{"id":7554,"date":"2018-12-08T14:42:47","date_gmt":"2018-12-08T04:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/?p=7554"},"modified":"2019-01-07T12:13:28","modified_gmt":"2019-01-07T02:13:28","slug":"mortal-engines-movie-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/mortal-engines-movie-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Mortal Engines – movie review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mortal Engines<\/em> turns out to be another post-apocalyptic adventure aimed at teenagers and, possibly, young adults.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of years after civilisation was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, a mysterious young woman emerges as the only one who can stop London \u2014 now a giant, predator city on wheels \u2014 from devouring everything in its path. Humankind has adapted and a new way of living has evolved in the wake of what was known as the Sixty Minute War. Gigantic moving cities now roam the Earth, ruthlessly preying upon smaller traction towns.<\/p>\n

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\nHester Shaw (Hera Hilmar) was disfigured while trying to protect her mother from the evil clutches of Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving) and ever since she has been bent on revenge. For his part, Valentine has a questionable vision for the future – one that ostracises just about everyone, including his own daughter, Katherine (Leila George).<\/p>\n

Shaw lives in the shadows and calls no-one a friend. But that’s not how apprentice historian, Londoner Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan) sees it. He does his level best to win her over. They’re joined in their quest to save London by Anna Fang (Jihae), a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head.<\/p>\n

Peter Jackson is one of three screenwriters credited with adapting Philip Reeve’s 2001 young-adult novel of the same name. Christian Rivers – who won a visual effects Oscar for Jackson\u2019s King Kong<\/em> in 2006 – directs.<\/p>\n

A great deal happens in the film. Lots of characters are introduced, and there’s action aplenty; but nobody’s home. For all the visual effects, the storyline felt stock-standard. The script lacked inventiveness; the acting was hardly inspiring; and the two hour plus running time was a real indulgence.<\/p>\n

The filmmakers have given us a downbeat mash up of Mad Max<\/em> and Star Wars<\/em>. Sure, some of the machines are creative, but beyond that there’s nothing we haven\u2019t seen many times before \u2026 and done better. They manage to draw out the back story so it’s revealed in slowly as the film unfolds. But by then, my interest had waned.<\/p>\n