I fear this movie is going to hold up more advancement for actors of color leading more sci-fi/fantasy movies ... Because the suits will say it's because the lead isn't a straight white man... Even Will Smith couldn't save After Earth and it took Marvel making Black Panther to have a major big budget sci-fi movie with black leads make a profit at the box office... But this hurts it the chances of more stuff that's kinda out there being made.
Yeah, I get that, but I think it would help A LOT if it were a better movie.
It certainly was wrapped in a pretty bow, but it seemed all over the map tonally, with characters making terrible strategic decisions, Indiana Jones-level badguys that continue to give the protagonist access to the child again and again when he is shown to be working against them, and just other undercooked ideas. I feel like I forced myself to like it a bit more than I should as I am a supporter of good sci-fi, but aside from the visuals, this was a letdown.
Oh, and After Earth sucked ass. That's why it failed.
Well, there is "we are gonna put a black guy in this, which of the 5 available will it be?" that limits casting and then there is "out of 1000 dudes THIS IS THE GUY, oh yeah, he happens to be black so we gotta do some support character casting around that".
There is a dearth of black leads who could make their own film, kinda depends on where you put The Rock and Mamoa, then you got Kevin Hart, Denzel of course, Will Smith, probably a few I'm forgetting ATM but the bench isn't deep. There are lots of good black men acting, but I don't think many have the pull to wrap a project around themselves. Jonathan Majors was getting there but oh well.
To finish my thought, sci-fi I feel has always been pretty diverse with the casting, I don't think we are gonna see that change.
The Creator, specifically, suffers from the anti-West, pro-asia slant, I think, in marketing to the west. Did it do gangbusters in Asia though?
If were to sum it up it would be, mostly style over substance. Mediocre story, with some nice visual effects.
The production values were fairly good, but it's the sort of CGI that draws attention to itself and doesn't convincingly blend into the live-action elements.
Art design and world-building were all over the place. Given the themes of AI dominance and personhood, the way those themes were portrayed was kind of sloppy.
I get they were trying to go for this stylish blend of old and new tech, but it just didn't work for me. Seems like they were more concerned with making things look cool, rather than making things be more visually cohesive.
The writing was rather uninspired. The plot is pretty much textbook sci-fi, peppered with the usual tropes.
Taking the premise AI vs humanity, but instead casting humans as the aggressor had potential, the execution was clumsy imo.
I just couldn't take the idea of these incredibly advanced machines being so helpless against the evil human westerners seriously lol
Not much in the way of memorable characters either.
From the offset, the film tried to make me care about the characters they spent little time building. Characters were dying left and right and I just couldn't care less.
Performances were decent enough, but I didn't feel an emotional investment in the characters or their motivations. Which made all of the emotional moments feel a bit cheap and unearned.
Why would there be a sweatshop filled with Asian workers making incredibly human-like androids?
Why would a rear naked chokehold be an effective means of incapacitating an advanced police android?
Why would designing a child android even be a big deal if it's already possible to design and simulate any other age group or behavior type?
They have the technology to bring back humans from the dead for limited periods, but that one guy was crying over his "dead" robot girlfriend when he could've probably restored her into a new body.
Considering that a sentient AI being able to hack and cripple the human's offensive capabilities is essentially the plot of the film, why even use any form of computer technology at all?
On top of that, the choice to use ballistics and warheads seems like complete overkill when EMP weapons would've been just as effective against the machines without all of the needless destruction and loss of human life.
There is tech capable of replicating any human face onto an android, so why not use that to hide your identities when you're on the run with wanted pictures of you everywhere?
Joshua already betrayed the USA, but they still allow him to ride along with Alphie? Come on...
I understand it's sci-fi, but there were far too many inconsistencies that I struggled to suspend my disbelief for most of it.
I watched some of this today and was jumping around. His friend in the movie looked so damn familiar to me when I saw it in the theater and I just couldn't place it.
Then I backed out on Plex and saw it was Sturgill Simpson. I dig his music, but what an odd cameo/role - unless he's suddenly an actor? Kinda makes me like the movie just a little more - a little...
I watched some of this today and was jumping around. His friend in the movie looked so damn familiar to me when I saw it in the theater and I just couldn't place it.
Then I backed out on Plex and saw it was Sturgill Simpson. I dig his music, but what an odd cameo/role - unless he's suddenly an actor? Kinda makes me like the movie just a little more - a little...
Rogue One, Terminator, iRobot and Golden Child vibes. Amazing VFX for an $80m movie, like l was stunned how good it is. Musically wasn't epic for Hans Zimmer.
I really liked this. Yes, it is heavily inspired by other movies and the lead actor was only ok, but it was just so cool. The world building, technology, and set ups/pay offs were all really well done.
Finally watched it today. Decent movie. Weird plot holes i'll lis below unless I was an idiot and missed it. Not the type of movie I'd watch again, but worth watching once.
I only faintly remember the trailer being a cool sci fi action movie. Thats all I knew so I went in blind.
- Awesome setting and vfx for most of the movie. It's one part sci-fi, one part grounded and most of it isn't too crazy. Although there's some unrealistic space-age shit like spaceships zooming around too fast and agile, the tentacle machine with a bad looking CGI Washington in its clutches. Doesn't seem believeable to have all this futuristic stuff done by only 2055 or 2065, but whatever. I'd be more believable if it was 2100s. Later in the movie it becomes too video gamey
- Pretty predictable plot after it sinks in. Only thing that was 50/50 was if Washington dies at the end. The AI girl reminded me of the movie Looper
Unless I missed it, I dont get these things I noticed:
- If the AI girl has powerful (but limited range) electrical effects, seems like she only used it a handful of times during tense situations. Other that those times she never uses it
- How did Drew figure out the AI girl is the most powerful AI ever who can control the world later on? He found that all out just by doing his tech check on her skull for 2 minutes?
- Instead of killing the Ai girl outright when damaged in the village, why dick around with keeping her around only for Washington to save her?
- If NOMAD knew where all these AI bases are, why only go full mayhem at the end? They should be knocking out all these AI hubs already
