both in terms of the scale of VFX work given small budget on top of an original worldbuilding. Story itself is not perfect, but the the craft, the acting, the cinematography, the special effects more than compensate. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this on the big screen and I recommend everyone to see - especially those people who complain that hollywood hasn't made anything original or interesting in the last 20 years. well - this is one great example!
Oh it's incredible to look at for sure!
Saw it last night and… agree wholeheartedly w/ your review. I want to love this film, it’s gorgeous. But the writing/directing/editing has… issues. That being said while I get your scores, I’d personally rate it a bit higher based on the visuals and world building & suspect I’ll revisit it once in a while. I would be very keen to see a longer cut to see if it rectified enough of the issues. For anybody curious about seeing it, it’s worth seeing in a theatre. Man I want to love it… but I just can’t.
I’m very curious to find out how Gareth made this on $80mil… 🤯
Damn! Exactly as I feared. Visuals look fantastic, story looks like I have seen it many times.
Too bad, would have been nice to get an original great scifi movie again. Been a while.
I don’t get John David Washington. Am I missing something?
I find it very interesting how the very points that turned you guys off were read very differently by other critics who praised them. Like loving John David Washington's arc, and really loving the emotionality, etc. I'm seeing it today, and I wonder where I'll land in that discussion. I'm really into seeing some eye candy in IMAX, no matter what else happens. The visuals look really beautiful, with an incredible sense of scale, much like Dune. (And that's just me seeing it in the trailer on my computer!! lol)
You know what I hate about film critics, you are all so jaded about movies. To me the tropes were not tired and worn out, yes some were familiar but not everyone has seen Platoon and Apocalypse Now. Given the time constrains I do believe they developped the relationship between Joshua and Alphie, because they built the relationship between him and Maya and as soon as the reveal happened it was easy to see him transfering that love to Alphie.
Also with AI being good, why not. Originally the AI little girl was suspose to be evil, using her form to bequile the viewer, but thats just Second Varient. What would have been more on the nose if they turned to the cameras and were all like see, AI bad and is taking our jobs. Truthfully we dont know what the relationship humanity will have with AI, so having AI.monks that respect life, well that was a nice thought.
I wish they had worked as hard on the script as they did on the visuals. Great visuals, good performances, lackluster script. Good attempt though. Still worth seeing.
I still want to go see this but more so now from an academic perspective, especially considering it was made for less than half of Rogue One's budget.
Perhaps it is a result of the Writers' strike and the SAG-AFTRA strike but I hadn't heard of this film until yesterday, and no trailers were suggested to me through social media. Perhaps the AI passed over me?
Now that I have found and watched the trailers, I think that the film looks like a MidJourney/Dall*E remix of Apocalypse Now, Blade Runner, A.I., Oblivion, and T2/Aliens.
Lots of Blade Runner here for sure.
Eleven + Ellie + Baby Yoda + AI = Alphie
Pretty much!
I thought this movie needed about 10 minutes or so of flashbacks building his love for his unborn child to help us believe his dedication to Alphie. It also felt like there was some missing scenes near the end. Particularly at the temple. Despite this, I thought this movie is top 5 for movies in the genre "computers/robots/AI fight humans". I thought it was very good.
I really didn't see it as as much as a sci Fi movie, but rather more of a political one. Although they used imagery of Vietnam, it was more akin to the wars in the Middle East after 911 and the US' quest for revenge. The hit all the beats of the war on terror, but as AI as the enemy.
Hate needle drops in my futuristic sci-fi movies. ALWAYS takes me out of the worldbuilding.
Chris Bumbray of JoBlo nailed it "the Hans Zimmer score isn’t given enough of a focus in the movie’s first half, with Edwards using a few too many needle drops."
I actually liked the needle drops better than the score. Reminded me of the rap music in Django.
This movie looks so cool though. Im gonna give it a chance.
I had high hopes especially with Hans Zimmer scoring it. Haven't see the movie but just listened to the soundtrack and unfortunately it is lackluster. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Finally caught up with this and agree with your take. The screenplay needed another revision or two as the plot often felt rushed especially towards the end. Maybe it would have been more satisfying as a series.
Thanks for catching up with us!
I thought it was tremendous. Greatly elevated by the art and design of the world. They shot the movie on Sony FX3 : prosumer video cameras and it looks terrific. It’s a shame it bombed
It is extremely beautiful, you're right!
