So Mortal Engines shows just how great it is that we live in a world where an adaptation of a YA novel comes every couple months.
Mortal Engines is...a film. Many films actually. Something of a patchwork of films- Mad Max, Star Wars, Waterworld, Howl's Moving Castle. That's just the surface.
Here cities have had to load themselves up on tank tracks and roam around an apocalyptic wasteland looking for fuel and food.
These gigantic monstrosities adorned with buildings, gardens, roads, and exhaust pipes never feel lived in so much as they're just eyesores.
Hugo Weaving is some big higher-up of the city of London, which is just crushing it in the whole devouring other cities thing, and he's just getting started.
Hera Hilmar plays Hester, a mopey survivalist seeking revenge on Weaving for killing her mom and scarring up her face, though not as badly as in the book cause you know, you gotta sell the teen lover angle.
Robert Sheehan is Tom, the other teen, he looks like a complete puss next to Hester and requires saving constantly.
These two encounter quirky, murderous, and freedom-fighting characters, none of which funny or memorable, as they make their way back to the final showdown with Weaving.
Of course they fall in love along the way but the movie is so fast-paced and scattered you'd hardly ever recognize they even have chemistry.
More problematic than how derivative and frankly joyless this all is is that the only real emotional beats take place in flashbacks I would have rather seen fleshed out than watch the actual movie.
The best that could be said for this is that Peter Jackson actually didn't direct it, as the marketing seems to be misleading people to think.
That dishonor goes to Christian Rivers, Jackson's storyboard artist, although it's hard to tell what drew either to this. It's a movie where even the special effects seem to be saying "we could do alot better."
If you like this, check out Craig James Review on Youtube for more
Mortal Engines is...a film. Many films actually. Something of a patchwork of films- Mad Max, Star Wars, Waterworld, Howl's Moving Castle. That's just the surface.
Here cities have had to load themselves up on tank tracks and roam around an apocalyptic wasteland looking for fuel and food.
These gigantic monstrosities adorned with buildings, gardens, roads, and exhaust pipes never feel lived in so much as they're just eyesores.
Hugo Weaving is some big higher-up of the city of London, which is just crushing it in the whole devouring other cities thing, and he's just getting started.
Hera Hilmar plays Hester, a mopey survivalist seeking revenge on Weaving for killing her mom and scarring up her face, though not as badly as in the book cause you know, you gotta sell the teen lover angle.
Robert Sheehan is Tom, the other teen, he looks like a complete puss next to Hester and requires saving constantly.
These two encounter quirky, murderous, and freedom-fighting characters, none of which funny or memorable, as they make their way back to the final showdown with Weaving.
Of course they fall in love along the way but the movie is so fast-paced and scattered you'd hardly ever recognize they even have chemistry.
More problematic than how derivative and frankly joyless this all is is that the only real emotional beats take place in flashbacks I would have rather seen fleshed out than watch the actual movie.
The best that could be said for this is that Peter Jackson actually didn't direct it, as the marketing seems to be misleading people to think.
That dishonor goes to Christian Rivers, Jackson's storyboard artist, although it's hard to tell what drew either to this. It's a movie where even the special effects seem to be saying "we could do alot better."
If you like this, check out Craig James Review on Youtube for more