The Creator, written and directed by Gareth Edwards, is visually spectacular. It conveys an impressive sense of scale, and the sci-fi elements are seamlessly integrated.
Edwards is very good at conveying verisimilitude, of making the fantastical seem believable, and loves distant shots of characters in sweeping landscapes. Visually, it reminds me of David Lean epics like Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia.
Story wise, not so much.
The actors are excellent, making the most of the material they've been given.
There are many impressive scenes which, in isolation, suggest a great film.
Unfortunately, the whole is less than the sum of its parts.
I really wanted to like this film. I admire Edward's innovative film making. He's a visionary. At least, he is when it comes to visuals and production process.
His background is in VFX, and that's where he truly excels.
But while the design of this futuristic reality was slick and polished, it felt just a little... generic. That wouldn't be a problem if the rest of the film were compelling. Unfortunately, there's not much underlying the gleaming VFX facade here in terms of world building. The conflict here has no depth. It's like they put a great big bucket of sci-fi tropes into a blender and this purée was the result.
Even that can be fun, but story wise it did not work for me.
It was one of the most frustrating viewing experiences I've had in recent memory.
Edwards has oodles of talent, it's obvious from the visuals and his production process. And he loves sci-fi. I have no doubt that Edwards, powered by right script, could produce a cinematic sci-fi masterpiece.
One day.
Sadly, this isn't it.
No comments:
Post a Comment