Mortal engines is a 2018 film under the genres of science fiction, dystopian and adventure, directed by Christian Rivers and produced by Peter Jackson. It’s based on the novel written by Philip Reeve. The movie is set in a post apocalyptic world in the far far future where massive traction cities exist and obliterate smaller cities in order to harvest resources. Society refers to this as Municipal darwinism, which evolved to become a method of primal survival.
The movie focuses on Hester Shaw, played by Hera Hilmar, who is a revenge hungry young woman with a scarred face. The reason she is so driven by revenge is due to the fact that a strong politician by the name of Thaddeus Valentine, played by Hugo Weaving, murdered her mother. Hester tries to kill Valentine but is unable to do so and has to flee. During her escape, she finds herself next to Robert Sheehan’s character, a historian and apprentice known as Tom Natsworthy, who was exiled from London due to a conflict with Valentine.
Pushed together, Hester and Tom seek a way to turn Valentine from using the powerful weapon called MEDUSA which has the potential to annihilate what is left of humanity. They meet some friends in their quest, this includes Anna Fang (Jihae) a Freedom fighter and the leader of the Anti-Traction League, She is an intrepid flyer who aids in the fight against the traction cities. In this quest to stop Valentine, both Hester and Tom are forced to confront their past, find a way to survive and fight against the oppressive system that governs their world.
Main Characters:
Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar): Hester is a strong willed and soft hearted woman who faces a troubling past and seeks revenge from Valentine. Her character closely evolves around healing, self knowledge and bravery.
Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan): Tom is a historian with vast interest and intelligence who starts off at a very basic level in London but after meeting Hester and being thrown in a world full of chaos and conflict, becomes a hero.
Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving): Logan is an aspiring and fierce commander who wants to rule the world with MEDUSA, a weapon of great devastation. He is ready to go to great lengths for that ambition.
Anna Fang (Jihae): Anna is the dynamic leader of the resistance who pilots a beautiful airship and works hard to eliminate the tyranny of the traction cities.
Shrike (Stephen Lang): Shrike is a “Stalker” and a reanimated cyborg soldier with a tragic history with Hester. Shrike’s character may seem scary on the outside but contributes greatly to the emotional arcs of the film.
Thematic Elements and Exploration:
- Endurance and Empowerment:
Considering that cities are cannibalistic in nature, one would expect Mortal Engines to depict people as power-hungry savages. “Municipal Darwinism” is a hierarchal structure that is depicted as a survival of the fittest strategy, and odd as it sounds, these principles ring true, especially considering the real-life Far East wherein imperialism quite literally robbed resources from the natives.
- Vendetta and Forgiveness:
Hester’s quest for vengeance primarily shapes the storyline, but at the same time the character’s arc showcases how revenge can twist a person’s heart. In her case, it is when she meets Tom and Shrike that she accepts that one has to move on to be free.
- Insurgency and Liberation:
The battles that the Anti-Traction League wage against the big cities indicate an insurgency against repression and annihilation. The characters are forever seeking a day where democracy and freedom does not required bemoaned conditions which they had to endure to get to that luminal point.
- Humanity and Loss:
The character Shrike, regardless of being a mechanical abstraction, portrays deep emotions of loss when integrated with Hester. His memories about his past life show a possibility of human existence in more diverse forms.
Visual Effects and World-building:
One of the fascinating features worth mentioning towards Mortal Engines was the stunning visual effects and game design. ‘The Traction Cities’ are depicted in great detail spearheaded by London which is characterized as a sprawling steam powered monstrosity. The oversized wheels, constantly moving cogs and stately high rises present in the city offer classic stempunk flavor.
As for the film director Christian River who previously worked with Peter Jackson on The Lord of the Rings, effortlessly tracks the animated world with broad shots of the scope and fast-paced actions of the characters. A surrealistic world is created, with airships and floating cities against a backdrop of post-apocalypse dystopia.
However, while the imagination of the visual was complemented, some critics pointed out that the overwhelming immersion in the world was detrimental to understanding the movie without knowing its original source.
Musical Composition and Audio Engineering:
The music and audio engineering work in unison with visuals, the result is an exhilarating experience. The same can be said about the sound design, which captures the industrial aesthetic perfectly, with machinery and motors complementing the film’s overall sound. Tom Holkenborg, aka Junkie , does wonders with a blend of electronic and orchestral music. Tension amps up during the action sequences, only to be toned down during the cinematic cutscenes.
Criticism and Score:
IMDb Rating: 6.1/10
Based on the graphic novels created by Philip Reeve, the movie Mortal Engines received a fair amount of resentment and mixed reviews. Although the visuals and film set alongside the character development were heavily criticized, Jihae’s performance as Anna Fang was hailed in every review. Moreover, the films pacing and predictability made the experience rather dull and mundane.
Audiences who are fans of science fiction and epics were disappointed by the lack of emotion in the narrative but were still amused by the adventure and visuals.
Why It Reigns Supreme:
The world of Mortal Engines showcases a dystopia where the core of the franchise remains entirely different through the introduction of steampunk mechanics and mammoth walking city landscapes. The loss of power, abuse of power, and the wide array of rebellion seen in Mortal Engines does provide it emotional depth even if it moves through its narrative at a fast pace. The character of Hester Shaw in particular is a one of many great protagonists in this universe with a unique yet invigorating backstory.
Wrapping Up:
Mortal Engines is the definition of a one of a kind post apocalyptic sci fi film with roaming cities filled with chaos and devastation for each civilization, much of what the movie sets out to deliver is brought to fruition. Although there are many intrigued with the movie’s complex nature and pacing style there is an array of breathtaking fight scenes and a giant cast of characters alongside thought provoking concepts in the mix.
For those that adore chaos and extreme action set in vast worlds Mortal Engines is bound to be thrilling even if not every single aspect is on bar, Nevertheless the movie aims to bring forth the magical universe birthed in the books via the silver screen and to some extent accomplishes that even with some flaws in the grand scheme of things.
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