The Creator review: "A stunning snapshot of the future"

Seven years on from his hit Star Wars story Rogue One, British filmmaker Gareth Edwards heads back into the sci-fi arena with The Creator. The director/co-writer (with Chris Weitz) takes the hot topic of AI and weaves it into a vast, vividly realised tapestry. 

It starts with a bang - in 2055, a newsreel informs us that a warhead was detonated by AI, engulfing Los Angeles and leading to a ban on artificial intelligence in the US. Fifteen years on, the military remains on the hunt for Nirmata, a mysterious figure behind a weapon that could turn the tables against America.

Enter Sgt. Joshua Taylor (John David Washington), who’s dispatched to the Republic of New Asia to look for Nirmata and the weapon, but is more eager to find lost love Maya (Gemma Chan). Accompanying a posse of soldiers, he finds neither Maya nor a weapon – just a ‘Simulant’ (the most advanced form of AI yet) in the form of a child (soulful newcomer Madeleine Yuna Voyles) boasting eerie powers. Despite his hatred of AI – his family were killed in the LA blast – Joshua has little choice but to pair up with this young girl, whom he names Alphie, in the hope she’ll lead him to his beloved Maya. 

Split into chapters – ‘The Child’, ‘The Friend’, and so on – this lone wolf and cub-style story sees our heroes pursued by various parties, including a US Colonel (Allison Janney, enjoyably bolshie) with a personal vendetta against AI. If the bond between Joshua and Alphie isn’t quite as tear-jerking as the film wants it to be, Edwards’s world-building certainly hits the mark. Accompanied by Hans Zimmer’s ornate score and some epic sound design, the visuals - encompassing Thai locations, beautifully lensed by Oren Soffer and garnished with ace VFX - create a stunning snapshot of the future.

The Simulants, with negative space running through their heads, look terrific. And NOMAD, the aerial US weapon hunting down Simulant resistance, is just about the scariest space station since the Death Star. Clipping along at a fierce pace, the action – especially a scene on a bridge with monstrous-looking tanks and AI bombs that run like Usain Bolt – is also killer. True, some of the character dynamics needed more fleshing out. But with this blend of spectacle and big themes (otherness, prejudice), Edwards has created something hugely original and endlessly imaginative.  

The Creator is released in UK cinemas on September 28 and in US cinemas on September 29.