The movie has strong ideas -- but never follows through with most of them. While actively watching this movie, I was questioning whether or not John David Washington is a good actor -- the actor playing Alphie was acting circles around him ... and she was 8(?). But, it does look gorgeous.
Why would NOW be a particularly bad time to make a message movie saying "AI" is a great thing, we should all embrace it"?
Has there been some recent AI-caused catastrophe that I missed?
The writer's strike? The fact that AI-written scripts were a big issue in that strike?
If so it would seem that the concept of whether AI is good or bad and whether we should embrace it reaches beyond, and is more complicated, than the issue of using AI software to write a movie.
While the news in Hollywood concerning AI might be "all bad" recently, deeply philosophical, ethical questions
don't really just revolve around what goes on in Hollywood.
Wouldn't much of this movie have already been made, or well into production prior to the writer's strike? And if so, then also a good bit of money invested in it.
Do they have to shelve its release for a good while because there was a writer's strike?
Spot on review. I just got out of this, and I thought the same thing, like maybe there’s a really solid 2 1/2 hour or three hour version of this movie that feels more complete. They rushed the wrong things! That said, it is the most gorgeous and lived-in/textural big budget spectacle I’ve seen in a long time.
Haven't finished the video yet. Unsure if I'll see it given the mixed reviews but i just wanted to note that the title font is just like Martin Scorcese's The Aviator.
Any plans for... Sardar udham... Movie????
I understand the film has problems. However, there hasn't been any decent *large* scale sci-fi content, with the exception of Dune, in quite sometime now, and I am yearning for anything sci-fi related, that is of a grand scope. Its just such a welcomed reprieve from the glut of superhero content we have been bombarded with the past 10 years. So its problems notwithstanding, I will shell out the money to see this in the theaters, just to support content like this being made as an alternative to Marvel and DC.
lol That review went about as I expected.
Just saw it myself, and while it is not the knockout that I had hoped it would be, I felt it was still an incredibly well done film that handled those tropes in an interesting enough way that always kept me invested. Combine that with the new gold standard in visual effects and two pretty great lead performances and I walked out wanting to immediately watch the film again.
8/10
It is incredible to look at, you're right.
Sad, really wanted this to be exceptional.
This movie reminded me of Casualties of War with AI. Characters the same with structure and construct almost to a person.
I enjoyed the movie and I’m happy they made a big budget sci-fi flic that isn’t based on a franchise. It felt an awful lot like Rogue One with a lot of CHAPPIE or District 9 thrown in. The thing is that they sort of conflate AI, which is a centralized system with robots who act independently. I wish they paid more attention to this difference. Also why are there grandma robots? Anyway it’s a 7 and totally worth seeing in a theater compared to most of what I’ve seen this year.
Ha ha, yes we certainly did get the trailer a LOT over this last couple of months. New movies come out on Wednesdays here in France and I rushed out to the very first screening at 10.30 in the morning, and me, well I was not disappointed at all ... I was swept along and thoroughly enjoyed it, enough to not care about whether the theme actually merits my emotional involvement because the performances of John David Washington and Madeleine Yuna Voyles totally did that for me!! Yeah the ending lost me a bit too but because it went on too long I felt, and I agree somehow didn't quite earn it. But great movie nonetheless, I'll certainly go see it again in a couple of weeks!!
I love Gareth Edwards vision, but to get funding for his creations he needs to follow these corporate paths, like a funnel.
To me, the obvious influence is Ghost in The Shell. This should have been the quality of the live GITS. The young actress was phenomenal, and so adorable.
She was so good, wasn't she? So much presence.
are you gonna review saw X?
We are not, sorry. We haven’t seen any of the Saw movies. You’ll have to let us know if it’s good.
I made sure to watch your review first before watching this movie, and surprisingly have to say I loved this movie. I wish it was another hour longer. It's one of the rare times i'll have to agree to disagree. Thought this was a masterpiece of artwork and storytelling. I'm giving it a Solid 8.7/10
So glad it worked for you so much more than it did for us!
Gareth Edwards makes beautiful looking sci fi films with seamless FX, but he has yet to make something that doenst send me to snoozeville. He's so dedicated to a real world aesthetician that he renders sci fi worlds mundane. There's no wonder or joy in his stories. His characters are always sapped of real energy, life, or personality. Like Rogue One before it The Creator somehow makes robots/droids/AI more compelling than the humans.
