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Mortal Engines

Play trailer Poster for Mortal Engines PG-13 Released Dec 14, 2018 2h 8m Sci-Fi Fantasy Adventure Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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25% Tomatometer 189 Reviews 48% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Hundreds of years after a cataclysmic event destroyed civilization, mysterious young Hester Shaw emerges as the only one who can stop the city of London -- now a giant predator on wheels -- from devouring everything in its path. Feral and fiercely driven by the memory of her mother, Hester joins forces with Tom Natsworthy, an outcast from London, and Anna Fang, a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head.
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Mortal Engines

Mortal Engines

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Critics Consensus

Mortal Engines has no shortage of eye-catching special effects, but lacks enough high-octane narrative fuel to give this futuristic fantasy sufficient cinematic combustion.

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Critics Reviews

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Claudia Puig FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles) It's got an interesting look, but it's a bloated story. Sep 12, 2019 Full Review David Fear Rolling Stone They want to give you a steampunk-on-steroids Metropocalypse Now! And they're willing to use the spare parts of dozens of other movies to make it happen. Rated: 2.5/5 Dec 24, 2018 Full Review Chris Stuckmann ChrisStuckmann.com This should've been amazing. Even the ending owes itself to another film...it feels like a bunch of movies we've seen before, that are better than this. Rated: C- Dec 21, 2018 Full Review Calum Cooper Source (Scotland) Its concept is too daft to take seriously, and the action and narrative isn’t exciting enough to be a decent shut-your-brain-off experience. Rated: 2/5 Jul 14, 2024 Full Review Nyle Coleman InSession Film As much as I wanted to enjoy Mortal Engines, it did very little to move me and keep me captivated. Rated: D+ May 9, 2024 Full Review Lonita Cook KCTV5 News at 9 It's actually a little bit more soulful than it lets on. Jun 16, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Marco L (CASTELLANO) Cuando tienes una película con un mundo postapocalíptico donde ciudades enteras se desplazan sobre ruedas devorando a otras más pequeñas, esperas algo épico. Mortal Engines lo intenta con todas sus fuerzas, y aunque visualmente es una auténtica pasada, la historia no siempre consigue mantener el mismo nivel de impacto. La trama sigue a Hester Shaw, una joven con sed de venganza en un mundo donde la supervivencia depende de la fuerza bruta y la tecnología antigua. A su lado, Tom, un historiador que se ve arrastrado a esta guerra de gigantes de acero. A nivel de ambientación, la película brilla: la estética steampunk está muy bien lograda y el diseño de producción es de lo mejor. Cada rincón de este mundo se siente trabajado, con escenarios detallados que te sumergen en su universo. El problema es que, más allá del envoltorio, la historia sigue caminos bastante predecibles. Los personajes no terminan de tener el desarrollo que necesitan para que realmente te importen, y algunas subtramas se sienten metidas con calzador. La acción, por otro lado, cumple con creces: hay secuencias espectaculares, peleas bien coreografiadas y momentos que, aunque no aporten mucho a la historia, al menos entretienen. No es una película aburrida, pero sí algo caótica. Se nota el intento de crear una gran franquicia, pero le falta un poco de alma para que realmente enganche más allá de su impactante despliegue visual. Si buscas una aventura con escenarios impresionantes y un mundo diferente, Mortal Engines puede valer la pena, pero no esperes una historia que te deje huella. (ENGLISH) When you have a movie set in a post-apocalyptic world where entire cities move on wheels, devouring smaller ones, you expect something epic. Mortal Engines tries its best, and while visually it's truly impressive, the story doesn’t always manage to keep up. The plot follows Hester Shaw, a young woman seeking revenge in a world where survival depends on brute force and ancient technology. Alongside her is Tom, a historian who gets caught up in this war of steel giants. In terms of world-building, the film shines: the steampunk aesthetic is incredibly well done, and the production design is top-notch. Every corner of this universe feels detailed and immersive. The problem is that beyond its impressive visuals, the story takes a fairly predictable path. The characters don’t get enough development to truly make you care, and some subplots feel forced. On the other hand, the action does its job: there are spectacular sequences, well-choreographed fights, and moments that, even if they don’t add much to the story, are at least entertaining. It’s not a boring movie, but it is a bit chaotic. You can tell it was meant to kickstart a big franchise, but it lacks the emotional depth needed to truly engage beyond its stunning visuals. If you’re looking for an adventure with breathtaking scenery and a unique world, Mortal Engines is worth a watch—just don’t expect a story that will leave a lasting impact. