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WNY News Now has teamed up with the Lakewood Cinema 8 for a movie review segment. I’ll give my review on the film, and then we’ll hear some reviews from theater employees. This week’s movie review is The Creator. For those unaware, The Creator is a film about a future where the United States is at war with artificial intelligence. John David Washington plays an ex-special forces agent who is recruited to locate the eponymous Creator, the chief engineer of the AI, as well as the newest weapon they made, which has the potential to end the war. Now, let’s get into the review:
I liked The Creator. I really did. I thought that it was a breath of fresh air. The visual presentation and cinematography was nothing short of breathtaking. One of my biggest complaints with a lot of sci-fi movies of this scale nowadays is that they often are rushed when it comes to visual effects and aren’t given the time to apply the polish that makes these films look so good. That is not a problem I had with The Creator. You can clearly tell that they took the time to make sure that the movie looked as good as they could make it. I cannot recall a single shot that looked bad.
In terms of the cast, I thought they did a great job, especially the two leads. John David Washington might not have the same intimidating presence of his father, but he has shown that he is more than capable of being a leading man in his own right. But the standout has to be Madeleine Yuna Voyles. She absolutely nailed her performance in her professional debut. She managed to perform with a subtlety that few child actors possess, and managed to do so without coming across as too stoic or emotionless. I am excited to see where the future takes her.
Before I goAnother thing I really enjoyed about the film was its depiction of artificial intelligence. It took very clear inspiration from Blade Runner in how artificial intelligence is portrayed and treated. It brings a nuance to the discussion that, while not as action-packed and existential as, say, Skynet from Terminator, is much more narratively interesting, and brings forth questions about what it truly means to be human.
I also appreciated a lot of the symbology and real-world parallelisms made in the film, but that’s getting into spoiler territory, so I won’t get into that.
My biggest complaint about the movie was that I felt the second act ran a bit long, and that it introduced some action sequences that the movie didn’t really need to progress the story, but were included presumably to give it more commercial appeal. I understand their inclusion, and they were definitely fun to watch, but it could get a little repetitive and make you a bit antsy if you’re engaged with the narrative and are more interested in its progression. I think if they shaved off around 20 minutes, give or take, they could have had a more streamlined story that doesn’t have the same pacing issues, but it wouldn’t have the same draw if you’re watching it for the action.
Ultimately, I thought the movie was a good watch, and makes a great addition to the sci-fi genre. But don’t take my word for it. I spoke to some of the employees at the Lakewood Cinema 8 who had also seen the film to hear their thoughts on it.
If you like what you hear, be sure to stop by the Lakewood Cinema 8 in Lakewood, New York to watch The Creator while it’s still in theaters.
Quite right! It is good thought. I call for active discussion.