Hollywood, I hope we are learning the right lessons from Cassian Andor, our eyes on the ground in a universe burdened by tyranny where even the agents of said tyranny are themselves victims. At its core,
Andor is a perspective, we see the world which Cassian inhabits through his eyes. Such a perspective would be similarly beneficial in other sci-fi and fantasy worlds, allowing them to be explored in their full depth, rather than the characters own journeys and agendas interfering with this experience, a protagonist like Hester Shaw could be refined through the way her worldview impacts those around her.
(AI generated content ahead)
That's why I think Mortal Engines deserves a second chance as a miniseries, similar to Andor. A miniseries would allow more time and space to explore the world and its history, to develop the characters and their relationships, and to create a more coherent and satisfying story arc. A miniseries would also allow more creative freedom and risk-taking, as it would not have to cater to mainstream audiences or box office expectations.
Imagine watching a miniseries that follows Tom and Hester as they travel across the world, encountering different cities, cultures, and dangers. Imagine seeing the stunning visuals of London, Airhaven, Anchorage, Shan Guo, Batmunkh Gompa, Zagwa, Murnau, Nuevo Maya, and more. Imagine learning more about the history of the Sixty Minute War, the Traction Era, the Anti-Traction League, the Green Storm, the Stalker Fang, and the Tin Book. Imagine witnessing the epic battles between cities, airships, submarines, and Stalkers. Imagine feeling the emotions of love, hate, betrayal, sacrifice, and redemption.
Mortal Engines has all the ingredients for a successful and captivating miniseries. It has a unique and original premise, a complex and diverse world, an engaging and dynamic plot, and memorable and relatable characters. It has humor and horror, action and romance, mystery and revelation. It has something for everyone.
[UPDATE]: okay, I'm back, and after watching another video essay about Andor which specifically outlines the three stages of Cassian's journey towards becoming part of the rebel movement and his reluctance towards fully committing to the cause because he would rather hunker down and hope for the best. In the Mortal Engines movie, the different ideologies at play are nebulous by comparison, and could be fleshed out in the ministries by having characters explain these ideologies to Tom Natsworthy, a character that vehemently insists at evey opportunity that "movement is life!" in scenes similar to the ones in Andor that take place on the planet Aldani.
Hester, by contrast can fill a role similar to Luthen Rayel at first, grappling with the moral implications of her vendetta against Thaddeus Valentine; before she yields to the need to transfer this mantle to Anna Fang. I'm just spitballing here, I'm not sure how much of the story from the original novel would need to be changed in order to craft an analogous narrative.
Comments
Post a Comment