Gareth Edwards’s latest film is a massive sci-fi epic which is a strictly original film, not based on any preexisting content. One of the most impressive feats of the film is the fact that the budget of this film is reportedly around $80 million and they give us an unbelievably beautiful film with special effects everywhere. How did they do it and why can’t other films create such an amazing story at this price tag. It would help make the box office so much easier for films if they did not have to constantly make $500 + million to break even.

How about the movie? It was really good.

According to IMDB, “Amid a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, Joshua (John David Washington), a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife, is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war-and mankind itself.”

John David Washington does a great job as your lead, Joshua. He played his role beautifully and was able to bring life tp a character that could have been a typical sci-fi character. He was able to bring way more to Joshua than you would expect.

And Madeleine Yuna Voyles, a young 9-year old actor in her first movie appearance ever, absolutely stole the film. She was completely brilliant as Alphie, the ‘weapon’ created to help end the war between humankind and the A.I.s. This little girl brought so much emotion and heart to her role that she dominated every scene, She had a great connection with Washington which was so essential to the movie. She gave a fantastic performance.

The special effects were out of this world. It was so spectacular that I am so shocked that the budget was what it was. I already talked about that, but the look of this movie is absolutely a huge piece of the film and should be considered for Oscar nominations for special effects.

The film does get a little long and the storyline was okay, but it did have a ton of intriguing ideas dealing with the human condition and how humans reacted to threats. There are not as many themes dealing with A.I. despite what you may think.

Overall, this was a wonderfully epic film with a great pair of performances, beautifully constructed in a futuristic world that we could certainly see one day. Sci-fi fans should love this and I do think it transcends the genre with a truly emotional ending.

4.1 stars