The 3rd act, as rushed as it was had more verve and urgency than the 90 or so minutes that preceded it. It almost saved the movie for me.
yeah if the score is trying to make u feel something, means the movie isnt confident its done the legwork to make u feel that way
It’s lack of character building and truncated Joshua/Alphie relationship progression. Along with all the illogical aspects and inconsistencies that start to chip away at this movie when you introduce a robot that can turn off any machine but doesn’t (and also can’t keep it off??), robots that can’t aim and can be tossed around and used as human (or rather robot) shields, a whole country of AI lovers that doesn’t have ANY defense capability, and on and on…
I’m seeing it tomorrow. I guess it’s good I’ve never seen Baby Yoda in anything but memes. The trailer alone just about brings me to tears, so I find it difficult to believe the emotional groundwork isn’t there. Might it not be there narratively speaking, but instead there in the unspoken nuances of the performances? I’ve definitely seen films where that’s the case. Bad timing or not, aren’t we meant to consider what the film is doing? Just because we’re being told by even the developers of AI that it’s bad news, isn’t the film telling what may be a likelier truth? That it is - like human beings - what it chooses to be? How can a film be arguing entirely for the benignity of artificial intelligence when a sentient AI has committed such an act of terrorism at the heart of it?
you are thinking more deeply about the movie than it does about itself. i do hope you like it though
Thought it's no spoilers.
Yeah, I think I'm with you on this one - it just feels like a massive wasted opportunity.
It looks great! There are some really good things on the screen and huge talent doing fantastic work!
Ultimately though, it just has nothing new to say about AI or anything to add to the genre.
I imagine that this maybe more of a 'me' gripe but I felt like this version of AI is such a wierd, outmoded one - The one where AI is developed alongside robotics to produce inefficient human replicas in a vacuum of tech advancements.
You may well be correct that The Creator drops the narrative ball in the last half. The Rotten Tomato score seems to indicate so. But there should be some recognition of Edwards' ability to put together a $200 million-looking movie for $80 million. He has provided a template for Hollywood to repent of its profligate ways and create blockbusters at sensible costs. The Creator may yet prove to be a hugely influential film.
The one movie that I think is overlooked greatly on this type of premise is "A.I" , it is a great movie that not many appreciate. I am not interested in this at all. Also, Washington was my major issue in "Tenet" which I liked a lot but he should not have been the lead.
No spoilers, but we're gonna tell you almost the whole plot.
For anyone still on the fence: Yeah, go see it. Sure, it's got plot cliches, eye-roll moments, and rushed pacing. But it's visually impressive, has a cool soundtrack, retrofuturistic lived-in tech, effortless world-building, sick action choreography and incredible VFX for its budget.
It almost seems like smart people are embarrassed to admit they like this movie. But I think it's a movie worth seeing for yourself. Worse films regularly get better critic scores.
We're very conflicted here! Lots that we like about it, and you're right, it's a very cool theatrical experience. But eventually it didn't work for us. Thanks for watching.
Why are people trying so hard to elevate this movie? "Smart people are embarrassed to admit they like this movie" I mean really? How about people loved the visuals, but didn't like much else about the movie?
@@jalconque Because it took a risk in a time where studios are risk-averse. That's important for art and entertainment, and should be encouraged. That's why people are elevating it
I loved the film.
The scene where the agents are killed in the field at night felt like the end of an episode of a miniseries, the second act makes nooo sense
I went to the movie with 2 of my adult sons. Surprising we had similar emotions of enjoying it but disappointed. While it my be the SCIFI movie of the decade, we are only 3 years into this decade. Why disappointed? Emotionally or visually it doesn't deliver the surprise of seeing something for the first time like STARS WARS, or the MATRIX .
Good night Christy Lemire & Alonso Duralde.
Good morning!
@@BreakfastAllDay best wishes for the day Christy. hearing you're lovely voice is such a positive vibe.
"They don't lay the emotional groundwork." This is ubiquitous in mainstream genre movies and tv now. It feels like the obsession with visuals has de-emphasized storytelling. I don't know if writers have gotten lazy or producers think scripts don't matter. But there is a lot of incoherent nonsense out there with incredibly high production values.
