Why The Twilight Zone Is The Creator Director Gareth Edwards' Favorite TV Show
Fighting against the impending dangers of AI is nothing new, but Gareth Edwards' new film "The Creator" is a sci-fi story prioritizing the human elements of a potential, dystopian future. During a Q&A following a 30-minute preview of the film (read our footage reaction here), Edwards talked at length about how "The Twilight Zone" has influenced his work and approach to storytelling.
"That's probably why I like science fiction because there is that chance [to add social commentary]," he said. "You can also sneak it under the radar." Genre creatives have been using horror and science fiction as vehicles for sociological storytelling since the earliest days of movie-making, but "The Twilight Zone," which Edwards called his "favorite TV show growing up," was revolutionary.
"Rod Serling, who wrote a lot of those shows, the reason he did science fiction was because he could get it under the radar of the censors and say things you're not normally allowed to say out loud," Edwards explained. "I think if you sit down and start to type and try and work out a film and go, 'I want to make a film about this, that's got this social commentary to it,' it's going to be a rubbish film."
'There's something that needs to be said'
Gareth Edwards is totally right with his "rubbish film" theory; this is why so many films trying to be the next "Get Out" have failed. The metaphor must support the story, and not the other way around. Ultimately, the story must steer the ship and must be in control of how the film is executed. Edwards continued:
"So you get attracted to an idea, there's something very primal about it that pulls you — like, 'There's something that needs to be said about this subject matter.' And it's about halfway through making a film or writing a film where you start to realize where that thing is. It's sort of, it's like a child. It tells you what they want to be when they grow up. So you learn what it is, and then you try to help it."
"The Twilight Zone" was so good at this, because Rod Serling always let the story be the star. For example, the episodes "Eye of the Beholder" and (my personal favorite) "Number 12 Looks Just Like You" are both stories about impossible beauty standards and societal pressure to look a certain way, but presented in wildly different formats. Both stories were adaptations of existing material, so while they tackle similar social issues, the execution was interpreted from dissimilar perspectives.
The radical power of science fiction
Edwards had a lot to say about his love of "The Twilight Zone" and all things sci-fi, having said that he believes that science fiction is the most effective genre for this style of sociological storytelling. "We all go through our lives having certain beliefs, and they never really get tested." And he's right.
Unless people go through a period of radicalization in some way, shape, or form, people have a tendency to maintain the same belief systems throughout their entire lives. Often, that radicalization happens because something happens that is completely beyond a person's concept of reality. "But science fiction says, 'What if the world had this different thing about it? Now, would your old idea still work?' And you hit against the wall, and the thing you used to think was true starts to be false, and you start to question things," he said.
Art can be a very powerful thing, and sometimes seeing a story told through a fantastical genre can be one of the most effective teachers. Roger Ebert famously called movies "empathy machines," and with the power of science fiction, they can be used as tools for radicalization as well. A great recent example is the Disney+ series "Andor," which used "Star Wars" as a vehicle to discuss the dangers of totalitarianism and the importance of class solidarity/unionizing.
Edwards finished his thought by hoping that "The Creator" can capture some of that "Twilight Zone" storytelling magic. As a fan of both the series and Edwards as a creative, I hope so too.
"The Creator" debuts in theaters on September 29, 2023.