Mortal Engines Review (2018) — GoodTrash Critiques

Listen, the idea of cities on wheels is fascinating. I knew nothing about the Mortal Engines books or the film before going in, other than what was in the trailer. Which is mostly, that in the future, after *insert catastrophic world event* cities are now mobile.

That’s a fantastic setup.

Just think about that. Oh, resources are running low, Oklahoma City we’re on the move!

Though, to be fair, I doubt OKC would thrive in any sort of post-apocalyptic setting. However, I don’t know if I should count the farmers out. They’ve learned to thrive in the worst of times, doing their best to hold on. That will to survive might carry them through WWIII.

I digress.

Mortal Engines has a wonderful setup.

That’s all this two-dimensional film has to offer.

Mortal Engines Review

The film is based on Philip Reeve’s early 2001 young adult title of the same name and directed by long-time Peter Jackson collaborator Christian Rivers, making his directorial debut. Mortal Engines is the first entry in the Mortal Engines quartet published throughout the early 2000s. The books appear to be well reviewed and are the most recent adaptation in the YA-post-apocalyptic film genre that The Hunger Games really kicked off.

The film opens with a strong set piece showcasing what this world is about. London is mobile and looking for resources. The opening introduces us to the key players Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving), Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan) and the yet unnamed Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar). We learn that these mobile cities are referred to as Predator Cities, which is pretty cool.

Once we see the full power of London when it overtakes a small mining town, we cut to our main story. Thaddeus is the Head of the Guild of Historians and is researching new methods of energy to meet the growing demand and lessening supply. After the residents of the mining town are brought into London, Thaddeus falls prey to an assassination attempt at the hands of Hester Shaw, revealing there’s a darker side to Thaddeus and his intentions. After a chase through the underbelly of London, Thaddeus attempts to kill Hester by throwing her out of a waste chute. Tom suffers a similar fate when he admits to Valentine what he heard.

When Mortal Engines Backfire

I’m sorry, I feel like there’s a lot to set up here, and I pretty much have unpacked all of the first act. But let me tell you something, it’s even more to digest on screen.

There’s a lot thrown at the viewer in the opening 20-30 minutes. Characters, exposition, world building, it’s a lot to take in. And those elements fail throughout the film. The majority of dialogue in the first 30 minutes, or even more, is mostly exposition. The film, penned by Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings) and his collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, really tries to cram about 2.5 hours of movie into 120 minutes.

I’m not usually one to champion a film extending its length, but this movie would have benefited from another 30-45 minutes of character development and breathing room. There’s so much going on. The story jostles the audience from one beat to the next with almost no time to process what just happened. Think Avengers: Infinity War, but without knowing or understanding any of the characters. It doesn’t even try outside of Tom is lower class, Hester has a scar and Valentine is twirling his mustache.

Speaking of Valentine, Weaving is a strong performer no matter the material. But the character is as generic a bad guy as they come. He has no true motivation other than he is the bad guy. Why is he doing the things he’s doing? He doesn’t even know. And the rare times it comes up, the script does nothing to address it.

On the flip side, Hester Shaw has something of a backstory, but mostly it’s just flashbacks to add FURTHER EXPOSITION to the film. That’s it. This exposition doesn’t drive character intent or add thematic value—it’s solely done to flesh out this convoluted narrative.

None of it matters.

There are multiple subplots that are forced which feature characters who should be getting emotional arcs out of the deal, but they’re just introduced and then they burn out either by disappearing, dying or fulfilling their duties. Shrike (Stephen Lang), Anna Fang (Jihae) and Katherine Valentine (Leila George). Each of these characters have a designated arc, but the script offers no reason to care about any of them. Their characters are, in order, the dangerous one, the mysterious one and the pretty one. That’s it.

Purring Like a Kitten

That being said, the film isn’t a complete bust.

First, the production design by Dan Hennah (Lord of the Rings) is fantastic. The city’s mechanics, the vehicles and all the technical elements stand out. It looks great, has a very nice feel and really makes that steampunk aesthetic work. The details, such as the 20-foot high treads that lay in the land from the passing cities are fun additions to this world.

Couple this with the better-than-they-have-any-right-to-be visuals, and you have a film that looks and feels incredible. 

So, nonetheless, I admit the film is a technical marvel. And I wouldn’t expect anything less from a Peter Jackson production, which is why I think the other shortcomings are so glaring.  

Puttering Out

I can’t in good conscious recommend anyone go see this film, even when it eventually hits streaming services. It’s bad, and not even in the fun way. And, on a weekend where Into the Spider-Verse, The Mule and The Favourite are opening wide, there’s plenty of better options out there across all demographics.

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