I’m so mad. Not at the movie, mind you. I’m mad at myself. Loving a movie that is destined to bomb, and not deliver on the sequels that the filmmakers are clearly hoping for is just setting yourself up for disappointment. But for the time being, let me tell you about how much I loved this weird ass movie!
Mortal Engines is a film directed by Christian Rivers, based on a script by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens, who are adapting the first book from a series of the same name by Philip Reeve. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where the central gimmick is “what if city, but also car?”
Like the iconic opening shot of Star Wars, where a small rebel ship is chased by the enormous star destroyer, Mortal Engines begins with an exhilarating opening sequence that perfectly shows off its idiosyncratic world, as well as the struggles that come with it. A small mining town is being chased by London. It makes every effort to escape the gigantic city, but is ultimately swallowed up (I mean that very literally, by the way), leading to the absolute chef’s kiss of a title drop.
I’m not gonna say Mortal Engines is as good as Star Wars, it’s far – very, very far – from perfect. However, like Star Wars, it utilizes classic character archetypes and adventure tropes to explore a profoundly imaginative world that is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. I adored the worldbuilding here. You might assume that the film is a big CGI-fest, and to a degree, you are right, but it’s all in service to bringing this world to life. Despite that, there’s a lot of wonderful sets and costumes; every nook and cranny is filled to the brim with detail. I could spend hours just looking at the margins, and seeing what everyday life is like for the people who live in these moving cities.
So, what prevents this from being the next Star Wars? Well, simply put, characterization does feel a bit lacking. I did end up warming myself up quite a bit to the two main characters, Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar), the fugitive with a personal vendetta against the evil Thaddeus (Hugo Weaving), and Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan), the apprentice historian from London who winds up joining Hester in her quest. Personality-wise, they are on the bland side, but there was enough there to get me to care, and it helps that they both have some solid screen presence, even if the often stock-like dialogue doesn’t do them any favors.
Supporting characters suffer more in this department, they look cool, but there’s not a lot there, but there are a few exceptions. Hugo Weaving is going to be compelling no matter what material you give him, and he’s a fun villain here. Anna Fang (Jihae) is an effortlessly cool resistance leader with the kind of costume that begs to be the next big thing for cosplayers. But my personal favorite has to be Stephen Lang’s Shrike, a wild card murder robot who has weird codependency issues with Hester, honestly the less I say about this character, the better. I legitimately found myself tearing up in a moment that involves his character, which – if you’ve read a lot of my stuff here – should not be that big of a surprise to you, but still.
If I can compare this to any other film, in terms of the sheer experience of it, it would be Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. That film was one of my favorites of last year, and it shares very similar strengths and weaknesses. If you like that movie despite its issues with characterization, then you’ll like this movie, if you didn’t, then you won’t like this. It’s as simple as that. It’s the kind of film where it throws you into a fully realized world, and doesn’t totally care if you’re able to catch up.
One aspect that caught my by surprise was its very upfront anti-imperialist philosophy, and the way its dramatized to a very literal degree. London is this massive force, shown as mostly white, and literally swallowing smaller cities, where we get more glimpses of people of color, and stealing their resources. After the opening sequence, the folks from the mining town are lined up, and being inspected as they head into London, and over the speakers, among other things, the announcer points out “children may be separated for a period of time,” or something to that effect. Yes, it’s nothing particularly new or inventive in this regard, but I appreciated how overtly political the film was, and in the final battle sequence, it was cool seeing this civilization, which consisted largely of East and South Asian people defending themselves against London.
I can completely understand why a lot of folks might not jive with Mortal Engines, but I had a big, dumb grin on my face for practically the entire film. I had such a blast watching the characters navigate this strange, offbeat world, and after a certain point, I was totally on board with their big mission. Despite the underwhelming characterization, I earnestly found myself completely swept up by the adventure, so it felt less generic, and more classical as a result. And having these added thematic layers will bring a lot of resonance for certain audiences, who will appreciate this not just for the world it creates, but for the many reasons that make it a world worth fighting for.