A Geeky Viewpoint

Never have I wanted to like a movie as badly as I wanted to like Mortal Engines. Movies like Kingdom of Heaven, Gods and Generals and the recent entry in the Wizarding World Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald comes to mind as movies I wanted to like but left the theater wishing they were better.   Mortal Engines is clearly further down that path. 

The first 25 minutes of the film is awe inspiring, it is as gripping as the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan.  I was sitting on the edge of my seat wanting more.  Than the movie fell off its tracks slogged along and as a viewer I felt like I was getting gut punched for the next hour and half.

Mortal Engines is an adaptation of the first in a series of Young Adult novels by Philip Reeve of the same name.  Set in a post apocalyptic world hundreds of years after a "Sixty Minute War" that decimated the world and inhabitants causing great geologic upheaval and other disasters.  The film focuses on the story of two young antagonists who attempt to expose a conspiracy in the great traction city of London.  Our two antagonists, Hester Shaw and Tom Natsworthy, are portrayed by two relativity unknown actors Hera Hilar and Robert Sheehan.  Other notable cast members include Hugo Weaving as the protagonist Thaddeus Valentine, Jihae as Anna Fang and Stephen Lang as Shrike, the undead warrior.

There will be discussion as to why this film fails, to which there are numerous culpable issues.
Produced and written by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh with writing assistance from Phillipa Boyens the production company has a pretty spectacular resume, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars for Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and four other Oscar nominations over the years.  
Directed by Christian Rivers who is making his directorial debut after years of assisting Peter Jackson on almost everyone of his projects for three decades.   Many will question whether he was ready to be the primary voice behind the camera.
To me the biggest problem with this film was the script.  It was bad in every way that the Lord of the Rings was good.  We were given no time to appreciate our two antagonist and it turned a very good character actor, Hugo Weaving, into a boring, one trick, predictable villain.   There were no surprises and everything you expect to happen, happened. 

In the end a promising premise is left crushed in the dust by the massive weight of the bad script and poor direction/acting. 

One Star (only for the the first 25 minutes of the film) out of Five Stars.