Two years after it split audiences straight down the middle, The Creator is officially having its “wait, were we too hard on this?” moment. Gareth Edwards’ original sci-fi epic has surged to #7 on Prime Video, proving that even the most polarizing big swings can find new life once the discourse cools and the algorithm does its thing.
Released in 2023, The Creator arrived with massive expectations, as it marked Edwards’ return to original sci-fi after Rogue One, and it looked insane — sprawling world-building, tactile AI designs, and a sense of scale that felt wildly ambitious for a non-franchise film.
Set in a near future where humanity is at war with artificial intelligence, the film centers on Joshua, played by John David Washington, a broken former soldier pulled back into the conflict when he’s tasked with hunting down the mysterious creator of an AI weapon. That weapon, of course, turns out to be a child — Alfie, portrayed by Madeleine Yuna Voyles — and from there the movie pivots into a road-movie-meets-war-film about grief, parenthood, and what actually makes someone “human.”
Is ‘The Creator’ Worth Watching?
Collider’s review of the movie stated that The Creator was an ambitious, visually striking sci-fi epic that grappled with humanity’s fear of artificial intelligence more than AI itself. Gareth Edwards was praised for crafting a breathtaking world, elevated by Greig Fraser’s cinematography and a strong, emotionally grounded lead performance from John David Washington. While the film explored compelling ideas about empathy, morality, and what defines a “civilized” society, the review noted that its messaging was often muddled and undermined by uneven plotting and troubling thematic choices. Despite its flaws, the film was described as a bold, original, and imperfect sci-fi story that stood out in a franchise-dominated landscape.
While The Creator is far from a masterpiece, it is a very impressive film to debut in 2023, when vapid superhero films and franchise fodder fill the airways — especially when one considers its tidy $80 million budget, which seems unthinkable considering the intricate AI designs it features. The script might have glaring flaws and painfully ambiguous morals, but The Creator is a truly remarkable piece of original science fiction storytelling. Even when it borrows from ideas established in films that preceded it, Edwards manages to make it feel fresh and new. The Creator is a beautifully crafted, albeit imperfect, science-fiction thriller that tries to unravel what it means to be a good human in a bad world.
The Creator is #7 on Prime Video.
Release Date
September 27, 2023
Runtime
134 minutes