Gareth Edwards’s science fiction film starring John David Washington, Ken Watanabe, and Gemma Chan tells the story of a world that’s torn between AI and humans. In it, a former special forces commando agent was hired to kill an entity only known as The Creator, whose machinations led it to build a weapon that’s capable of destroying the human race.
The movie features amazing special effects, impeccable editing, and great performances by Washington, whose work on other science fiction movies like Christopher Nolan’s Tenet is very good. Taking inspiration from movies like Blade Runner, Baraka, Akira, Rain Man, and even E.T. the Extraterrestrial, Gareth Edwards manages to tell a story whose climactic finale can leave many a one baffled.
As such, I took the time to prepare and share with you what is my interpretation of this movie’s conclusion. If you haven’t seen it yet, I suggest you do because I give out major spoilers for context. Now, if you don’t mind spoilers, then please enjoy what I consider is the ending interpretation of this science fiction film.
The Creator Plot
It’s 2055 and machines with AI have taken over the world, leaving humans to be sort of outcasts and second class citizens all over the place. The American government blows up a nuke in Los Angeles to try and stop the machines from taking over, but they’re thwarted because a country called New Asia in the Southeastern region of that continent kept on developing AI. So, the US govenrment kicks off a campaign to kill “Nirmata” the head developer for New Asia’s AI program.
We jump forward a decade and John David Washington’s character Joshua Taylor is a special ops commando deployed in New Asia who becomes tasked with killing the head of New Asia’s AI program. There’s a catch though, Joshua Taylor is married to Maya, and Maya’s dad id is Nirmata. So the US government believes that eliminating Maya and her AI creation could end the war against AI.
Joshua and Maya have a child, but as the film progresses, it is revealed that Maya has secretly created an advanced AI named Alpha-O “Alphie”, based on her and Joshua’s child, with the ability to change and grow.
Following the attack on Taylor’s home by US forces, which revealed his cover, a pregnant Maya is killed in the ensuing American strike. Five years later, Taylor is employed by Los Angeles’ ground zero cleanup crew. General Andrews and Colonel Howell approach him, letting him know that Maya is still alive and enlisting him in a mission to destroy a new weapon that Nirmata has created.
Unbeknownst to Taylor, the weapon in New Asia is a robotic “simulant” girl named “Alphie” who possesses the ability to control technology remotely. Taylor and Alphie go into a city in search of Drew, Taylor’s previous commanding officer, after becoming split off from the rest of the strike team and defying Howell’s orders to eliminate the simulant.
After analyzing Alphie, Drew informs Taylor that as her skills continue to develop at an exponential rate, she has the potential to become the world’s most potent weapon. Upon raiding Drew’s apartment, Howell and squad member McBride close in as new Asian police kill his dummy girlfriend Kami.
Taylor finds Maya’s beacon with Drew’s assistance, but she is not there, and the group is attacked once more. Drew informs Taylor that Maya is Nirmata just before he dies. Under the command of Harun, a former ally of Taylor’s who is a simulant soldier, Taylor and Alphie are taken prisoner by New Asian forces and taken to their village. Joshua, torn between his mission and his bond with Alpha-O, ultimately seeks to reunite with Maya.
The Creator Ending Explained
Maya became the second Nirmata after her father passed away, and Harun claims that the Los Angeles tragedy was caused by a human coding error and that the U.S. government unfairly placed the blame on AI, who merely wants to coexist peacefully with humans. Taylor frees Alphie from his captors and gets ready to leave as Howell launches an assault on the village.
Alphie uses her powers to intervene, but McBride severely hurts her. After being hurried to Nirmata, Taylor finds out that she has been unconscious since the attack on her house. Since Nirmata is immune to harm from simulants, she is “stranded” and cannot perish.
It also reveals that Alphie was modeled after Maya’s fetus, which had been scanned while still inside her body. Maya is taken off life support by Taylor while Howell and her troops arrive. Harun kills them, telling Taylor that US Strike Force has to be destroyed for the war to end.
After being apprehended by American forces and transported to Los Angeles, Taylor is made to stun Alphie with a stun gun. Andrews later finds out that this is a hoax, and the two manage to flee before Alphie is set on fire. Alphie forces the spacecraft to land aboard the US Strike Force after boarding a lunar shuttle at the Los Angeles Interplanetary Air and Space Port.
Taylor detonates a timed explosive as Alphie cuts the ship’s power, and Andrews gives the order for the US Strike Force to launch a massive attack on the last AI bases in the world. Taylor is unable to enter Alphie’s escape pod after Andrews triggers a tentacled robot, preventing them from making their getaway.
Once Alphie activates the simulant with Maya’s likeness using a memory chip Howell downloaded, Taylor exits the car and meets up with her again. A final embrace and kiss is exchanged by the couple as the US Strike Force explodes around them, stopping the strike.
In the film’s climax, Joshua and Alpha-O collaborate on a mission to neutralize the AI threat. Joshua gives his life in order to save Alpha-O, and this results in a happy ending where AI and humans can live in harmony.