I give it an 8
Gareth reminds me of Ridley Scott. A great visual director but not a good writer. Both need a better writer to write a good script.
Visuals and Sci-Fi movies don't do it for me anymore I seen it and yes all the tired tropes are in this movie but it's still sweet it's still heartfelt and it's well-acted that doesn't make it a top five sci-fi will be all time I've never believed that high when I saw the first trailer but I did really like this movie a lot
Finally watched this and agree 100%. Amazing visuals and world creation. Poor narrative structure and character development. I still moderately enjoyed it.
The visuals were amazing and inventive. I can’t say the same about the writing. It felt like a refugee story was turned into robots, completely ignoring computers don’t think like us. And if computers do become sentient and elect to have emotions and program PAIN into their code, then I want that shown. That would have elevated the writing. If not for the visuals I would have walked out. I flat out thought the fundamentals of the story were dumb and simplistic. Three young guys left, I think out of boredom. I don’t think this movie will do well.
Tony Gilroy should have fixed it.
We love Andor!
Savage.
Honestly "The Reluctant Shepard" would have been way more original and thoughtful title to lead with imo then, The Creator.😅 Never once pulled me in, in fact, the opposite. This whole review sounds like an example of high concept, Low execution, or rather the opposite: High execution given the visuals you mentioned, and low concept simply because of the failed emotional depth and recycled themes the script offers. Washington is gifted but I smell Hollywood nepotism given his repeated ability to get cast in these albeit high minded, large scale sci-fi blockbusters, that never seem to deliver box office wise. I would prefer to see him develop an oeuvre of an old school, character actors-Character actor. Scripts rich in depth and humanity, rather whatever his agent continues to advise haha
I listened to 5 mins of this review.
I will just say these two (and his partner) have been reviewing for 10 years. They still don't have 25k subscribers.
That is all.
this movie was pretty but so frustrating. none of the characters ever felt real and, as a result, the world felt a bit shallow and lifeless despite being wonderfully rendered.
The nomenclature alone should be enough to tip you off that they just weren't thinking as deeply as they could've. "New Asia" "AI" "Simulated People" these are first draft names. Hell I had a friend say they should've call the AI "A.I.-Qaeda" which is so on the nose & hack & yet somehow still more thoughtful. Frustrating as this is I think the best looking live action film I've seen this year. But it's just a middling Sci-Fi film that'll likely be forgotten.
Doesn't matter how good your CGI/special effects are if you don't have a good script.
I thought she (the little girl) was mirroring DaLai Lama and her tribe’s persecution by a dominant force.
That is an interesting interpretation.
"unearned"! =D
Based on the mixed reviews, I think I will wait to watch this on streaming because it nonetheless sounds interesting. There was a sci-fi movie that came out earlier this year dealing with A.I. called The Artifice Girl that I would definitely check out.
100% best picture of year
See it on a big screen
I agree with your review. The production design, sets, costumes, score, cinematography are all first rate. The story I thought was predictable, rushed, and contrived generic 3rd act. I gave it a marginal recommendation… 6.4/10
Great looking on the big screen, though!
I loved it, and a big reason is the layers of religious allegory
The reviews are pretty consistent - good visuals and lacking in story. But I'll still see it in IMAx just to feed my eyes... hahaha...
4.5/5 for me. I cried multiple times. Makes these 🎥s that cost $200-300 million look like SHIT. The narrative themes of “district 9” combined with the visual aesthetic of “blade runner”.
this just sounds like you're reviewing barbie, except you praised everything in that movie you criticize this movie about...and the budget comparisons are only being levied at other sci fi action movies....but what about movies about toys that cost 150 million and then just don't even play with the toys!?!?
This is a very different movie from Barbie, so not sure what you mean by that comparison. Also, we didn't talk about the film's budget at all.
I thought John David Washington was miscast in Tenet and his presence made that film less than what it could have been. I wonder if the same could be said about The Creator. (I haven't seen it yet.)
I actually thought he was very good in this (with what he was given) but his younger co-star steals the show.
The movie had a little flaws but it was still an awesome movie and honestly with all the great criticism against it Hollywood will never take a chance on new ideas.
Enjoy your Marvel/DC and Star Wars movies throughout the future. Audiences and critics are the biggest hypocrites in the movie and gaming media.
