Hester Shaw
Search results
People also ask
Is Mortal Engines a good movie?
Is Mortal Engines based on a true story?
What is the world like in Mortal Engines?
Is 'Mortal Engines' worth watching at home?
Where can I buy Mortal Engines?
When does 'Mortal Engines' come out?
Mortal Engines has no shortage of eye-catching special effects, but lacks enough high-octane narrative fuel to give this futuristic fantasy sufficient cinematic combustion. Read Critics Reviews
- (189)
- Christian Rivers
- PG-13
- Hera Hilmar
Dec 14, 2018 · Even by the lower standards of kids’ stuff, this movie is laughably portentous and kitschy, and gets progressively worse, what with the heavy-handed introduction of the ethnically diverse rebel flyer team and the Dalai Lama lookalike leader of the Asian territory Thaddeus intends to bulldoze.
Dec 14, 2018 · Inept, derivative, violent sci-fi fantasy based on YA novel. Read Common Sense Media's Mortal Engines review, age rating, and parents guide.
- Christian Rivers
- Jeffrey M. Anderson
- Universal Pictures
- This steampunk epic, which often feels like an over-sized Fury Road on steroids, has great world-building but an underwhelming story.
- Verdict
By Rafael Motamayor
Updated: Mar 12, 2021 3:02 am
Posted: Dec 13, 2018 7:55 pm
Mortal Engines is the big-budget live-action steampunk movie fans of that subgenre have always wanted, complete with stunning visuals and top-notch world-building. Christian Rivers makes his directorial debut after working in visual effects with frequent collaborators (and co-writers and co-producers) Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens and delivers the kind of ambitious blockbuster we haven’t seen in years.
Mortal Engines is so eager to show you what it’s got, that the film starts while the Universal logo is still on screen, as we see purple-hued bombs that start going off in various locations on the famous globe on the logo. Visually and scale-wise, this is an oversized Fury Road on steroids. Based on the novels by Philip Reeve, we start with two literal cities chasing each other, spitting up smoke and dirt as the wheeled monstrosities make their slow way across a vast and desolated European countryside. London shoots massive harpoons at the smaller city, while teeny tiny trees are decimated beneath the giant wheels of the metropolis. As if the visual connections to the Wasteland of Max Rockatansky weren’t enough, I wouldn’t blame you for expecting to see Furiosa after listening to Junkie XL’s grandiose score here.
After a short but intense opening chase, we meet Tom Natsworthy, a historian-in-training who gets overcome with joy whenever he finds an artifact from the ancient world like a cracked iPhone. Robert Sheehan plays this typical YA-franchise naïve guy who yearns to see the world and become a warrior, and is suddenly very skilled in combat with no build-up. Tom’s work gets the attention of the powerful Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving), who doesn’t even try to hide how evil he is, or his complete lack of motivation.
Mortal Engines may have come about 15 years too late, as it feels like a blockbuster straight out of the early ‘00s before the YA craze saturated the market and then petered out. In 2018 it feels like too little, too late, with a storyline populated with largely uninteresting characters that’s been done so often now that it feels dull. What saves t...
Mortal Engines is a lifeless fantasy epic that is mildly enjoyable at times, but suffers from several grave afflictions that ultimately incur steep viewing consequences. Full Review | Jan 29,...
Dec 5, 2018 · “Mortal Engines” might not be a particularly good movie, but it’s a BIG one, and sometimes that can be even more important. Adapted (on steroids) from Philip Reeves’ neo-Victorian ...
Jun 12, 2018 · Mortal Engines. As visual metaphors for capitalism go, the sight of a towering, mobile London running down and swallowing a smaller town is pretty compelling. The stripped world of Mortal...
