A Movie Review: Jurassic World (3D)

Do you have a favorite dinosaur? My favorite dinosaur is the triceratops. I still remember the magical feeling that throbbed in my veins, as an eleven year old me sat in the cinema, starred jaw-droppingly at the sight of triceratops stomping on the silverscreen, in a movie called Jurassic Park. More than two decades later, Hollywood is once again bringing dinosaurs to the silverscreen. Only this time, these mighty creatures are supposed to be bigger, badder, and appearing in 3D.

Jurassic World is the fourth movie in the “Jurassic” franchise. It is not meant to be a sequel, but a film aiming to reboot the franchise. This movie opened in the cinema this weekend with a great buzz. The question is, is this movie worth a trip to your local cinema? Today, I would like to share my thoughts about this movie in a review that will hopefully assist your decision-making. Let me begin, by providing a synopsis of the movie.

Synopsis:

Twenty years has gone by since the events in Jurassic Park. An alliance of billion-dollar corporations maintained, and improved this theme park, renaming it “Jurassic World”. However, after a decade of operation, the public interest in the park began to wane.

In order to rekindle the consumer interests and maintain the business revenue, the board members of Jurassic World introduced a new attraction to the theme park. A new species of dinosaur the world has never seen before. However, this “new attraction” soon backfired and everything went horribly wrong...

My thoughts about this movie:

I enjoyed watching Jurassic World. But the question remains, does Jurassic World live up to the standard set Jurassic Park? My opinion is “Not really”.

Having said this, Jurassic World is still a lot better than Jurassic Park 2 and 3. And there are a few enjoyable features about Jurassic world. Let me start by sharing the things I didn't like about Jurassic World. Firstly, I think the biggest problem of Jurassic World is the characterizations. Every character in this movie is cartoonishly exaggerated with stereotypes. The dialogues sometimes try to bring comedic reliefs, but usually overshoot because they are too cheesy. The story, on the other hand, is fairly predictable. When I watched this movie, I already knew who was going to die and who was going to live, there were very little twists and turns in the plot. However, despite the predictable nature of the story, this movie managed to maintain a thin layer of suspense that will keep the audience at the edge of their seats.

Yet, as I have mentioned earlier, despite all these flaws, Jurassic World is still good entertainment. This movie knows what it is meant to be, a blockbuster. So this movie doesn't take itself too seriously. This also means, I think the audience can enjoy this movie, provided that they set the correct expectations. What I am trying to say is, Jurassic World is a monster movie. So as long as you keep this in mind, and don't walk into the cinema expecting to see a movie expounding the philosophical meanings of life, then you should be able to enjoy this movie for what it is, and for what it has to offer.

While the story in Jurassic World followed the formulaic ingredients of a Hollywood blockbuster,

but I thought the movie did (perhaps unintentionally) make an interesting observation about the relationship between “consumer needs and corporate mandates”. There was a scene in the movie, when a teenage boy stood in front of a magnificent dinosaur, but the boy's interest was occupied by his mobile phone instead. That was a captivating scene, because it relates to the central plot of the movie, where a company needed to rekindle consumer interests, by re-inventing a newer, and more extreme species of dinosaur which then backfired, causing a major catastrophe. I don't think the movie maker was trying to send any message at all, but I thought the scene about the boy and his mobile phone closely captured the current trend in our society, leaving rooms for further discussions.

The main attractions for Jurassic World, are the dinosaurs. And we can't really talk about dinosaurs without discussing the CGI. The CGI in this movie are ok, but they are not going to become the new benchmark for cinematic CGI. The dinosaurs do look awesome on the silverscreen. But for some reason, the multi-million dollar CGI just couldn't quite reproduce the magical feelings from the original Jurassic Park. However, it is still an incredible experience to behold the moment when the camera focused on a low-angle shot at a 40 foot tall T-Rex, charging to the front of the big screen in all its mighty bulk and reptilian ferocity. It is in a cinematic moment such as this, where I find the justification to watch movies at the cinema in the days of 3D HD TVs and blu rays.

The movie-goers have the options to view Jurassic World in both 3D and 2D format. So is it worth spending the extra dollars to watch this movie in 3D? I watched this movie in 3D, and I thought the 3D presentation for Jurassic World was pretty average. There weren't many “pop-out” moments in this movie. Meanwhile, the depth of the 3D presentation was also quite flat. I mean, for a movie like Jurassic World, I was expecting the 3D presentation to showcase dinosaurs running out of the screen into my face, or being able to stare into the vastness of the landscape, but those moments didn't exist in the 3D presentation. Therefore, if you are going to watch Jurassic World, then my opinion is the 2D version should suffice.

