knight110tim

What's with the two woodswomen dressed like anachronistic Wild Western pioneers, with denims and plastic rivets in their hats?

Is Willow supposed to be a post-apocalyptic Earth? Did they stumble in from The Dark Tower novels?

Why were they even there given they were bumped off soon after being introduced?

This really took me out of the high fantasy nature of Willow, for no readily apparent reason.

I hope this odd sequence is addressed, and explained, down the road... because as it is, after only three episodes, this show has got progressively worse as it's s gone on.

And this was just weird for weirdnesses sake, as far as I can tell.

In this age of cookie cutter adventure movies, unnecessary prequels, and never-ending sequels, fans of blockbuster cinema entertainment should be falling over themselves to see the most original piece of cinematic storytelling in years: Mortal Engines.

Based on the novel of the same name by Philip Reeve, the tale is set a thousand years in the future, after a catastrophic nuclear conflict has wiped out most of humanity and many the survivors have relocated to mobile enclaves known as traction cities (or 'predator cities').

These communities survive and grow by hunting down and capturing smaller towns, stripping them of their resources and absorbing their populations ("Municipal Darwinism").

London is one such apex city, home to our hero Tom Natsworthy (Misfits' Robert Sheehan) who finds himself cast out when he steps in to prevent an assassination attempt on head archaeologist Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving) by the very angry Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar).

Hunted by an unstoppable cyborg, Shrike (Stephen Lang), and stranded in the wilderness, the mismatched duo of Hester and Tom eventually fall in with outlaw rebel Anna Fang (South Korean singer Jihae) and together they must find a way to thwart Valentine's insidious scheme to make London the most powerful city on Earth... at the cost of a great many lives.

It's no secret that I was predisposed to enjoy Mortal Engines the movie, not only have I raved about and evangelised on behalf of the original book series for longer than I've been writing this blog, but I also consider the author a friend.

However, I can honestly say, the film was spectacular.

And, yes, this middle-aged man may have shed a few tears of excitement the first time Anna and Hester shared the screen together - these are my two favourite modern literary characters after all, so this was a very special moment for me to see them in live-action.

Neither actor portrayed them exactly as I had pictured them in my head, from reading the novels all those years ago, but it turns out that didn't matter: for the duration of the movie they were the powerful and dynamic women I've long been obsessed by.

The script, by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens condenses and streamlines the source material, reducing a nuanced narrative to a non-stop series of action beats.

However, the stunning opening chase sequence - of London bearing down on a smaller town as they race across the desolate countryside - is unlike anything we've ever seen before and immediately lets you know this is a unique world we're going to be playing in for the next two hours.

Towards its climax the script errs into melodrama, and the action goes a bit Star Wars, but by then we have fallen in love with the characters and are so deeply embedded in the world of Mortal Engines that it carries us along for the ride.

As the feature film directorial debut of Christian Rivers, effects wizard and storyboard artist on many of Jackson's previous movies, the film is an in-your-face treat for the senses, full of intricately detailed shots that demand multiple viewings to catch all the minutiae.

If for nothing else, Rivers should be applauded for his incredible realisation of Philip Reeve's world, which manages to put an inspired new spin on post-apocalyptic tropes, filtering them through lenses akin to the works of Terry Gilliam or Alejandro Jodorowsky's Dune.

Comparing it to previous Peter Jackson epics, I have to confess that I enjoyed Mortal Engines a hell of a lot more than my first viewing of Fellowship Of The Ring, which, for me, only fell into place when I saw the extended director's cut.

So I'm holding out hope for an extended iteration of Mortal Engines - when it's finally released to home video - that can only further heighten my enjoyment of this film.