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The renowned director of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Gareth Edwardscreates a dystopian and conflicting world in his new cinematic venture, Resistance (2023) – The Creator, in the original title. He imagines a world in which men and machines have a deep and philosophical relationship, as well as a bellicose one.
The new title surprises and leaves the director’s mark on the big screen. It will be difficult to ignore this work of science fiction, as it requires no prior knowledge and deals with images that are very tangible for contemporary times, making it interesting for all audiences.
See below what showmetech thought of the film, which is scheduled to premiere on September 28th, only in theaters.
Impactful Narrative
On a futuristic planet Earth, machines have evolved and gained a humanoid form, in addition to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology created by scientists. They, in the form of humanoid robots, began to replace and support in various professions, including medicine. Little by little, they gained synthetic skin and eyes, perfectly imitating human beings and being known as simulants.
Everything was going well, and robotics was advancing to include members of the royal family in our homes. Until… a failure in the artificial intelligence of USA causes the detonation of an atomic bomb in Los Angeles (!), on the orders of a single malfunctioning robot, killing thousands of people.
Since the event, the USA decided to ban robots in the West, still imagining a future in which they would be big and influential on this side of international geopolitics. However, the countries of the East do not adopt this stance and continue to coexist with their metal partners, leading American politicians to enter into a brutal war that will haunt these territories, imposing their will.
The premise of Resistance It’s simple and unoriginal in its script, but it fulfills the basics and instigates until the end, with very well constructed plots. A great film to watch in a relaxed way.
Special (Super) Special Effects
Resistance stands out when it comes to special effects. Gunshots, large explosions, meticulously digitally designed robots, futuristic aircraft, among other elements, dominate the scenes. The film seems to depend so much on this resource, so currently developed and surprising, that it even inflates it exaggeratedly, even in scenes where it is not so necessary, although there are few of them.
Despite the exaggeration of the visual effects, it is possible to leave each scene of Resistance completely convinced. It is very satisfying how each robot and its particularities are represented in the universe that the director creates. The imagined dystopian future comes to life and provides great visual delight thanks to these technologies, which reach current standards.
Not only is the visual pleasure of the work impressive, but the sound effects and soundtrack (which includes classics such as “Fly Me to the Moon” It is “Moonlight“, as well as one composed by Radiohead) help immerse viewers in this unique place that only works of science fiction can create. These are extremely positive points of the film and are worth going to the cinema in themselves.
A War Without a Name
In Resistance, a deep and poetic narrative of Asimovian inspiration takes shape in a world full of robots, who have consciousness and feelings and try to live with humans in the best possible way in the midst of a cruel war that aims to annihilate them at all costs. The enormous military force of the West (only the US, as the work’s imagination revolves around a disaster in one of its main cities) against rural villages and temples in several eastern territories, suggesting the region of present-day Indonesia and highlighting a inequality of military power.
Several dystopian scenarios are imagined in this world punished by a gigantic war machine, very inspired by Blade Runner: The Android Hunter (1982), including oppressive machines and cities. The beauty of these images, combined with great art direction, gives the entire film a unique charm and look.
Not just the whole futuristic issue of robots gaining consciousness and a lot of verisimilitude with human beings, but even a religious aspect that they begin to express in society. Although little explored, it has a strong relationship with the powerful “weapon” created by this civilization in response to the war brought by the USA. Human characteristics in robots are very well inserted into specific scenes, validating the idea that they are, in fact, kind beings that coexist well with humans. From the beginning.
However, due to the very frequent action scenes, the debate does not delve into this aspect, making few references to more classic works of the genre and weakening its poetic side. With this reality, there is a clear waste in not naming enemies and depersonalizing – or even anonymizing – American politicians, who have always followed a grotesque, cruel and bloodthirsty geopolitics, combined with militarism.
Additionally, there is a great sense of despair, or very little hope, for the future. The work carries a sad and suffocating atmosphere throughout. Not that this is a bad thing, of course; his final message is surprising.
But what is the criticism? At times, Edwards seems to lose focus on the thread he is trying to create and deflates an interesting critique he is trying to build on. Resistance. Perhaps a longer film or an extended version of this point would allow for an adjustment, but often the main focus seems to reside on the protagonists’ romance and the audiovisual spectacle, rather than having a critical sense, even with a great reflective power.
Humans, robots and actors/actresses
Last but not least, an excellent cast has been selected for the film. Especially the protagonists, Joshua (John David Washington), Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles) and Colonel Howell (Allison Janney), deliver a lot in their performances and reinforce the entire image created for the work. It is in heavy and oppressive environments that the charisma of these people is found, corroborating the entire feeling of the film.
Comic relief is inserted into some scenes very precisely, at the right moments, and all the actors and actresses help to make the audience laugh, especially in the first half of the film. The supporting actors participate incisively and gain the greatest sympathy from the audience, no matter how much screen time they have. Their charisma and all the suffocating action of the war situation in the story make them bring the best of acting to the big screen.
Although the film leaves something to be desired regarding the issues raised previously, which could be an effect of Marvel’s presence in theaters (for better or worse), Resistance brings up very interesting questions that can be imagined in a unique way in a dystopian future in which there is an authentic love-hate relationship between humans and robots (or simulants). After all, this is a very popular topic and makes us reflect on the future of the planet with the unstoppable advancement of AI, as we know it today.
The director, Gareth Edwards, also leaves his special mark on each scene and manages to express his ideas well, without leaving many points open at the end and knowing how to extract the best from each actor and actress present in the scene. Even though we know it’s not his masterpiece, the narrative and imagery he built generates a debate about the coexistence between humans and machines that is very elegant and interesting.
For those who like this type of film or the genre itself (science fiction), it is almost mandatory to go to the cinemas to check it out and draw your own conclusions. And even for those who want and expect to see something more casual, Resistance delivers – and a lot – like those broadcast on a Sunday afternoon on open TV. More than recommended for everyone!
Source: Atrevida
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
