The creative team who brought us those The Hobbit movies and all three Lord of the Rings Oscar winners has produced a new epic, Mortal Engines. The flick is out now on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital download formats.
Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson wrote the screenplay and Christian Rivers directed this futuristic, dystopian drama that should inspire those lucky enough to bring it home.
It is 1,000 years in the future in the earth was poisoned by what we learn was a 60-minute war. That’s all it took to devastate society as a whole. For those who survived, there is a constant battle for fuel, food and supplies of a varying kind. As a product of the war that “the ancients” launched and fought, cities are now on the move. They are on these monolithic monsters on wheels that from a production design point of view, are an incredible achievement in moviemaking.
Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar) is on a mission. She lives outside these massive, moving cities (such as London) and she has made it her life’s goal to avenger her mother’s death at the hands of Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving), who just happens to be in the upper echelons of running that moving London. At the start of the movie, she gets incredibly close to Valentine, only to have Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan) intervene to save the leader. What thanks does he get? He gets sent out in the trash with Shaw out into the no-man’s land that merely serve as tracks for these giant cities to drive through.
Valentine is on the cusp of developing a weapon that will make London the king of the world and he’s so close to it being fully operational he can taste it. Problem is, there are some “old tech” items he needs to make it work. Meanwhile, Tom and Hester try to find their way back to London and encounter all sorts of nefarious folks along the journey.
The thing with Mortal Engines is to see it on the best home video equipment that is out there. The sound is stellar. The picture is pristine. The effects that permeate the film are mind-blowing. The intricate detail to witch these movie cities exist visually is extraordinary. There are a lot of moving parts and Jackson (a self-professed cinematic tech nerd) must have been beside himself when he saw the final product of what his team has crafted. It is a stunning achievement and one, now that I’ve seen it, that was snubbed for that Visual Effects Academy Award nomination.
London is seen as what is essentially a wheeled predator that ingests everything it comes across. That is shown in breathtaking matter in the first moments of the film. It has set its sights on the east, where a community lies that sits behind what has seemed to be an impenetrable wall. If that weapon ever gets completed, there is nothing stopping London from ruling the world. Kind of funny, this is a futuristic tale whose main plot point could have existed in the 1700s!
Mortal Engines is based on a book by Philip Reeve that first hit shelves in 2001. It’s unlike anything that is out there. Audiences supposedly clamor for original material that isn’t a superhero movie or a sequel or reboot or something based on a television series. This film is about as original-looking and subject-wise as anything out there.
The supporting cast is fantastic, most notably Anna Fang (Jihae)—a rebel fighter who is like a mix of Princess Leia and Han Solo. Stephen Lange does some fine motion cap work with his turn as Shrike, a robot that “raised Hester.” Meanwhile, Leila George portrays Katherine, the daughter to Valentine and it is a turn that requires much of the actress. She still adores her father after all these years, but as she starts to see his true colors … she commences to pull away in shame.
As I’ve mentioned (multiple times!), the movable city of London was a spectacle alone worth watching Mortal Engines. Welcome to London is a five-part featurette—hosted by star Robert Sheehan—that takes us deeper into the detail of the city on wheels and what it took to bring it to life on the silver screen. Witnessing how the “beast” was built is the crux of the fascinating Building the Beast. How the little things that made it feel like we were truly witnessing London moving through the landscape is explored in The Smallest Details. It is a mesmerizing piece. Levels of London takes us through the city built on top of itself with its layers and paints a spotlight of a meticulous effort turned in by the crew.
The third and fourth installment are equally as intriguing. London Museum is a look at the facility that is showcased at the beginning of the movie. Sheehan’s character works at the establishment and it serves as a place to collect items from the past and catalogue them for current and future. This particular piece is extra interesting for me because I literally wanted to stop the movie and explore the museum! Thank goodness for the bonus features! Lastly, Medusa and St. Paul’s is exactly as it seems, and we won’t get too much into it without spoiling things for those of you who haven’t experienced the Mortal Engines magic.
As impressive is the movable cities are, specifically London, In the Air gives us a look at the cities in the sky that plays a huge part in the plot trajectory. The focus is on design (1080p, 4:52): A closer look at the airborne cities and the role of flying vehicles in the film, with emphasis on design and utilization in the film.
Character Series are like those character posters, brought to life! Each one of these are put together in such a way that it doesn’t spoil, in fact it’s the opposite. It gives us a deeper look into each of the players and their role within the overall scope of the story. Those profiled are Hester Shaw, Tom Natsworthy, Anna Fang, Thaddeus Valentine and Shrike. My favorite is Shrike!
Like the museum featurette before, End of the Ancients gives us a museum-type tour that fills in the blank to what has happened between the 60-minute war and the world we witness in Mortal Engines.
As is the case with those Hobbit movies, the Lord of the Rings films and many of what Welsh and Jackson have crafted much of their movie magic in their home, New Zealand. Film New Zealand features the stars of the film and those who made it behind the camera and their utter joy and bliss making movies in New Zealand.
Lastly, don’t miss the audio commentary by director Rivers.
Movie grade: B
Bonus Features: B+