Moving Pictures
Moving Pictures has never been my favorite Discworld book. Far from it really. I tend to file this with the earlier books that never seem to live up to the later ones. This isn't fair. Moving Pictures is actually a really solid book. There's an intricate plot that brings together a wealth of characters, an incredible critique of Hollywood, tons of thematic meat, an excellent twist ending and final fight that both plays into and subverts a bunch of action movie tropes, and the beginnings of some threads and characters that will soon become part of the fabric of this world.
It's just that I'm not terribly interested in the subject matter. I'm not sure why. I'm an avid consumer of pop culture, and I like everything this book has to say about exploitation and obsession. It just wasn't written for me. It was written for people who live and work in Hollywood. Who are interested in the whole business of making movies, as well as the history of cinematography. I know enough history to understand most of the jokes, but still this book doesn't entirely resonate with me.
On the second time through at least, I think it's because I can see where things are still forming. Pratchett is still stuck in the rut of repeating the same romantic beats for his protagonists over and over. He's getting closer, but he hasn't quite figured out women yet. Which is frustrating because I know he eventually does. He sidelines Ponder Stibbons while focusing on Victor, which is weird because Victor is never heard from again while Ponder becomes a major player. The movie industry doesn't stick around like the newspaper and the clacks. It all feels a little too impermanent. Like Equal Rites, this book ultimately suffers from it's lack of impact on the rest of the series.
But that's okay. I enjoyed it. It is a very well-crafted book and another step up for Pratchett. And next we get Reaper Man, one of my early favorites. Though that one does contain a subplot I found so baffling that I just always assumed it belonged in this book instead. We'll see how that holds up this time around.
It's just that I'm not terribly interested in the subject matter. I'm not sure why. I'm an avid consumer of pop culture, and I like everything this book has to say about exploitation and obsession. It just wasn't written for me. It was written for people who live and work in Hollywood. Who are interested in the whole business of making movies, as well as the history of cinematography. I know enough history to understand most of the jokes, but still this book doesn't entirely resonate with me.
On the second time through at least, I think it's because I can see where things are still forming. Pratchett is still stuck in the rut of repeating the same romantic beats for his protagonists over and over. He's getting closer, but he hasn't quite figured out women yet. Which is frustrating because I know he eventually does. He sidelines Ponder Stibbons while focusing on Victor, which is weird because Victor is never heard from again while Ponder becomes a major player. The movie industry doesn't stick around like the newspaper and the clacks. It all feels a little too impermanent. Like Equal Rites, this book ultimately suffers from it's lack of impact on the rest of the series.
But that's okay. I enjoyed it. It is a very well-crafted book and another step up for Pratchett. And next we get Reaper Man, one of my early favorites. Though that one does contain a subplot I found so baffling that I just always assumed it belonged in this book instead. We'll see how that holds up this time around.
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