Gareth Edwards new film, The Creator, follows a future war/conflict between humans and artificial intelligence. The film is not a remix of Terminator 2 or any previous Humans vs. A.I films. It’s a visually captivating film about love, what it means to be alive, and the callousness of conflict.

In this world, there was an incident in Los Angeles that led to the United States banning artificial intelligence. In New Asia, they’ve embraced A.I and have fully incorporated them into their everyday lives. After ex-special forces agent Joshua (John David Washington) loses his family in an attack, he’s brought back into the fold by Colonel Howell (Allison Janney). Howell recruits him to find the creator of advanced A.I known as Nirmata. It has been rumored Nirmata is making a weapon that will help A.I win the war against humans by taking out a weapon known as NOMAD – a gigantic drone the United States uses to rage war on A.I.

A jaded and uninterested Joshua is convinced to help once he’s told his wife Maya (Gemma Chan) is still alive somewhere in New Asia. When Joshua comes across the weapon named Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles), he realizes she may be the key to finding Maya.

The Creator may feel familiar at times. There are tropes from previous sci-fi movies sprinkled throughout the story. What sets the film apart is the emotions it evokes and the subtle look at how the United States engages in conflicts overseas. For instance, A.I is banned in the United States but used in their military efforts. NOMAD bombs its targets with zero regard for the damage it causes and the destruction it leaves behind. There’s also very little care for the people and A.I that live in these places the United States military is waging war. It’s not just that they think the A.I isn’t real; they treat them like things and treat the humans in the city the same way.

Most importantly, when what happened in Los Angles is discussed and what the A.I’s end goal is, it makes their war efforts even more cold and heinous. Gareth Edwards wraps the treatment of people that don’t look like us and the ways in which the military handles conflict in a nice dystopian sci-fi story. It may feel like something that’s in our distant future, but Edwards makes it a point to show this is what’s happening now.

Madeleine Yuna Voyles gives a tremendous performance as Alphie. Voyles turns what could be a predictable character into a loving, funny, and curious kid. Every emotional beat with Alphie will tug at your heartstrings. I haven’t cared about A.I this much since 1986’s Short Circuit.

John David Washington continues to impress and gives one of his best performances to date. Joshua goes through a wide range of emotions and is in a different space at the end of the movie from when the audience is first introduced to the character. Washington’s performance makes his emotional journey feel real within the world Edwards created.

The love between Joshua, Maya, and Alphie is at the heart of the film. Love is the strongest weapon that’s shown onscreen. What Joshua is willing to do to find his wife, and the transformative love he gets from Alphie is the lesson the film leaves the audience with. The love that drives Joshua’s journey is only more visible as the violence around him and Alphie picks up.

The Creator is one of the most beautiful films you’ll see on the big screen. It works on many levels because of the incredible cinematography from Greig Fraser and Oren Soffer. The world the characters live in feels very real, even when you know what you’re seeing is not real. This is a world audiences would love to spend more time in. The film does a great job telling Joshua’s story in 2 hours, however, a 6 episode series that discusses the world before the L.A incident, the war efforts, what A.I is up to in New Asia, and how everyone is dealing with the conflict would be nice to see.

It’s rare you come across a film that’s visually stunning and works as a big budget sci-fi fantasy adventure, while also accurately depicting the true power of love and how the United States consistently finds itself in prolonged conflict with other countries. The Creator is a masterfully told sci-fi film that hopefully makes people to understand the viewpoint of others and reconsider how we resolve conflict.

Grade: B+