4K Digital Review: The Creator

 

Gareth Edwards wrote and directed The Creator, a film about the emergence of AI. At first, we embrace AI, but then the AI turns against us and sets off a nuclear explosion. Now fifteen years later man is at war against the machines. Humanity has forced the remaining robots and their sympathizers into the East using a massive floating weapons platform called NOMAD. John David Washington plays Joshua, a special force spy sent into the find Nirmata (creator of the AI machines). As Joshua gets closer to finding out who Nirmata is, he falls in love with Maya (Gemma Chan).

After a devastating attack and Maya is lost, we move forward five years. We find Joshua is retired but discovers that Maya is alive. The AI are also close to creating a weapon that can destroy NOMAD. The military wants to use Joshua to find the weapon and destroy it before it can be used. But the weapon turns out to be an AI in the form of a child. This child can control technology and also knows where Maya is. Joshua must choose whether to follow orders or his heart.

Fantastic sets, action pieces, great acting make this one of my favorite movies of 2023. In the end the movie asks who is more human, the humans or the machines? 

Video:

The Creator looks stunning as there was no green screen used in the entire production of the movie. Everything was filmed on location. The wizards at ILM then created the sci-fi feel to the film. So, there is a real texture to everything. Even the way Edwards used a digital grain to create a seventies vibe to the look of the film looks amazing. Colors were muted on purpose to let the grays and blues dominate, but primary colors really shine through.  

Audio:

The Dolby Atmos audio mix is solid. It is totally immersive and full of environmental effects. The action sequences have a lot of heft to them with lots of bass when bombs and missiles go off.  The dialogue is front and center and the score is nicely mixed in. 

Bonus Feature:

True Love: Making The Creator (55 Mins)
Join director Gareth Edwards and crew for nearly an hour look behind the scenes. Hear from actors about the filming experience, and learn about the production's documentary-style approach, the innovative camera and lighting work, and much more.

Conclusion:

The Creator is one of the best films of 2023. A wonderful story on what is love, what is family, filled with solid acting, an amazing score, beautiful set pieces and a fabulous documentary make this a must have to your film library. 

 The Creator is now available on digital and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD.

*The film was provided by Walt Disney Home Entertainment for the sole purpose of review and the review is strictly my opinion.*

4K Digital Review: Amsterdam

Amsterdam boasts one of the most impressive casts from writer-director David O. Russell. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki brings his powerful visuals to create a stunning period piece. But that is where the excitement ends. The film is both slow and action-forward and it doesn't seem to know which one it wants to be. 

Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale) is a doctor and a veteran with a glass eye. He is friends with Harold Woodsman (John David Washington) a lawyer and fellow veteran. They become friends with nurse Valarie (Margot Robbie) and become involved in a very confusing plot surrounding the murder of their former commanding officer. 

The surrounding cast, while notable, are given too little to work with. The main cast gets too much to cover.  The confusing but overly-explained plot distracts from the movie and almost makes you feel like we are not part of the movie.

 

Video:

The 4K streaming video is sharp and looks fine. Blacks are deep and inky, colors have a nice saturation to them and skin tones and textures look natural. 

Audio:

The Dolby 5.1 comes off as fairly soft in terms of volume. Dialogue is clean and crisp from the center channel. Atmospheric effects such as engines and gunshots are solid.  

Bonus Features:

Welcome To Amsterdam – Learn how this original, witty crime epic was made. Hear from the writer/director about his process, the actors who transformed into their characters, and discover how the production created the period look of this visually spectacular film.

 

Conclusion:

Amsterdam should have been a great film, but the confusing plot overshadows the excellent cast and the beautiful time period set pieces. This is a rental first. The digital download is available now. 

*The review copy was sent to me by Walt Disney Home Entertainment strictly for purposes of review. The opinion is strictly my own.*