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  • Movie Review: ‘The Creator’

    John David Washington as Joshua in 20th Century Studios' 'The Creator.'
    John David Washington as Joshua in 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Creator.’ Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    In theaters on Friday 29th September, ‘The Creator’ represents a return for director Gareth Edwards, who made his name with low-budget sci-fi marvel ‘Monsters’ and was then recruited to make the likes of ‘Godzilla’ and a ‘Star Wars’ entry.

    But with ‘The Creator’, he’s in his own world, albeit one that owes a big debt to genre and other classic movies.

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    What’s the story of ‘The Creator’?

    Madeline Voyles as Alphie in 20th Century Studios' 'The Creator.'
    Madeline Voyles as Alphie in 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Creator.’ Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    Amidst a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, Joshua (John David Washington), a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife (Gemma Chan), is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war… and possibly mankind itself.

    Joshua and his team of elite operatives journey across enemy lines, into the dark heart of AI-occupied territory… Only to discover the world-ending weapon he’s been instructed to destroy is an AI in the form of a young child.

    Who else is in ‘The Creator’?

    Allison Janney as Colonel Howell in 20th Century Studios' 'The Creator.'
    Allison Janney as Colonel Howell in 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Creator.’ Photo by Oren Soffer. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    ‘The Creator’s cast also includes Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson, Madeline Yuna Voyles, Amar Chadha-Patel, Ralph Ineson, Veronica Ngo, Marc Menchaca and Allison Janney.

    Related Article: Director Gareth Edwards Talks ‘The Creator’ and Artificial Intelligence

    Is ‘The Creator’ worth watching?

    Madeleine Yuna Voyles as Alphie, Gemma Chan as Maya, and Director Gareth Edwards on the set of 20th Century Studios' 'The Creator.'
    (L to R) Madeleine Yuna Voyles as Alphie, Gemma Chan as Maya, and Director Gareth Edwards on the set of 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Creator.’ Photo by Glen Milner. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    Gareth Edwards is more known these days for being the director behind such giant franchise movies as ‘Godzilla’ and ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ (more controversially on the latter, since there was plenty of talk about how the studio had Tony Gilroy come in and re-write/re-shoot chunks of the movie, and it’s telling that Gilroy would go on to create prequel Disney+ series ‘Andor, not Edwards).

    But before both of those behemoths, he was the talent responsible for the excellent, grounded (despite the presence of giant alien creatures) ‘Monsters’ in 2010, which mixed a very human story of mismatched love with superbly realized effects. ‘The Creator’ leans much more into that style of film, with its shaky-cam guerilla shooting utilizing some beautiful natural backgrounds across Asia and story of a human being making a connection.

    Yet while ‘Monsters’ was inspired by disaster films (and Richard Linklater for its central duo), ‘The Creator’ is feeding more from the output of filmmakers such as James Cameron and Francis Ford Coppola. This is a work of excellent world building, Edwards carefully assembling a reality where the West is engaged in a conflict against the artificial lifeforms it built to perform tasks which has since rebelled to secure its own freedom.

    A nuclear strike on Los Angeles a decade ago left America going on the offensive, but in a nice twist of the usual man-vs-machine narrative, Asia has embraced the AI, offering sanctuary for the various synthetics. It gives the story echoes of Vietnam, the U.S. involved in a war it may not win.

    A scene still from 20th Century Studios' 'The Creator.'
    A scene still from 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Creator.’ Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    To try and prevent that, the US government has built NOMAD, a giant orbital weapons platform that can target individuals and structures, launching devastating missile strikes. The technological terror makes for superb visuals, spectral lasers scouring the countryside and raining fire down upon mech-heads.

    ‘The Creator’ also looks great, the mostly natural settings (though a grubby industrial city glimpsed midway through the movie is just as remarkable) giving this a standout style.

    Edwards also has a good eye for casting, with Washington giving another solid performance and bonding well with newcomer Voyles, who believably mixes childlike innocence with the flawless effects work of the character. Supporting them are the likes of Janney (as a gritty Colonel who will stop at nothing to track them down) and Watanabe, reuniting with his ‘Godzilla’ director and doing typically excellent work as an AI with a link to Joshua’s past.

    This might be the most beautiful and technologically effective sci-fi thriller you’ll see this year.

    What doesn’t work about ‘The Creator’?

    A scene still from 20th Century Studios' 'The Creator.'
    A scene still from 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Creator.’ Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    There are some downsides to the movie, primarily that its world-building invention and affecting performances can’t quite overcome the storyline, which feels like the director (who wrote the script with Chris Weitz, his collaborator on early drafts of ‘Rogue One’) borrowing parts of other movies.

    It’s possible to see elements of primarily James Cameron’s movies, especially ‘The Terminator’ (a U.S. Army vehicle deployed late in the movie reminded me of the tank-like Hunter Killers) and ‘Aliens’ (in the dynamic of the grunts Janney leads into combat), blended with something more along the lines of Alfonso Cuaron’s work.

    Which is not completely a bad thing –– if you’re going to borrow, why not pick the best? Yet when you’re ticking off elements you’ve seen in movies such as ‘The Matrix’ and ‘Blade Runner’ and not completely concentrating on the tale that Edwards is looking to tell here, you know you’re in some trouble.

