Mortal Engines

This review may contain spoilers!

This is a very cliched blockbuster. It is a very well made cliche, but a cliche nonetheless. I would give Mortal Engines a 6.5/10.

This is a movie that pulls out all the stops in the first twenty to thirty minutes; the set up is thrilling, there's an intense chase sequence and even the exposition is somewhat engaging. I truly loved just how much had been put into the production of this film, even though the story falters a lot at least those visuals are right there to lift it back up. The cinematography is a grandiose treat, taking in massive set pieces and special effects with ease. The special effects themselves certainly flaunt a rather impressive budget with mobile cities and aircraft looking detailed and unique, yet it is the design for Shrike that leaves the biggest impression by far. The score for the film speaks of the epic scale at work here, going full fanfare for the epic chase sequences and monolithic battles in the final act.

Hera Hilmar, who played Hester Shaw, is a strong protagonist throughout the feature; her aggressive stand-offish attitude is tempered by her extremely vulnerable upbringing making for a complex role. Robert Sheehan, who played Tom Natsworthy, is a very sheltered yet kindly protagonist when first we meet him; his meekness gives way to bravery as he follows Hester upon their journey back to London. Stephen Lang, who played Shrike, practically breathes life into what could have otherwise felt like a mindless monster character; Lang reveals the tragic personality of this machine that is attempting to break through the surface.

However, the best performance came from Hugo Weaving, who played Thaddeus Valentine. This is a character who presents a front of governing from the best of intentions, with the good of London at the forefront of his mind. Yet Weaving masterfully reveals his role to be a power-mad tyrant, striving for a military power the likes not wielded by other cities. As his actions grow wilder and bolder he distances from the allies he once held close, even his daughter. Finally, come to the end Valentine is a purely malevolent force bent solely upon destruction, only ever really leading to his downfall.

The film suffers heavily after the first twenty minutes, from about this point we're treated to a terribly underwhelming generic young adult film. The most glaring issue is how overcrammed the film is; you have to learn a lot about the world and not very much makes sense. There's a ton of history, technology, political structures, factions and personal motivations that layer one another and getting through the film attempting to register it all feels like a chore rather than a pleasure. The camp plotline about the small resistance fighting a giant monolithic power is worn out, but not as worn out as the poor love story between the two main characters. The film looks original and makes a grand impression but watch for long enough and you'll see a film with all shine and no substance.

Jihae, who played Anna Fang, is this very monotonous freedom fighter who doesn't register much emotion throughout the film; she has a great presence in the fight sequences but she isn't a role that you relate to on any level. Ronan Raftery, who played Bevis Pod, is a very mild-mannered role who is quite easy to look past; Raftery presents a plot point rather than a character and is only kept around to give Leila George something else to do. Leila George, who played Katherine Valentine, doesn't possess a strong relationship with Sheehan or Weaving making her significance hard to place; the film places a lot more importance on her role than the actress every really gives back. Patrick Malahide, who played Magnus Crome, is a sour and irate secondary antagonist; Malahide plays a tired old villain and it's pretty clear what his fate is going to be from the beginning. Colin Salmon, who played Chudleigh Pomeroy, is very much comfortable in the background of the film; Salmon presents mild exposition and little else to the feature. Rege Jean-Page and Kee Chan, who played Captain Khora and Governor Kwan respectively, are the rather two-dimensional characters who represent the resistance in this film; Chan in particular sticks closely to the stereotypical roles he has done in past features. Sarah Peirse, who played Dr Twix, is a character armed with more knowledge than seems likely for her to possess; this role is just a glaring convenience the whole way through and her relationship with Weaving is never really fleshed out or explained.