Film Review: "Mortal Engines" Quickly Runs Out Of Steam

Mortal Engines follows Tom (Robert Sheenan), a historian who lives in the wealthy city of London, and Hesta (Hera Hilmar), a disfigured assassin. They work together to survive in a post-apocalyptic world where cities have been engineered to travel around on wheels and hunt each other. After escaping slavery, a reanimated cyborg and a ruthless Londoner, it’s no surprise that the two end up living happily ever after.

After seeing Peter Jackson’s name shown extensively in the trailer, my expectations were high. As the famous director of Lord of the Rings trilogy, it’s difficult not to associate his name with movies of the absolute highest quality.

That’s why Mortal Engines was that much more disappointing. Certain elements of the movie were lacking. Although interesting, the storyline did not feel solid, and random plot twists gave the movie a very jumpy, all-over-the-place vibe. Several side characters gave little to no input to the storyline, and some parts of the story were never truly resolved.

Despite its flaws, Mortal Engines did have its strengths. The superb acting of the main characters drew viewers into the story, keeping the audience interested. Another aspect done especially well was the smooth introduction to the futuristic, steampunk world that Mortal Engines is set in. And the conclusion invoked a clear sense of satisfaction and relief. Still, watch it without any expectations, especially if you’re a massive Lord of the Rings fan. You might end up enjoying it a lot more than I did.

2 stars out of 5