It's rare to have original big-budget sci-fi films in theaters these days, and while it hasn't become a box office hit, there are plenty of fans looking for films like The Creator. Gareth Edwards' latest film is set in a futuristic world where Western civilization has declared war on AI. The fictional nation of New Asia fights efforts to eradicate AI. A former special forces agent, Joshua (John David Washington), is tasked with traveling to New Asia and destroying a new AI weapon.
The Creator explores ideas about humanity's relationship with AI, debuting at a time when its central theme could not be more relevant. The story uses science fiction as a means to explore themes of empathy and what it means to be sentient and human. This is a story that has been explored in Hollywood before. The Creator it also features well-worn story elements of a protector caring for a child in a dangerous world. This has led to many great films like The Creator, some of which directly inspired Edwards' film.
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Blade Runner (1982)
Ridley Scott's hugely influential sci-fi saga
One of the best science fiction films of all time, Blade runner is the most obvious next stop for fans of The Creator. The film is set in a future where android “replicants” are used for work only for some of them to gain independence and seek a life outside of servitude. When these replicants go rogue, law enforcement agents known as blade runners hunt them down to exterminate them.
Ridley Scott's 1982 film is extremely influential in the science fiction genre, having popularized a cyberpunk aesthetic used in video games, anime, and other media. Talking to Far Out Magazine, Edwards quoted Blade runner as one of his main inspirations for creating a visually stunning setting. Rutger Hauer's Roy Batty is one of the most compelling genre villains of all time, while Harrison Ford's Deckard reflects Joshua's arc of empathy for these artificially intelligent beings.
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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Gareth Edwards enters the Star Wars universe
The Creator is not the only science fiction story Gareth Edwards has explored, as he was also at the helm of the first Star Wars derivative film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The film serves as a prequel to A New Hopefollowing a band of rebel soldiers looking to steal the plans for the Death Star weapon for a chance to fight the powerful Empire.
Edwards mentioned his great affection for Star Warsand he cited the design of the original trilogy as one of his main inspirations for The Creator.
While Godzilla and Monsters have great photos, Rogue One sees Edwards working with his highest budget, bringing bright, beautiful worlds to life. Edwards mentioned his great affection for Star Warsand he cited the design of the original trilogy as one of his main inspirations for The Creator. However, There are similarities between the design of The Creator and that of Rogue One as they both look like war movies set in this sci-fi setting. It's an engaging aesthetic that works on both counts.
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Ex Máquina (2014)
Alex Garland's riveting AI thriller
Directed by Alex Garland and produced by A24, Ex-machine is one of the most popular science fiction films of the 2010s. The film follows a programmer named Caleb who is taken to the private estate of his company's CEO, where he is shown a humanoid robot named Ava. Caleb is asked to interact with Ava. and judge whether she is capable of consciousness.
While it doesn't have the heavy action of The Creator, Ex-machine presents similar themes and ideas. Ex-machine explores the complicated relationship between humans and AI, as well as the potential consequences of AI development. It also explores the arrogance of humans in creating such a thing and then becoming angry when they want more than just serving humanity. Ava's design, effortlessly combining a human performance with a synthetic appearance, looks very similar to the way “simulators” in The Creator to appear.
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Children of Men (2006)
A man protects a young girl with an important secret
Alfonso Cuaron Children of Men is one of the most iconic science fiction films of the 21st century. Set in a dark world that has been ruined by environmental issues and war, infertility has become an existential threat. Clive Owen stars as Theo, a man who is drawn into a covert operation to help transport a young girl through the dangerous landscape of this future. The importance of the mission becomes clear when Theo discovers that the woman is pregnant – carrying the first child humanity has seen in decades.
Children of Men also seems like an inspiration for The Creator's attempt to build a lived-in science fiction world.
The premise of a reluctant hero transporting a young girl through a dangerous dystopian world obviously has ties to the central premise of The Creator. There is also an interesting parallel between The CreatorAlphie and Children of Men's Kee, as they will change the world simply by existing, but they don't necessarily want the responsibility. Children of Men also seems like an inspiration for The Creator's attempt to build a lived-in science fiction world.
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Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Arnold Schwarzenegger Becomes Protector in James Cameron Sequel
Terminator 2: Judgment Day it subverts expectations by becoming yet another science fiction film about a warrior protecting a child. Taking place years after the events of the first episode, John Connor is born and is now a rebellious young man while his mother, Sarah Connor, is in a psychiatric facility. When an advanced Terminator is sent back in time to kill John, he discovers that a second Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has been sent back by John himself in the future to protect his younger self.
