A dystopian sci-fi set into 2065 directed, written and produced by Gareth Edwards (Rogue One, 2014's Godzilla) were AI already a part of humany sets a nuke warhead to explode in LA in 2055, causing a world division into the West and New Asia (far Asia and southern asia), were AI robots, humans, ans hybrids cohabit in peace.
To counter against this threat US military develops a suborbital station called USS NOMAD (North American Orbital Mobile Aerospace Defense). The movie moves around John David Washington as Sergeant Joshua Taylor, that haves a prosthetic robotic arm and leg lost in the nuclear explosion.
Back then he involved himself with an asiatic woman called Maya (Gemma Chan), that the learns to be the one called Nirmata (Creator) the founder of the AI of New Asia, through the daughter that they had together, a robotic simulant called Alphie that possesses powers toward machines.
The positive: the visual both at scenes, characters or settings are just EXPLENDID, well done CG - just imagine Rogue One, but into this Asiatic setting that mixtures basic living and hi tech. All this was done with $80 million (box office: $101.8 million) a low budget compared to most of todays movies.
The visual effects were provided by Industrial Light & Magic, SDFX Studios, Yannix, Virtuos, Weta Workshop Folks VFX, MARZ, Misc Studios, Fin Design + Effects, Outpost VFX, Lekker VFX, Crafty Apes, Jellyfish Pictures, Proof, Territory Studio, Atomic Arts and VFX Los Angeles are top notch, and surely must have an indication for an Academy Award.
The negative: thought it have a good base to work with, the story is just too weak - the inspirations from "Blade Runner' and 'Apocalypse Now', with a bit of "Avatar" thought other movies, just turned to be too shallow and predicable and we don't engage so much with the characters till the very near end. It's just...isn't developed enough. At some moments it even reminded me of "Elysium". Don't be fooled by the names cited here, they just shows what could be done.
The music is by Hans ZImmer - good, but not outstanding, and the cinematography by Greig Fraser (Dune) and Oren Soffer are good, but outshined by the visual effects.
The movie had a great potential, but was broke in the ain point, the story. But I consider that it is something to be watched because of the digital effects and production, as a basic that no movie must cost more than $ 100 million to have stellar visuals.
For me the score is 6,0 out of 10,0 / B - C+. The stars are for visual effects only.