The Creator

By Joshua Xiang

"Visually stunning and packed with spectacular set pieces, The Creator serves up timely, well-acted sci-fi that satisfies in the moment even if it lacks substance." (Rotten Tomatoes Critic Consensus)

Overall - The Creator

The Creator is a film that carries various sci-fi elements visually and is a reminder to the audience of all the legacy sci-fi films that made the genre what it's known for today. The overall cinematography and how well the CGI blends in is phenomenal, creating a better focus and more awareness towards the human elements portrayed in the movie. It's almost as if the producers worked rigorously to make sure there wasn't an overload of CGI in the film entirely, which brings more appreciation towards the effort.

The storyline and segmental arrangement from beginning to end were well-composed. Breaking the movie into four chapters to assist the audience visually really helped in maintaining composure in storytelling. Chapter 4 "Mother" by far, had the best closing scenes that will bring all types of emotions to audiences in theatres.

Aesthetic and Visual Design - A Harmonious Blend of Asian Traditional and Futuristic Design

"The Creator" transcends the boundaries of traditional cinema, weaving together stunning visuals of Shaolin monk life with a captivating exploration of artificial intelligence and its potential impact on our future. Set against the tranquil Tibetan landscape backdrop, the film takes viewers on a mesmerizing journey into the realms of monks, Buddhism, and the intricate dance between humanity and technology.

The film's narrative intricately interlaces the serene existence of the monks with the curiosity surrounding "The Rogue One," providing a tantalizing glimpse into the makings of this mysterious endeavor.

Adding Shaolin monk's elements with mechanics and metal parts is one of the movie's compelling assets. The cinematography beautifully captures the essence of this ancient way of life, offering audiences a glimpse into a world that is both spiritual and disciplined. The seamless integration of Tibetan landscapes enhances the overall visual appeal, creating a truly immersive experience.

The film not only adds Buddhist elements into its design but also a lot of Japanese early twenty-first-century cyberpunk and manga elements, like Alita, EVA, Ghost in the Shell, Akira, and so on.....

Criticism - The State of Original Movies in Hollywood

Many critics have pointed out that the production design and some story elements are reminiscent of Aliens, Children of Men, Blade Runner, Logan, and Gareth's own Rogue One. This issue then leads to my second thesis about The State of Original Movies in Hollywood.

The emergence of the movie The Creator reflects the lamentable attitude of people nowadays. People have no faith in big budgets for original films, which is considerable. It's not like Hollywood is out of ideas. It is just tough for filmmakers to convince investors to fund a totally new original idea that will make people buy tickets for it. More importantly, those classic movies' surface story similarities are simply ingredients of the best films in the genre. Gareth has to make his movies contain those movies' highlights to establish the movie.

That is also why I feel pity that in this movie industry, many ideas are dead after they are just being written down. Hopefully in the future with the improvement of technology, we will be able to produce greater effects films with smaller budgets. The Creator is already a phenomenon that, with only 80 million dollars, creates a 200 million dollars visual effect.