MORTAL ENGINES is a Hollywood action-adventure movie directed by Christian Rivers. The movie is presented by Universal Pictures.
The writers have set an interesting premise as the idea is appealing and futuristic. The opening long-action scene is exciting to watch as the stunt choreography is topical, in fact, all the fight sequences are present with a commercial touch. Initially, after putting up an impressive concept, the expectations for the rest of the movie goes high, but the remaining portions are flat without any surprises in the progression.
There are many subplots and hardly they create an impact or make us stick our heart towards it. There are a limitless number of small flashbacks in the movie and after a point, it felt there is a backstory for each and every artist in the film. The thinking is advanced, but the scenes or the dialogues do not replicate the same. The engagement is bright only during the action portions and the predictability factor also gears up to let down the intensity.
The storytelling is very usual and it falls way too short of offering excitement over the flow. The characters seem to have depth when they come up with a flashback, but they do not have much to do in the present. It was very hard to connect with even the main characters, and there was also a timeline disconnection. The villain’s motive lacks clarity and the twist at the end does not pack a punch.
The artists have done a neat job. Especially, the leading lady Hera Hilmer gave a clean performance and appeared with a bold look. Robert Sheehan supported her throughout the proceedings.
The cinematography is rich with outstanding visuals, the locations that are shown nicely helped the narration. Sound technicians were amazing in their work, they also had some worthy scope to prove themselves. The experienced Junkie XL’s background score is foot-tapping and goes well with the situations as well. Editing could have been sharp with lesser backstories.
VERDICT - A new-age idea that just ends up as a regular commercial flick due to a lackluster package.
Rating - 2.5/ 5.
