‘The Creator’ Review Embargo Has Lifted, 66 on Metacritic

The review embargo for Gareth Edwards’ “The Creator” is now a thing of the past. The reactions are what I expected: good, but not great. It currently has a 66 on Metacritic (based on 23 reviews).

This is the story of a future war between man and machine, as told through the bond that develops between a man and a child-sized machine. John David Washington, in his best performance, carries the entire movie.

There aren’t many original sci-fi movies being made these days, if any, and “The Creator” feels like an oasis in a sea of muck. It’s flawed, structurally muddy, but its ambitious 131 minutes rarely leaves you bored. Edwards has a vision and he sticks with it until the very end.

Many, including myself, are giving this one a pass just because of its sheer existence, in the current big studio cultural landscape — it’s really kind of miraculous that Edwards managed to convince a studio to make this movie. I wish him and 20th century all the best at the box-office. If “The Creator” can become a success then maybe more non-IP sci-fi can be greenlit in the near future.

It’s also impressive how this film only cost $80 million to make. Marvel, pay attention. It looks much more expensive than its reported budget. The production design is great, especially the way the robots are sketched out. The world building can also be very immersive. Edwards shot it all using a $4,000 Sony FX3 camera.

Suffice to say, there are a few worn out stretches here and there, and some clunky dialogue, but it all gels fairly well. It never dumbs things down for its audience either. The finale is really strong, constantly a step ahead of the audience — this is a movie that builds and builds and builds up to a crescendo.

However, most of all, this is further proof that Edwards can be a major voice in big studio filmmaking. He directed the only Disney-produced Star Wars movie I really liked (“Rogue One”) and “The Creator” is his first project since that 2016 movie.

Edwards borrows ideas from established films that preceded it, but it’s his’ craft, and his vision, that elevate this imperfect action movie into something entirely watchable. “The Creator” is being released in theaters nationwide this Friday.