Mortal Engines Brings A Mechanical Adventure Full of Movie Tropes to the Screen

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mortal engines review

mortal engines review

Going into Mortal Engines I didn’t really know much about the story. The trailer looked visually interesting and I feared that may be the only thing I could say positive about the movie before hand. Based off the first book in the four book series by Philip Reeve, it takes you on an adventure through a dystopian future after the world reshapes and civilization is broken into Traction Cities, scavengers and Anti-Traction cities.

The movie brings you to the Traction City of London, and immediately into a hunt where they’re tracking down smaller areas of Europe to consume and power their city. The cheering of the inhabitants of London remind you a bit of Hunger Games as they cheer happily to watch the livelihood of a whole city and civilization destroyed to better their own lives. At the heart of the city is St Paul’s Cathedral which has something happening inside that no-one seems to know of.

From the very beginning we’re introduced to some pivotal characters that are there to push the story through, but their story lines do get a bit muddled through the film. With a lot of moving parts, just like the cities, there are times that is gets hard to follow and some of the characters are almost lost through the story – or forgotten about until they appear back on screen.

At the heart of all of the story lines is Hester Shaw, a girl who is surviving through the years (almost) on her own no matter what life throws at her. She doesn’t trust anyone, and has one ultimate goal – to kill the Head of the Guild of Historians Thaddeus Valentine – who has a dark goal of his own. Her quest will not only shape her life, but those around her as it leads to the ultimate end game for Valentine and people throughout London and even other areas.

The movie is filled with adventure, moving parts and a lot of action. The mechanical world built in the world and the moving parts of the cities are fascinating and interesting to watch. But there are parts of the movie that almost feel too convenient and a bit like we’ve seen it before. With parts of the movie that felt like the Hunger Games, some that reminded us of Divergent and even a hint of Star Wars in there we were left asking if we’ve just seen too many movies or if the film actually just plays off too many tropes and we’re able to pick them up that much easier.

Mortal Engines is visually interesting, and one that will keep you entertained for a couple hours. But there were parts that some of the acting almost seemed a bit over-acting and it was hard to keep our interest. I’m not sure if further character development was needed on the screen adaptation or if a less complicated story line brought through the movie or developed through two to bring this to a better movie over all. It will be interesting to see how the other books are adapted when they make it to the big screen.

Mortal Engines Trailer:

MORTAL ENGINES:

mortal engines reviewThousands of years after civilization was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, humankind has adapted and a new way of living has evolved. Gigantic moving cities now roam the Earth, ruthlessly preying upon smaller traction towns. Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan)—who hails from a Lower Tier of the great traction city of London—finds himself fighting for his own survival after he encounters the dangerous fugitive Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar). Two opposites, whose paths should never have crossed, forge an unlikely alliance that is destined to change the course of the future. Starring Hugo Weaving, Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, Jihae, Ronan Raftery, Leila George, Patrick Malahide and Stephen Lang. Direct by Christian Rivers. (UNIVERSAL) This film is rated PG-13.

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