Jurassic World is one of the biggest blockbuster movies of 2015. I liked this movie. It didn't fully reproduce the charms of the original Jurassic Park, but it is still superior than both Jurassic Park 2 and 3. I think the greatest weakness of this movie is the cartoonish characters, and the cheesy dialogues. The story in Jurassic World is predictable but it does have its moments of thrills and fun. For a monster movie, I think most people will find Jurassic World delivers an entertaining, 2 hours long action adventure spectacle. That is, as long as you walk into the cinema knowing you are about to watch a monster flick.

A Book Review: The Warlords of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (John Carter of Mars #3)

Edgar Rice Burroughs published The Warlords of Mars in 1914. This novel concluded the first trilogy in John Carter of Mars series. A century later, his works are considered a crucial force that broadened the landscape of the modern sci-fi and fantasy genre. At 179 pages, The Warlords of Mars is a very short book, and it continues from the cliffhanger at the end of the previous installment, The Gods of Mars. This also means, The Warlords of Mars is definitely not a stand-alone novel. So if you are planning to venture into this series, I would highly recommend starting from the first book, A Princess of Mars.

In the meantime, allow me to share my thoughts about this book in a review.

Synopsis:

John Carter battled across Mars in a search for his beloved wife, Dejah Thoris. During his adventure, Carter exposed the horrible secret behind the gods of Mars. His dream of reuniting with Dejah Thoris almost came true, when a twist of fate entombed her in the perilous Temple of the Sun. John Carter's hope of reuniting with Dejah Thoris lied in the next year, when the temple's door would re-open.

With a heavy heart, John Carter camped outside Temple of the Sun, enduring an agonizing time in waiting, while the fate of his beloved wife remained an unknown. 6 months later, on a moon-lit night, John Carter spotted the apparition of Thurid, an old enemy from Carter's adventerous past. He followed the trace of Thurid, and uncovered a villianous plot where Thurid was planning to sneak into the temple and abduct Dejah Thoris.

Upon discovering this plot, Carter was both astonished and fearful. He was most intrigued by the fact that Thurid knew a way to secure the early release of his wife, but frightened by the prospect of her in the hand of this black-hearted villain. So John Carter followed Thurid's footsteps in secret, hoping to wrest Dejah Thoris from the clutch of Thurid at the right moment. Thus begins another tale of high adventure, where Carter's quest would carry him to Mars' north pole. In this mysterious, frozen tundra, fate will finally decide Dejah Thoris and John Carter's future...

My thoughts about this book:

The Warlords of Mars doesn't feel like a full novel. Instead, it feels more like the second part of the previous installment, The Gods of Mars. This is mostly due to the fact that The Warlords of Mars is a very short book, where the story began right after the cliffhanger at the end of the previous book. This means, if you have not read The Gods of Mars, and instead begin to read The Warlods of Mars, then you will have no idea what is going on in this story. In other words, a reader who is interested in tackling John Carter of Mars series, should start from the first novel, A Princess of Mars.

The pacing, and the structure of the story in The Warlords of Mars is akin to the previous John Carter novels. Frankly, the story in this novel is as cheesy as lasagna, but entertaining and fun nevertheless. Swashbuckling actions filled the pages in this book, as readers witness John Carter perform impossible and daring feats. While the story is fun, but I was wearied by the repetitiveness of it. What caused my weariness? In this book, John Carter was "always" one step away from reaching his wife before the evil villain took her away again.

The characterization in this novel remained in the same caliber as the previous John Carter novels. Burroughs' prose presented the characters in visually striking manners, but they are mostly two dimensional characters. Having said this, Burroughs' breathtaking imagination graced The Warlords of Mars. In this novel, Burroughs envisioned a stunning landscape, populated by fantastical creatures spawned from the well of his creative imagination. I am impressed by Burroughs' creative prowess, this is probably why Burroughs' works still charm legions of readers a century later.

When I close the final page in The Warlords of Mars, I was very glad to have read this sci-fi/fantasy classic. By the modern day standard, stories in John Carter of Mars novels are cheesy, but their real value lie in the roles they played at shaping the modern sci-fi/fantasy genre. Furthermore, I dare say the scope of creative imagination in John Carter story is still one of the riches, and the grandest in the genre. I would recommend these books to those who have an interest in the history of sci-fi/fantasy fictions, or those readers who are simply looking to read a fun, entertaining story.

