Folks, you know me. I’m just a large, furry bipedal cougar who likes sunbeams, iced tea and movies. Pretty simple. But everyone has facets of themselves that they keep to themselves, even your old Cougs. Oh, I’ll throw you a curve ball every now and again. That’s how we Cougars roll. You never know when we are going to strike.
This month, we’ve got two movies that explore this idea in different ways. Really, what I should have watched is that M. Night Shyamalan movie about the dude with a bunch of different personalities, but I can’t bring myself to watch his stuff anymore. I know, “give him a chance” but did you see After Earth? Or The Last Airbender? I just … there’s no more trust here. So, instead, we’ve got an Oscar-winning movie and another movie made by Oscar winners. And yeah, I know Shyamalan was up for two Oscars back with The Sixth Sense but for real, what have you done for me lately?
Mortal Engines (2018) [PG-13]
Let’s start with plot. Far into the future after civilization has been destroyed, people live in giant mobile cities on wheels (or giant tank treads). Burgeoning historian Tom, played by Robert Sheehan, encounters a mysterious woman named Hester who attempts to stab one of the leaders of the great mobile city of London, Thaddeus Valentine (played by Hugo Weaving). Tom and Hester end up being thrown off of the mobile city and forge an alliance that will help change the shape of the future.
If this sounds like it apes a little from pretty much every Fantasy/Sci-Fi movie you have seen lately, well, you are right. The plot isn’t particularly clever. You’ll spend a good portion of the movie just letting it wash over you or saying “Hey, wait a minute! They straight up stole that.” But don’t pass on Mortal Engines just yet.
Director Christian Rivers isn’t someone you have heard of but he’s already won a bunch of awards (including an Oscar) for visual and special effects. And you can definitely see that on display here. Mortal Engines is lovely to look at. As the poster to the left mentions, he’s worked on the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies so if you remember what they look like, you are more than half-way there. This may be one of the prettier movies you will see all year and if you are even remotely interested in steam-punk, this has your name written all over it.
Unfortunately, this experience and expertise does not mean he knows how to tell a story and Mortal Engines is at times disjointed and vapid. The plot isn’t bad. The acting is passable. It is just that the storytelling itself feels like an afterthought.
So, if you are looking for something that will change your life, you’ll want to look elsewhere. If you are okay with something that is great to look at but a little low on substance, Mortal Engines is for you. Fortunately, this is just a movie and not your future spouse.
6 paws out of 10
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) [ PG]
This was not my idea. I had no intention of watching this but my buddy kept telling me “You should, Collin. It is fantastic.” But this is the same friend that keeps trying to get me to go see Shyamalan’s Glass so … lack of trust. However, I relented. And I have to say, despite my misgivings, this actually was pretty great. I was glad to see the Oscars get this one right.
The story follows Miles who has transferred to a new school in Brooklyn. Miles is uncomfortable in his surroundings and seeks comfort by hanging out with his Uncle Aaron. That is when he gets bitten by one of those pesky radioactive spiders. Miles wakes up with new powers that he can’t explain and the man he wants to ask about them, Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-man, is killed attempting to prevent bad guy, Kingpin, from opening a dimensional portal which, unbeknownst to all, has allowed more Spider folks into this particular universe. I could go on but it is more fun to see where the plot takes you.
The look of this film is incredible. This is one you’ll want to watch in your buddy’s media room on a giant 4K screen. As the story gets more complicated, so too does the animation on the screen. For my money, this is the best representation of a comic book world put on screen, period. The casting is great. The acting is good all the way around. It has a wonderful mix of action and quirky comedy. There’s not much I can find fault with here.
Really, this is just one well-put-together film. It kind of kills me to say that, because now that I have acknowledged that my friend was right about this … maybe he is right about Shyamalan. No, no, fool me once …
8 paws out of 10
As always, if you have a movie you think I should check out or you want to talk further about one of these reviews, drop me a line on Facebook.