    Likewise, the story itself, of Joshua’s connection to the young AI, is something we’ve seen several times before even with the various metaphysical and ethical trappings aiming to freshen things.

    Gemma Chan as Maya in 20th Century Studios' 'The Creator.'
    Gemma Chan as Maya in 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Creator.’ Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    Add to that the fact that despite an early scene of them swapping banter, the bond between Washington and Chan’s characters is nowhere near as effective, with the various flashbacks to stages of their relationship coming across as the filmmaker trying to convince you to feel something and falling short.

    The problems, though, don’t sink this one. It’s good to see Edwards back to his own sphere after a few years of running around in other people’s genre playgrounds. ‘The Creator’ is proof that he hasn’t lost his touch for sweeping sci-fi with relatable emotions at its core, and it’s certainly one I would recommend seeking out in IMAX formats to make the most of the love poured into the look of the movie.

    This may not be the most original movie you’ll see this year, but it’s certainly one of the more impressive. Welcome back, Gareth Edwards: we’ve missed your viewpoints and your heartfelt humanity.

    ‘The Creator’ receives 8 out of 10 stars.

    'The Creator' opens in theaters on September 29th.
    ‘The Creator’ opens in theaters on September 29th.

    Other Movies Similar to ‘The Creator’:

    Buy Tickets: ‘The Creator’ Movie Showtimes

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    ‘The Creator’ is produced by New Regency Pictures, 20th Century Studios, McFarland Entertainment, and Entertainment One, and will be in theaters on September 29th.

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  • Joey King Talks ‘The Princess’

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    Premiering on Hulu July 1st is the new action/fantasy movie ‘The Princess,’ which was directed by Le-Van Kiet (‘The Requin’).

    The movie stars Joey King as The Princess, who after refusing to wed Julius (Dominic Cooper), the sociopath to whom she is betrothed, she is kidnapped and locked in a remote tower of her father’s castle. Now, with Julius planning to take her father’s throne, the princess must protect her family and save her kingdom. In addition to King and Cooper, the cast also includes Olga Kurylenko, and Veronica Ngo.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Joey King about her work on ‘The Princess.’

    Joey King in 20th Century Studios' 'The Princess,' exclusively on Disney+/Hulu.
    Joey King in 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Princess,’ exclusively on Disney+/Hulu.

    You can read our full interview with Joey King below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with King and director Le-Van Kiet.

    Moviefone: To begin with, how far along in the script did you get before you decide that this was a role you had to play?

    Joey King: The minute the fights just started to take off at the beginning of the script. Then I just kept reading and I was like, wow, there is so much action. When you read action, it’s very different. It’s like you have to picture it in your head while you’re reading it and it’s a little complicated. So, getting the essence of it while you’re reading a script is something that’s a little bit difficult, but you can see it playing out.

    So, taking on this character was something that when I read the script, I was like, this is going to be, just from reading the script, 92 pages of full action. I am going to have to do a lot of work and a lot of training on this, and that’s exactly what I did. I enjoyed every minute of how exhausting that was.

    Joey King in 20th Century Studios' 'The Princess.'
    Joey King in 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Princess,’ exclusively on Disney+/Hulu. Photo by Simon Varsano. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    MF: As an actress, what was it like taking on the physical demands of this role?

    JK: So actually, it was intended that I would do some of it, but definitely have someone else do most of it. Then when I came in and started training for this, I made it pretty clear that even though I still had no idea what I was doing yet, I had no prior training, that I wanted to get to a place where I was confident enough to do most of the things that I could do. I have to say, I put in so much work and it was so hard, but I had some amazing trainers. Then on top of that, the two girls who were hired as my stunt doubles, were so supportive. They helped train me every day and also, they wanted me to do everything that I could.

    They were so supportive, and they were really huge cheerleaders for me in being able to accomplish what I did. I would look to them for advice and help every day, and I’m so grateful for them. I was able to do 90% of what you see in the movie, which was not how it was supposed to be. But I was really stubborn about that and everyone made me feel so uplifted.

    Joey King in 20th Century Studios' 'The Princess,' exclusively on Hulu.
    Joey King in 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Princess,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    MF: Finally, can you talk about the amazing costume you wear in the movie and was it difficult performing the action sequences in that outfit?

    JK: What a gorgeous costume. Our costume designer did an amazing job with her team building this dress. It was something that was talked about well before we even started filming. Because when I was training, we had to understand what it was going to be like for me, so that when I walked on set day one, it wasn’t a huge rude awakening. So, I was training and fighting in a corset and a long dress. We had to build replicas of it so that I could start training with it in the gym.

    So, it was just such an unreal thing to go from training with leggings and T-shirts to then all of a sudden wearing a ball gown. I really loved that challenge of it. I think our costume department did such an amazing job breaking down this dress, making it this cool battle armor, and also making it accessible for me to be able to do my thing in it and still be able to hide back pads, knee pads and different stuff in it. They did an amazing job of making it something that had more uses than just one.

    Joey King and Veronica Ngo in 20th Century Studios' 'The Princess.'
    (L to R) Joey King and Veronica Ngo in 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Princess,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo by Simon Varsano. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
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