The Creator (2023)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A former special forces agent must hunt down the creator of a mysterious weapon capable of ending a war between humans and artificial intelligence.
The story
Set in 2070, following a nuclear detonation in Los Angeles that sparked a war between humans and artificial intelligence, the world is divided. While the Western world seeks to eradicate AI, the region of New Asia continues to embrace it. A former special forces agent, Sergeant Joshua Taylor, is recruited by the U.S. military to find and destroy 'Nirmata', the architect behind New Asia's AI advancements. The mission becomes personal when Taylor is tasked with locating a new weapon, 'Alpha O', which is revealed to be a robotic 'simulant' in the form of a young girl. Taylor must navigate a dangerous landscape to protect the girl while uncovering the truth about his past and the nature of the conflict.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 2055, a nuclear blast in Los Angeles sparked a global war between humans and AI. By 2065, the U.S. military seeks to eliminate 'Nirmata', the architect of New Asia's AI. Sergeant Joshua Taylor, whose wife Maya was presumed dead in a strike, is recruited to find 'Alpha O', a weapon capable of destroying the U.S. space station NOMAD. Taylor discovers Alpha O is a young girl 'simulant' named Alphie. During the journey, he learns from his friend Drew that the military knew Maya was actually Nirmata. Taylor and Alphie are captured by Harun, a simulant soldier who claims AI only wants to coexist. After escaping, Taylor finds Maya alive but in a coma. He eventually takes her off life support, and they flee as the U.S. forces arrive. In a final confrontation, Taylor is forced to 'kill' Alphie, but it is a ruse. They reach a lunar shuttle and head toward NOMAD. Taylor plants explosives and sends Alphie to a sister simulant containing Maya's memories. As NOMAD explodes, it shuts down the missile system, saving AI bases in New Asia. Alphie returns to Earth as the new 'Nirmata'.
- Original title
- True Love
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 133
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Gareth Edwards
- Writers
- Gareth Edwards · screenplay; Chris Weitz · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- John David Washington · Sergeant Joshua Taylor; Gemma Chan · Maya Fey; Ken Watanabe · Harun; Sturgill Simpson · Drew; Allison Janney · Colonel Howell
- Genres
- science fiction; action
- Themes
- Human-AI coexistence; The ethics of artificial intelligence; War and its consequences
- Tone and mood
- Epic; Atmospheric
- Premise and plot tags
- Sci-fi; Action; War; Robots; Post-apocalyptic
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, praising its visual effects and direction while some noted flaws in writing.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 63 · scale: 100 · review count: 54; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 81% · scale: percentage
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Awards · Best Visual Effects · 96th · Nominated; Academy Awards · Best Sound · 96th · Nominated; Saturn Awards · Best Science Fiction Film · 51st · Nominated; Saturn Awards · Best Film Visual / Special Effects · 51st · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled 'True Love'.; The production used a prosumer Sony FX3 camera.; The film's trailer was criticized for using footage from the 2020 Beirut explosion.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…