Film Review: MORTAL ENGINES (Non-Spoilers)
Caught the film on a Monday morning, December 10th, 2018 in Singapore. Caught it alone at Golden Village, Tampines branch, and I have to say though, the audio was a tad softer than I had hoped/expected ... thank goodness the child's talking (OMG why is a child there?) stopped when the film started (Fist-bump to the parentals!).
Featured below are my first impressions - since Instagrammed ((Part 1/2) + (Part 2/2)), and reposted here - all of whom are non-spoilers - along with select behind-the-scenes-featurettes.
But first, the latest trailer and a synopsis;
SYNOPSIS: "Hundreds of years after civilization was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, a mysterious young woman, Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar), emerges as the only one who can stop London — now a giant, predator city on wheels — from devouring everything in its path. Feral, and fiercely driven by the memory of her mother, Hester joins forces with Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan), an outcast from London, along with Anna Fang (Jihae), a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head."
"Mortal Engines is the startling, new epic adventure directed by Oscar®-winning visual-effects artist Christian Rivers (King Kong). Joining Rivers are The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies three-time Academy Award®-winning filmmakers Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, who have penned the screenplay. Visual effects are created by a Weta Digital team led by Ken McGaugh, Kevin Smith, Luke Millar and Dennis Yoo. The Universal and MRC adaptation is from the award-winning book series by Philip Reeve, published in 2001 by Scholastic.
On board as producers are Zane Weiner (The Hobbit trilogy), Amanda Walker (The Hobbit trilogy) and Deborah Forte (Goosebumps), as well as Walsh and Jackson. Ken Kamins (The Hobbit trilogy) joins Boyens as executive producer. Universal will distribute the film worldwide. www.mortalengines.com"
The story for #PeterJackson's #MortalEngines is predictable and at times the lines are cornyAF, the characters - while nicely presented and performed - are somehow cardboard-cutouts, but very nicely dressed ones. Nothing new here to savour here story-wise, alas.
I am unfamiliar with the source material, but I sense a cramming of ideas and (plenty of nameless sub) characters into this film adaptation, which thankfully is bolstered by the gorgeous visuals (I am biased to the genre, I admit), and perhaps a "fresh premise" (to me anyways) that had spurred my interests in the first place.
Although I truly wished it did not feel as "Hollywood-ized", somehow constantly reminding me of disaster flicks, with an cliched "drone"-esque P.O.V. / points-of-view that distracts and distances me from whatever the humanity it had been trying to portray, but firmly delivers on the grandiose designs the film boasts.
I did not feel a lick of sympathy for #HesterShaw, and the standout character was obviously #Jihae's "Anna Fang", whom probably stood out way too much, IMHO. Everything was dandy until she spoke those inspirational lines that probably did not resonate with a old fuddy-duddy like me :p
My fav character performance in the film was from "Shrike" (played by Stephen Lang), who provided a "humanity" which seems being taken for granted by other "human" actors, IMHO.
I am utterly charmed and blown away at how gorgeous #MortalEngines is designed and dressed. From Production Design by Dan Hennah ("Thor: Ragnarok", "Alice Through the Looking Glass", all 3 x "The Hobbit" movies) of the diesel-punk drenched predator cities and steampunk-spirited mecha and reel-life, to the lush Costume Design by Bob Buck ("Z for Zachariah", 3 x #TheHobbit movies) and Kate Hawley ("Chaos Walking", "Suicide Squad", "Crimson Peak", "Edge of Tomorrow", "Pacific Rim" - OMG I love her work), where even the grime and grit looked glorious amidst the textured visuals!
Admittedly, sometimes I'd truly felt the aesthetics overshadowed the predictable story, but I am ok with that. At the end of the day, I'd be more than happy to purchase a "Making-Of"/#BehindTheScenes art book for this film, than a copy of this film itself (*Only to see the aesthetics in action).
Featured here in this slideshow above (SWIPE to view) are images since revealed online before the show has premiered in the USA. There is so much more to be seen, enjoyed and relished in the film...!
(Possible) #SPOILR: I also adored the SHRIKE "home" scenes, as it delivered a somewhat indie-European "art film"-sensibility which appealed to me immensely (I'm thinking "The City of Lost Children" here, which I ADORE) and what I feel is generally lacking in genre films thee days, IMHO (of course I am personally biased, I admit).
Definitely worth a watch on a large screen in a darkened cinema (*primarily for the visuals - because the details might be lost on a smaller screen, and that to me would be unforgivable!), but be prepared to cringe at the actions and antics at some points - all of which is not "unforgivable" though, but def worth a ride and watch, IMHO!
MORTAL ENGINES are currently showing on Singapore screens, and premiers December 14th, 2018 in U.S.A.
Cheers and enjoy the film!
Andy TOYSREVIL
Comments
Post a Comment