A Book Review: The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (John Carter of Mars #2)

The Gods of Mars is the second installment in Edgar Rice Burroughs' sci-fi series, John Carter of Mars. Published in 1913, this novel expanded John Carter's high adventures on Mars. The Gods of Mars is slightly longer than its predecessor, A Princess of Mars. This story is a fast-paced adventure full of swashbuckling actions, taking place at exotic locations populated by fantastic creatures, all spawned from the well of Burroughs' powerful imaginations. Let me begin this review, by providing a synopsis.

Synopsis:

Mysteries shrouded the past life of John Carter, a wealthy gentleman living in New York. No one on earth knew that Carter was once the Prince of Helium on Mars, where an accident involuntarily transported him back to earth, forcing Carter to leave his wife and unborn son behind.

It has been 10 years since Carter's return to earth. Not a single day had gone by when he did not wish to go back to his wife and son. Carter's burning desire to return to Mars came true, when he discovered a mean to travel between worlds. In the matter of minutes, Carter re-appeared on Mars. Only to be trapped in Golden Cliffs, the land of “afterlife” according to the Martian religion. Here Carter discovered a terrible truth about the gods of Mars. If Carter can escape, then not only will he re-unite with his family, but the truth he discovered about the gods of Mars would re-shape the thousand year old Martian traditions.

My thoughts on this book:

I had a fun time reading The Gods of Mars. The story in this novel is a fast-paced, swashbuckling action feast. The plot is cheesy, but it grips readers with a colorful story set in an imaginative world and powered by adrenaline-pumping actions. John Carter of Mars novels are pulp fictions, but they surely are ripping yarns. The Gods of Mars ended with a cliff-hanger, so I cannot wait to read the next installment.

The most memorable thing about John Carter novels, is every character's visual appearance is striking. From the heroes to the villains, the visual descriptions for these characters are bound to cut deep impressions in readers' minds. Through Burroughs' excellent use of words, the visual impacts of these characters are portrayed to vivid liveliness.

However, while these characters are visually impressive, but like the previous novel, The Gods of Mars suffers from wooden characterizations. John Carter is depicted as a two dimensional character. The only prominent feature about John Carter's personality, is his strict adherence to the 19th century, gentlemanly code of honor. Other than this, there is nothing about John Carter's character that really stood out. Having said this, in this novel John Carter encountered his son, and the father-and-son relationship brought some depth of John Carter's character, where he displayed emotions not seen in the previous book. I consider this part an improvement in Burroughs' skill at characterization.

The Gods of Mars is surprisingly well written. Edgar Rice Burroughs utilized (what I believe is called) the purple prose in this book. While the purple prose may appear out of date by the modern standard. Yet, Burroughs integrated the purple prose fittingly into John Carter novels, creating an antique vibe. In other words, when you read John Carter novels, you can easily deduce by the style of writing that these books were written a century ago. In the case of John Carter novels, pulp fictions written in the purple prose actually created a stylish flavor that cannot be found in other sci-fi fantasy books, and I like it a lot.

The Gods of Mars is a solid entry to John Carter novels. The story may be cheesy, but John Cater's second adventure on Mars is a thrilling, roller coaster ride. At 249 pages, this fast-paced novel is short and sweet. It can be read in a space of a few hours. I would say most people will enjoy this book. So grab a cup of tea, then let the story transport you to a world of high adventures.

A Book Review: A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (John Carter of Mars #1)

If I mention the name, Edgar Rice Burroughs, some people may not know him. But I'd wager if I say “Tarzan”, then 99% of the time, most people would have at least heard of this name. Indeed, there are 4 immortal, pop-culture icons: Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Tarzan, and Conan of Cimmeria. And Edgar Rice Burroughs is the creator of Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle.

The life story of Edgar Rice Burroughs is the stuff of legends. In his career as an author, Burroughs wrote over 70 novels, spanning across various genres. Tarzan was just one of his many creations. I have read the first 6 Tarzan novels. To be honest, other than the first novel, Tarzan of the Apes, I thought most Tarzan novels are pretty average. But this didn't stop me from reading more Burroughs' works, and I would say jewels do scatter among the sea of novels written by Burroughs. For example, I was really impressed by I am a Barbarian, a historical fiction novel about the Roman emperor Caligula. So recently, I decided to check out John Carter of Mars novels, which were published a century ago and made an everlasting impact on the modern sci-fi and fantasy genre. John Carter is one of Burroughs' most important, but lesser known creations. That was, until Disney movie John Carter hit the cinema in 2012, which turned out to be a flop.

