Universal Pictures
Throughout all the trailers and promotions for Mortal Engines, I believed that this was the next movie Peter Jackson was directing. This is not the case for the new YA adaptation which is directed by Christian Rivers, who is an uncredited storyboard artist for most of the movies Peter Jackson has directed. Mortal Engines is based off the first book of Phillip Reeve’s four book series. The story focuses on a futuristic, steampunk version of London, now a giant city on wheels, which consumes other cities on wheels to survive. A mysterious young woman, Hester Shaw, arises as the only one who can stop the predator on wheels.
The only reason I went to go see Mortal Engines was because the concept of giant cities on wheels chasing after smaller cities intrigued me. The concept for mobile cities fighting to stay alive was both captivating and astonishing. It turns out, that is the only interesting thing about the movie. Mortal Engines makes a case for one of the worst movies I have seen this year. It is disappointing that a movie with such a thrilling well thought out opening turns out to be a mess of a movie.
Rivers’ debut cinematic film feels under-developed with so much happening in the first few minutes. He throws you into the large city of London chasing after a smaller city for power. Before we get a chance to take in the world that Reeve’s has created, we are introduced to a set of characters that never feel like they matter to the story. Hugo Weaving’s scheming Thaddeus Valentine is pursued by Hester Shaw, who seeks vengeance for past wrongs. She teams up with history buff Tom Natsworthy, who may be a key to stopping the enormous city of London from devouring all the cities around them. There is little time developing the characters, disallowing the audience to feel connected to the relationships and how they fit into the plot. Shaw’s motives for trying to stop Valentine felt familiar and weak. Since the writing for the characters is mediocre, I never cared about her journey or any of the other characters for that matter.
The movie also speaks highly of a fighter pilot outlaw named Anna Fang, who comes into the story way too late. There was hype built around her character and many people were after her, but she was quickly forgotten by the time she was introduced.
The only character that I found to be interesting and well-constructed is Shrike, who is a makeup of a robot and a zombie. He is played by Stephen Lang and poses a threat to Shaw and Natsworthy. What makes him intriguing to me is his backstory and how it connects to Shaw. At times, it is almost heart-breaking to witness this character’s flashbacks. His character unfortunately doesn’t last long and the only decent thing about the movie leaves us during the middle part of the film.
The script by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and, yes, Peter Jackson never fully explains why the world roams on wheels. The steampunk world is left for exploration as many scenes don’t bring the world to its full potential. The visual effects for the world are outstanding and beautiful to look at, but it never feels lived in or alive. The best scenes involving the cities come at the beginning and future scenes never match the opening sequence.
For a first-time director, Rivers’ focuses more on visual elements instead of building characters and a narrative. I never felt the importance of Shaw’s quest or the fight for London to survive. The movie feels predictable with a story structure that mirrors other films. The visuals were stunning and one character out of many felt compelling, but that is not enough to save this hot mess of a movie.
Mortal Engines has a run time of 2 hours 8 minutes and is rated PG-13 for sequences of futuristic violence and action.
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