While humans are at war with AI in The Creatorthe film explores the complexity of the issue, a highly prevalent discussion by the end of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Sarah Connor mirrors Joshua's arc, having complete distrust and hatred for the machines at first, only to come to respect the T-800. In addition to sharing similar themes with The Creator, the first two Terminator The films are simply incredible sci-fi action features that are must-see material for anyone who enjoys the genre.
5
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Stanley Kubrick's first exploration of AI
Directed by Stanley Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the most important science fiction films ever made. The expansive, epic film concerns humanity's first contact with alien life when a monolith is discovered, prompting a team of astronauts to head out into space to investigate its origins, accompanied by their AI computer HAL-9000.
While its pace is slower than what modern film fans are used to, it's an essential film that everyone should watch at least once. The influence of 2001 It's everywhere in science fiction and pop culture, from the space sequences in the first Star Wars for the opening scene in Barbie. Mainly for fans of The Creator, 2001 The character HAL-9000 is one of the first and most prominent explorations of AI in cinema.
4
Akira (1988)
A young gang leader protects his friend from the government
Akira is one of the best-known anime films in the West and Gareth Edwards took inspiration from the animated classic to The Creator. While Akira doesn't explore AI, it shares similar stylistic choices and ideas, like an eastern nation newly formed after a devastating explosion, satellite weapons firing blue rays at Earth, and super-powered children. Akira is set in a futuristic world where science is seeing great progress, but this progress is mainly helping bureaucratic and wealthy bodies.
It's another fascinating, well-crafted sci-fi world that audiences can immerse themselves in. There is also a central relationship that mirrors that of Joshua and Alphie in The Creator. While Kaneda learns that his best friend, Tetsuo, has become a powerful and dangerous telepathic threat, he refuses to abandon his friend and fight against the military who are trying to destroy you.
3
Soylent Green (1973)
A detective investigates a conspiracy in the dystopian future
The Creator is one of many science fiction films that explores the despair that humanity is pushed into in the difficult future and how this despair can lead to the loss of humanity. One of the most famous films to explore this idea is Green Soylent. The film follows an NYPD detective (Charlton Heston) in a dystopian, futuristic world where natural resources have dried up. People rely on mass-produced, factory-made wafers of different colors and unfamiliar ingredients for their food, the latest being “Soylent Green.“
The film explores a devastated society and ideas of government conspiracy, as well as The Creator, who criticizes the US government. Heston's hero is much like Joshua in The Creator as he begins the story as a man who accepts the world as it is, only to find his beliefs and assumptions challenged throughout the story, all leading to one of the most famous twist endings in film history.
2
A Perfect World (1993)
An outlaw forms a bond with the boy he kidnapped
A perfect world is not a science fiction film, but was mentioned by Edwards, along with rain manas narrative inspiration for The Creator. The 1993 film, starring Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood, sees Costner playing an escaped prisoner who kidnaps a young boy. The prisoner and his captive travel across the US, forming an unexpected bond.
Like Joshua, Costner's outlaw serves as a protector of sorts, but also someone with a sense of danger to him.
For viewers of The Creator who were interested in the relationship between Joshua and Alphie, A perfect world will provide solid follow-up. Like Joshua, Costner's outlaw serves as a protector of sorts, but also someone with a sense of danger to him. Costner gives one of his best performances in the role while he's on the run, but he also wants to mentor the boy and teach him aspects of life he hasn't yet learned. The mismatched pair's journey as they are pursued seems similar to the connection between Joshua and Alphie in The Creator.
1
The Road (2009)
A father protects his son in the post-apocalyptic world
As A perfect world, The road is a film with a similar relationship to that between Joshua and Alphie in The Creator. Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy, The road follows a father and son in a post-apocalyptic world, surviving and scavenging their way to the sea. As they encounter one danger after another, the father does everything he can to protect his son, but he also struggles with the idea of ​​not letting him fall victim to the horrors that surround them.
The world of The road is much darker than the society in The Creatorbut it is one of the best examples of stories that show the importance of family and companionship in dark times. It's an unpleasant and bleak existence, but there is always genuine love between the boy and his father.
Source: Far Out Magazine
The Creator
The Creator is a sci-fi action film from Rogue One director Gareth Edwards. Edwards wrote and directed the film, which revolves around the human race's war against AI. In the post-apocalyptic world, Joshua (John David Washington) is tasked with finding and killing the architect of the dangerous AI and the mysterious weapon they are developing.
- Release date
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September 29, 2023
- Execution time
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123 minutes
- Cast
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John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson, Allison Janney, Madeleine Yuna Voyles
- Director
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Gareth Edwards