Mortal Engines ** (2018, Hera Hilmar, Hugo Weaving, Jihae, Robert Sheehan, Leila George, Stephen Lang) – Movie Review

Director Christian Rivers’s 2018 teen fantasy action adventure Mortal Engines is very shakily based on the young adult novel of the same name by Philip Reeves. The story is cheesy and unconvincing on screen, lacking anything very much in the way of charm, excitement or credibility. It is partly a script problem, partly an acting problem, and partly a film-making problem, with virtually a whole two hours plus given over to the limited appeal of over-wrought CGI and a horrible, equally over-wrought soundtrack that just never shuts up.

All the characters are the merest caricatures, cardboard cutouts that more or less defy the actors playing them, especially considering some of the lines they have to utter. The only actor who establishes authority and conviction is the long-experienced Hugo Weaving, making a banquet out of an essentially daft super-villain role as the incredibly evil Thaddeus Valentine, who will silkily kill anyone who gets in the way of his future world domination master plan. Weaving hisses merrily away like he is Dr Evil. He is the life and soul of the party.

But main star Hera Hilmar has an uphill struggle against her strangely unsympathetic central role as the feisty, vengeance-seeking Hester Shaw. It is just too angry and aggressive. Robert Sheehan has problems with his character name for a start – Tom Natsworthy! – and with playing an essentially wet heartthrob boy who is just there as eye candy. Jihae cuts a dashing figure as dangerous outlaw Anna Fang, who suddenly turns up to help the heroine and hero for no explained reason, but this is a no acting required role.

Leila George plays the story’s third strong female character – Thaddeus’s loving daughter Katherine Valentine. This is another wet character, and Ms George can do little with it. The excellent Stephen Lang is reduced to playing a CGI living corpse with lit-up eyes, a boring, unimaginative villain.

The CGI has a problem convincing us about the idea of the giant predator city on wheels that looks like St Paul’s Cathedral. OK, it is very Howl’s Moving Castle, but it looks pretty ridiculous. Mad Max also gets liberally raided for ideas, so the film’s situation and story seem very hand-me-down. Certainly there is not much of a surprise in sight.

Mortal Engines runs 128 minutes, but seems much longer, though you might say that gives it an epic feel. At least there is plenty of time to text, chat, and eat and drink while the film is running. As teen popcorn movies go, it is a lightweight, though of course it is thoroughly slick, professional and fast moving.

Christian Rivers won a shared Oscar and Bafta for Best Achievement in Visual Effects for King Kong (2005). Mortal Engines is his first feature as director.

With a budget of just over $100 million and tens of millions in global marketing costs, studio executives estimate that the movie will lose upwards of $100 million. It generated just $7.5 million when it debuted in North America and by 17 December 2018 has made a paltry $42 million globally. 

© Derek Winnert 2018 Movie Review

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