I want to hear any more complaints. You made your bed now sleep in it.
The character arcs where flat but I still like the film a great deal.
That's great, what did you like about it?
Yep I don't care about Robots.
Completely agree with you both. Really impressive what they were able to do with the budget, loved lots of the visual effects and design work, but that's about all I have to say. Thanks for the review!
Thanks for your thoughts!
Has Gareth Edwards ever made a movie with a good story?
No. They are all the same for some reason.
The ending is too pat and over the top and trying to pack too much into the end. Nice visuals, forgettable script
algorithm
Unfortunately, JD Washington and the kid aren't that charismatic. Washington's monotone acting chops can't quite carry a film yet (remember Tenet?). BUT, I'm a SciFi nerd and will see it in my support for the genre.
I just saw it today. It was okay. I feel like they were trying hard to make a Nolan style action scifi epic but it ended up feeling more like Avatar with robots.
That is a great logline!
No one can make big expensive blockbuster movies as boring as Edwards. He actually made a Godzilla movie boring. That's how skilled he is at it. Give me a free ticket for this movie and i don't have anything else to do and i'll watch it. But there is no way i'm paying anything to watch a Gareth Edwards movie.
i had come around to this viewpoint after Godzilla but he was able to pull me in with this one. unfortunately, he reminded me why i felt the way i did lol
Get better taste in movies pal
Mixed feelings. I feel like movies based on IP are sometimes better than original sci-fi. This was depressing, too violent and not great. Perhaps we should find a different way besides our money to have Hollywood make better original movies. Right now, I am fine with all the movies based on existing IP because they sometimes are better than the original movies we get.
Thank you for saying that. So many people are claiming it's "original" when it's clearly derivitive of a billion other movies. I've seen so many comments deriding the audience as hypocrites for not supporting this movie and throwing shade on blockbuster IPs. People like what they like and want what they want. We don't want this movie because, visuals aside, its not a good movie. A
@@jalconque You are welcome.
This was the Saw Patrol weekend, gory and cute at the same time.
We saw neither of them!
@@BreakfastAllDay 🥲
All dogs go to Heaven, but all robots go to Hell.
this movie is probably one of the most unoriginal works i have seen in a few decades. the screenplay is so bad that it should be used as curriculum in universities to teach people how not to write.
Sounds like all style very little substance. JD Washington is such a bland actor.
Are you guys lining up to donate your likeness? Lol.
The only thing that I loved about this movie was imagining myself upload my mind to a flash drive and then upload that data of myself into a different body where I felt most myself kinda like I assume many other trans women and men wish they could have been born fully themselves and such.
This was a bad movie. I walked out half way when the US came in with their bombs and started to bomb all these people and AI individuals. I hate seeing people fake get bombed by the US when real people are really getting bombed by US bombs sent to like Israel so that they can be shot from Israel to holocaust Palestine and Palestinian kids aka and people for some fake white supremacist religion of evil reason like making a lot of money off of the industrial war complex reasons. It's so hurtful seeing all these kids with their brains coming out of their heads or actually seeing their heads just open and there is no brain there, and then also kids and people being dug up from under the rubble. It's so unfortunate and sad that people are just casually chill with genocide.
I also though did like the way that Allison Janney was killed. I was like, girl yes! Her death was satisfying like the deaths in jurassic park. Lol.
I hope this movie doesn't become another franchise you have to keep up with.
Gareth Edwards just doesn't have it. Godzilla, Rogue One, and this, it's always the same with his story telling. Gorgeous, really impressive visuals and interesting ideas, that just never come together in a way that's emotionally satisfying or insightful or exciting or anything like that. His films are always a mess. In every one of them, it's like he has an idea for the story and the film sets it up in interesting ways, but then by the time you get to the middle and into the meat of the story and the plot thickens, he just loses the thread, it becomes a mess, and a tight rope act of how to just get the story across the finish line in a relatively coherent way.
I shall watch this beautifully filmed movie at home with my TV on mute and create my own storyline.
Might have guessed these two would poop on the parade.
It brings us no joy to poop on parades, we assure you!
Don't waste your money on this woke propaganda. When the movie ended, my theater was dead silent. As soon as the credits started rolling everyone just got up and headed for the exit. The saf thing is that we all went in wanting to like it.
heres a shorter review...BORING
But it looks great!
movie is woke