Allan Moore

A more complex movie than it appears I suspect. Firstly an absolutluy great movie to take your kids to see, boys or girls but especially your daughters. And that is talking as a red neck male. This is a great story told at a rampant speed with visuals that will break your mind.But that is part of the films problem. Too big a story too fast. But this appears to be deliberate and is accentuated in the last 10 minutes when the older audience and the industry are overtly mocked with cliche and reference to common culture. The production team are too talented and too clever to have done this without forethought . The critics have labelled it as derivative. This in part seems to indicate an ignorance of film history by the critics and also film buffs. It is derivative of Peter Jacksons own movies (which I am not at all sure that that counts) but critics clearly think it is derivative of Star Wars. Wrong. Only when it derides it's own genre and mocks the industry and the audience when Vallentine intemates to Hester that he is her falther (not in the novel from my recollection). The writing team are clealy having a laugh at all of us. The movies it is truly derivative of are "The Dam Busters" and "633 Squadren " which Star Wars borrowed from liberally and which Mortal Engines revells in unbeknownst to the viewing public. They clearly know that the critics, the industry and the viewing public are wholly ignorant.Is Peter intentionally making fun of all of us.I Think yes, but cloaked in over the top entertainment. Peter Jackson has already heavily attacked Harvey Weinstein and now seems to be attacking Hollywood. Is he walking away from the entire corrupt industruy and labelling it and us a ship of fools? My gut instinct says Yes. But still the best damn movie of the year if you can close your mind to the ridicule dirtected to you.