Look, I actually don’t think ChatGPT will ever evolve into Skynet, but I can’t resist one small nervous about the great unknowns of artificial intelligence. So if anyone wants to use my paranoia for grand spectacle, I’m glad it’s director Gareth Edwards. Edwards is the man behind the low-budget miracle Samplesthe completely undervalued 2014 Godzilla reboot, and it’s divisive but wonderful Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He hasn’t done much since the 2016 prequel, but the wait seems worth it: the trailer for his new movie The creator goes to great lengths to envision a post-Apocalypse story steeped in our big questions about AI.
The creator stars John David Washington (Tenet, BlacKkKlansman) as a soldier who survives a war between humans and an artificial intelligence that has already bombed Los Angeles. (Folks, that’s why the WGA stands out for AI regulation!). Here’s the official summary:
Joshua (Washington), a hardened ex-special forces agent mourning the disappearance of his wife (Gemma Chan), is recruited to track down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who wields a mysterious weapon developed with the power to end war… and humanity itself. Joshua and his team of elite operatives travel across enemy lines, into the dark heart of AI-occupied territory… only to discover that the world-ending weapon he must destroy is an AI in the form of a young child.
Personally, I hate it when the world-ending weapon I’m supposed to destroy is an AI in the form of a young child. Sucks.
As a mix between Edwards’ grounded vision for Samples and cost-effective manufacturing design Villain One, The creator looks thoughtful and massively scaled without losing the human element. The terminator And Matrix comparisons are obvious, but Steven Spielberg’s sensibility AI: artificial intelligence seems to be in there too. As if the vision wasn’t enough, the cast is stacked: Ken Watanabe plays a literal gearhead, while country singer Sturgill Simpson plays a guy named Dog. Finally, Allison Janney succeeds her Takenlike Netflix movie Lou by cocking a futuristic gun and looking like a badass. Here for everything, even if the imminent disruption to actual AI makes me wonder when the internet as we know it exists in 10 years. It’s all good as long as The creator is good!
The creator opens in theaters on September 29.