Is AI truly our friend? A modern review about a modern fear.
Rating: 15
Length: 2 Hours
(Warning: Contains spoilers)
This feature-length movie opens with a 40’s style film reel, describing the usefulness of Artificial Intelligence. Then we, the audience, are shown the catalyst for the film’s plot, a massive nuclear explosion rips through an American city, which is believed to have been caused by AI.
This sparks a violent war between the America faction and AI friendly ‘New Asia’ faction and the hunt for a weapon which could turn the tide of the conflict, the protagonist is a soldier on the American side, however he struggles through his own turmoil as he searches for his lost love interest.
The plot reads as an exploration of Artificial Intelligence, war and American imperialism (with America using its NOMAD superweapon to subjugate the land of New Asia).
Whilst watching The Creator, I was amazed by the futuristic special effects, with NOMAD’s ‘death ray’, laser weapons and alien architecture. It showed a dystopian future, which could easily become a reality if AI spirals out of control.
The audience is left questioning if the America faction is truly the good guys as the faction is the film’s main aggressor, with it committing numerous war crimes including: Bombing villages and civilians, killing unarmed hostages and intimidating civilians.
In conclusion, this film subverts the commonly used trope of the protagonist or their faction being the beacon of morality and the antagonist and their faction being irredeemably evil. It critiques war and shows its effects on both parties.
It is revealed that AI was not behind the nuclear attack that sparked the conflict and the weapon happens to be the daughter of the protagonist. The film’s climax is sombre, with the protagonist sacrificing himself for his daughter.
However, the film also shows that the future is bright for both factions. I felt the film had a broad anti-war message that also explored the dangers of Artificial Intelligence and imperialism.
THE CREATOR IS AVAILABLE TO WATCH IN SHOWCASE CINEMAS