by Mason White '25 on November 12, 2023
Arts & Entertainment
If you watched week one of the NFL and caught the Chargers vs. Dolphins game, you
may have seen some odd-looking fans out on the field. These were, in fact, artificial intelligence, A.I.Well, not really, they were actors who were dressed up as robots for Gareth Edwards’ latest blockbuster, which releases Sept. 29. The film, entitled The Creator, is about a war in 2070 fought between human beings and an A.I. special forces agent played by John David Washington. He is hired to kill the Creator, who constructed the A.I’s in the first place. Simultaneously, a mysterious
superweapon will terrorize and vanquish all of humankind. In his search, the special forces
agent and his team pinpoint the location of this A.I. “super weapon” only to find
that it’s in the form of a child. This presents the dilemma: should the agent kill this child to save the human race or let the A.I. live simply because it’s a child? This question leads to yet another: “What does it mean to be human?”
Edwards says this film is an amalgamation of films he grew up loving. During an
interview with 20th Century Fox, he describes this movie as “a Vietnam movie mixed with
robotic sci-fi.” This film draws some inspiration from the Japanese Manga series, Lone Wolf
and Cub, written by Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima, which features a similar dynamic
between an old veteran warrior and a child who journeys across a dangerous landscape. This
trope also appears in this film through John DavidWashington’s character, a soldier fighting
against A.I. to save human beings from extinction, and the child a weapon meant to eradicate the human race.
Having directed Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Godzilla, Edwards is no stranger
to directing high-budget sci-fi films. His latest film, The Creator, has a budget of 80 million
dollars and a star-studded cast featuring John DavidWashington, Ken Watanabe, and Genna
Chen. This sci-fi movie utilizes special effects, making it feel tangible and grounded. In an
interview with Jake’s Takes, Edwards said, “We didn’t shoot against a green screen. We didn’t build sets. We went to 80 different locations all over the world, eight different countries, and 10,000 miles. Went to the Himalayas, volcanos, ancient ruins.” These practical effects are
combined with the visual effects of the artists at Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), making the story more immersive for both the actors and the audience.
The main message of this movie is very current. The world is now dealing with A.I., and many questions are being raised about whether humanity should allow it to continue to exist. This movie delves into what would happen if A.I. became so similar to humans that there was no difference between the two. In an interview with Collider, Gareth says, “I like films that are grey, not black and white, and where
you sort of experience the full conversation of both sides, and it’s up to you how you’re feeling
about it at the end.” Gareth’s film represents the current state of how people view A.I. in the world. There is a side that believes we need to ban it altogether, and there are others that say we need to take advantage of this technology and we can use it to better society. This film acknowledges both points of view and leaves the audience with significant questions about technology, humanity, and the world’s future. Gareth Edwards’ The Creator is action-packed and a must-see for people fascinated by technology. It is a well-written story with great visuals and characters.