The Disney adaption may have been be a box office bomb, but the question is, what about the quality of the original John Carter books? Well, I have finished reading A Princess of Mars, which is the first novel in John Carter series. Today, I would like to provide a review for this book.

Synopsis:

Standing proud at 6 foot 2, and a body build with the savage economy of a desert wolf, Confederate officer John Carter is a striking gentleman from Virginia, who gazed into the world with his steely, grey eyes.

In 1866, Captain Carter partook in a profitable business venture of gold mine exploration in Arizona. Misfortune struck Captain Cater and his business partner, when they were ambushed by a group of Apache Indians.

To evade certain death at the knife edge of the pursuing Apache warriors, John Carter fled and seek refuge in a mysterious cave, only to become paralyzed, swooning into unconsciousness. When Carter resuscitated, he found himself laying naked in the desert sand of Mars. The low gravity on Mars exponentially increased his strength, speed and agility, turning Carter from a skilled warrior into a deadly force of nature.

Soon, Carter discovered that mankind is not alone in the universe, when he chanced upon a race of bizarre looking, but war-like, green aliens. At their first meeting, Carter appealed to the warrior culture of the green Martians, and impressed them with his super-human physical abilities. For his prowess, Carter was given the status of a chieftain, yet remained a prisoner to the green Martians whose culture is both cruel and brutal. On the red planet of Mars, Carter lived among a people whose culture and customs bearing no human quality. As the days go by, Carter craved the human touch from a kindred spirit.

One day, the green Martians shot down an aircraft from the sky, and captured a prisoner. It was at this time, when Carter first set his eyes upon a creature of unparalleled, exotic beauty, Dejah Thoris, the princess of Helium ..

My thoughts on this book:

A Princess of Mars impressed me with a fun, swashbuckling adventure and a world-building full of creative imaginations. First published in 1912, this book is way ahead of its time. In this novel, Burroughs envisioned plot features such as spaceships, high velocity aerial combats, and a factory plant capable of regenerating the atmosphere. These plot features most likely didn't exist a century ago, but they are the conventions of modern science fictions.

This book is also surprisingly well written. Burroughs vividly portrayed the world, and the populace of Mars using well crafted sentences. I was most impressed by the scope of Burroughs' creativity, as he lively narrated the lifestyles and the cultures of alien races on Mars. The writing is both effective and striking. In a mere space of 200 pages, Burroughs took his readers on an exhilarating adventure full of twists and turns. In other words, this novel is short and sweet.

Having said this, A Princess of Mars does have its shortcomings. Firstly, the major plot follows the mold of “rescuing the damsel in distress” and it is cheesy. However, this novel was written 100 years ago, in a time where the cultural values differ from our modern ones. So perhaps John Carter novels should be appreciated in accordance to the historical context of the era when they were written.

The second shortcoming for A Princess of Mars, is its flat characterizations. While Burroughs did paint his protagonists with striking physical appearances, but nothing about their personalities really stood out. John Carter, as the main protagonist, seems to be a two dimensional character. The most outstanding aspect of John Carter's character, is his devotion to the 19^th century, gentlemanly code of honor. Other than that, nothing about John Carter's character really grabbed me. The same applies to the character of Dejah Thoris, where she didn't really do much other than playing the role of “a lady in need of rescue”. The most interesting character in the book, however, is Sola. She is a female green Martian who exhibited a set of different values unique in her culture, and constantly clashed with her peers because of her differing values.

Despite some shortcomings, A Princess of Mars is a fun adventure story. Most readers will most likely have a good time reading this book, as they dive into a story of intergalactic romance, and witnessing John Carter perform daring feats. Not only is the novel different to the Disney movie adaptation, but the content of the novel is also much, much richer than its film counterpart. For the fans of science fictions, this book is worth reading. Especially if you are interested to see where the conventions of modern sci-fi genre originated from. As for me, reading A Princess of Mars was a blast, and I am eager to resume John Carter's high adventure in the second installment to the series, titled “The Gods of Mars”.

Until the next time, happy reading!

A Book Review: The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

How do we know what we know?

The question of epistemology resides at the heart of every journey to search for the truth. The river of history is flowing with human tragedies, bred from decisions or actions prompted by the incorrect epistemology. In the age of reason, we are trained to seek rational explanations behind the mysteries we encounter in the everyday life. However, a few centuries ago before the enlightenment, the world was a very different place, where rationality was not as highly valued as today.

