Our worst nightmares came true when The Creator was released in cinemas worldwide, projecting all of our fears onto an eerily realistic large screen – thanks for that. If you’re a bit out of the loop, you’ll likely not be pleased to know that this sci-fi action film actually takes the old science fiction trope of artificial intelligence posing a threat to mankind and brings it to a modern script, offering possibly a glimpse into our future – which is fun, for lack of a better word.
As if we needed any more reasons to fear and resent A.I., this two-hour feature film also delves into the machine’s perspective in this fictional (yet eerily realistic) war with humans. Because, you know, the one thing we needed was the humanization of robots. To top it all off, The Creator marks the return of Gareth Edwards after Godzilla and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, while being led by the handsome John David Washington.
Naturally, this arguably sets up the best possible lineup to draw us into the nearest cinema and keep us glued to the screen. If you’re one of the many people who had the pleasure of catching this piece of sci-fi history but didn’t quite grasp the ending, keep on reading and allow me to explain.
Who was The Creator?
Throughout the film, we slowly come to the realization that both the audience and Joshua had been living a lie all along. Contrary to what our future may have suggested, the reason why planet Earth was suddenly on the brink of implosion and mass destruction was not the A.I.’s fault. In fact, we discover that these robots aren’t as soulless or self-sufficient as we’ve been led to believe.
As a matter of fact, the nuclear weapon that detonated – destroying half of Los Angeles – was rooted in a coding mistake, or a human error, if you will. With humans inadvertently causing harm to their own kind, American leaders declared an all-out war against A.I. – a move that directly opposed New Asia’s efforts to embrace technology, ultimately sparking a war between the two most powerful nations in the world.
As catastrophic as it sounds, the film also brilliantly infuses even more humanity into the mix through the inclusion of very real human feelings felt between human beings and machines alike. Throughout this entire journey to stop and prevent mass destruction and the annihilation of all living beings, we uncover that Nimata — the person Joshua was assigned to eliminate — was the one sustaining The Creator’s existence. She also happened to be his comatose wife.
How did The Creator end?
In the end, Joshua’s real intention was to reunite with Maya, unbeknownst to him that he would be forced to remove all life force keeping her alive, all while facing a new adoptive daughter to care for – Alphie. Amid all the action, a very conflicted Joshua manages to outsmart his superiors and take Alphie on a trip to hijack the NOMAD, which was about to fire missiles to end all robots.
While onboard NOMAD, Alphie faces a synthetic of Maya, who she believed to be her mother – despite being a machine. Nonetheless, the child robot uses a scan of Maya’s brain to boot up the reminiscent of Maya and attempts to drag it to the shuttle, failing in the process. Amid the commotion, Joshua’s oxygen levels are rabidly decreasing after he had to explode with the shuttle’s airlock to ensure Alphie’s safety from NOMAD agents.
Ultimately, Alphie’s life was spared after Joshua was able to ensure the pod would be safely released back to Earth, saving Alphie but not himself. Still, the agent was capable of reuniting with Maya one last time, placing a farewell kiss on the synthetic, accepting his fate as the entire space shuttle exploded around him, eradicating everyone aboard in the process.
The film ends just as Alphie is beginning to explore the new world and the new opportunity she was given. In a heartbreaking catalyst, the film ended in a full circle, with Joshua atoning for all the massacre he committed against A.I. by saving the entire machine race. Alphie might have lost the only parents she ever knew, but she now had the reassurance that Joshua would be safely left in heaven.