. “The Creator” belongs to no franchise, though certainly it owes a lot to the harsh wonders and narrative devices of many earlier movies, from “Blade Runner” to “Akira.”Equal parts grit and sentiment, Edwards’ script, co-written by Chris Weitz, begins in 2065 before jumping forward, and then backward. A nuclear strike, made by artificial intelligence creations known as simulants, has left a million dead in greater Los Angeles.
The first half of “The Creator” pulls us in; the second half is less sure-footed in its flashbacks. Periodically, chapter titles appear on screen to class things up. The movie’s quite grueling in its violence; the same was true of “Rogue One” and director Edwards isn’t one for no-fuss good vs. evil. The movie’s future exists in irradiated shades of grey.