The Name of the Rose, is a historical fiction/murder mystery novel written by Italian author, philosopher, and semiotician Umberto Eco. This book explored the question of epistemology (and many other things). In 1983, an English translation of this novel became a best-seller, and inspired a movie adaption starring Sean Connery in 1986. Decades later, The Name of the Rose is now considered a classic. Recently, I dug up a copy of this book from my local library and dived into its content.

Admittedly, The Name of the Rose is probably one of the hardest books I've read. I spent 3 weeks to read this book from cover to cover, but it was an immensely rewarding read. If my introduction has grabbed your interest, then please feel free to continue reading my review.

Synopsis:

The year was 1327, the church dispatched a Franciscan priest called Brother William Baskerville to an Italian abbey. His mission was to investigate an alleged case of heresy. After a lengthy journey, William arrived at the secluded monastery with his apprentice, a young monk called Adso of Melk. Upon their arrival, William and Adso encountered 7 mysterious murders fashioned after the Book of Revelation.

At this turn of event, William turned detective. As a disciple of William of Ockham and Roger Bacon, Brother Baskerville is armed with reason, logic, and empirical insights, its edge honed to the sharpest by the thirst for knowledge. Wielding the power of rationality, William Baskerville endeavored to solve the gruesome murders at the monastery by collecting evidence, deciphering secret symbols and coded manuscripts. His search led him to the shadow-haunted labyrinth of the abbey, where strange things happen at night.

My thoughts about this book:

If you asked me to describe The Name the Rose, I would describe the book as a combination of Summa Theologica plus Agatha Christie novels. Indeed, I believe this is the most fitting description for The Name of the Rose.

As I mentioned earlier, this novel is not an easy read. Gentle readers, I must warn you. The first 100 pages of the book contained tons of medieval Christian theology and history. So if you lack interests in these topics, then it is possible that you will never make it past the first 100 pages. The overwhelming information does establish the background for the book, but I found the pace in the first 20% of the book as slow as a crawling snail, and as dry as the rustling winter leaves. The first 100 pages were both painful and difficult to digest. The good news is, if you can make it past the first 100 pages, then the story begins to unpack, showing you the goodness it harbors within.

However, even after The Name of the Rose passed the introductory section, the book remained a difficult read. The story in this book is quite complex, as the book alludes to an in-depth exploration for the question of epistemology amidst medieval church theology and power struggles. Meanwhile, as if adding frosts to snow, sentences (and sometimes, paragraphs) in Latin constantly appear on almost every page, making an already difficult book even harder to read. Those who are proficient in Latin may breath lightly when reading this book, but for those who are uninitiated with Latin, reading The Name of the Rose may prove to be a monumental task.

By now, you must be thinking The Name of the Rose is a dry academic novel, and you are probably contemplating to never read this book, right? Well, I believe this book is not for everyone, but some people will love it. Especially if you fit into the demography of a free-thinker, who possesses a passion for epistemology. Allow me to explain.

The central character, William Baskerville, is basically medieval Sherlock Holmes. William was a former inquisitor, who left the inquisition because he disliked their Modus operandi. He seeks knowledge via reasoning, rationality and evidence, while disfavoring religious presupposition. The characterization of William fits into the central theme of the book; the age of reason kicking the womb of faith, diving head-long into a fascinating expedition about inductive and deductive reasoning. Without spoiling the story, let me entice you by saying, that if you are planning to read this book, then as food for thought, it may be worthwhile to ponder if the murder case in the book was ultimately solved by induction, deduction, both, or something else?

Other than an interesting, thoughtful central theme, this book also maintained an atmosphere of cryptic suspense throughout the entire story. This greatly enhanced the flavor of the book. When I was reading this book, I was also trying to deduce the identity of the murderer, by looking at the facts and information surrounding every character appeared in the story. Suffice to say, the author Umberto Eco did an excellent job at endowing every character with a pint of suspicion that will keep you guessing and speculating until the end.

The Name of the Rose requires its readers to invest great efforts. It is a slow and difficult read, where parts of the book can be quite dry. However, at the heart of this book resides rich contents and powerful allusions that made the investments worthwhile. If books are like a box of chocolates, sometimes picking the hard ones over the soft ones may prove to be more rewarding in the end. I really like The Name of the Rose, and if you decide to read this book, then I hope you will like this book too.