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/19/25 Full Review Simon M I watched this movie on an early evening. I'm glad that I started early because this movie is LONG. The acting quality in this movie is good, and the visuals are well done. The problem is with the script. The premise itself builds off of a standard poat-apocalypse, but goes in quite frankly - a stupid direction. The titular Mortal Engines require a massive amount of suspension of disbelief which is pushed even further with the McGuffin Superweapon... which is generally not that super. The movie has a B-line plot with a cyborg that makes no sense and relies entirely on the female leads complete inability to communicate... dropping this entire sub plot would have cute a lot from the film and made it make more sense. The male lead, meanwhile, is a hapless drag-along. Essentially a damsel in distress... entirely superfluous to the plot. The movie also has an issue with what technology level society has, as sometimes it's modern, sometimes it's anachronistic, sometimes it's hypertech, and sometimes it's medieval... the inconsistency is pretty wild. This compounds with an inconsistent scale - from shot to shot and perspective to perspective. There is also an overuse of tropes and references including the Minions... TL;DR - it's just kinda stupid Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/08/25 Full Review Michael B Based on the book by Philip Reeve, under-preformed at the box office but gained a cult following over time. I like the concept, visuals and aesthetic are interesting. Lots of potential but lacks depth and it would have been fun to learn more about the geography of the Mortal Engines universe. Leaves some questions unanswered and loose ends. Maybe setting up for the sequel (Predator's Gold) that never came. The book series (The Mortal Engines Quartet) has three more novels that continue the story, so fans can still explore the world through the original source material. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/25 Full Review tiago m Tem seus problemas, mas tem boas tramas, um excelente vilão, bons personagens, que as vezes são sabotados pelo roteiro. Não é tão ruim quando dizem, bom filme. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/28/25 Full Review Shawan S Mortal Engines feels like watching a group of steampunk toddlers having a meltdown in a toy shop. The storyline crawls at a pace slower than a massive mobile city, and the character arcs are as flat as a pancake, despite the film's attempts to suggest otherwise. It’s as if someone decided to mix Mad Max with a touch of medieval puppet shows, only to forget to craft a sensible script. I almost anticipated the characters to burst into song about their emotions, given how nonsensical it all seemed. If you’re into cities on wheels causing chaos — but would also like to experience a headache while you’re at it — then this is the movie for you! Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/06/25 Full Review Gio F I liked the part where agent Smith fights agains Nyobe. Oh, wait... that's another movie. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/02/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Mortal Engines

Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Eating a City Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Eating a City 2:02 Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Cannibal Auction FIght Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Cannibal Auction FIght 2:56 Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Destroying London's Engines Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Destroying London's Engines 3:49 Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Airship Fight Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Airship Fight 4:07 Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Zombie Cyborg Attack Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Zombie Cyborg Attack 3:17 Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Sword Fight Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Sword Fight 2:55 Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Escape from the City Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Escape from the City 3:14 Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Land Pirates Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Land Pirates 2:51 Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Air Assault on London Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Air Assault on London 2:40 Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Shrike's Story Mortal Engines: Official Clip - Shrike's Story 3:20 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Hundreds of years after a cataclysmic event destroyed civilization, mysterious young Hester Shaw emerges as the only one who can stop the city of London -- now a giant predator on wheels -- from devouring everything in its path. Feral and fiercely driven by the memory of her mother, Hester joins forces with Tom Natsworthy, an outcast from London, and Anna Fang, a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head.
Director
Christian Rivers
Producer
Zane Weiner, Amanda Walker, Deborah A. Forte, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson
Screenwriter
Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
WingNut Films
Rating
PG-13 (Futuristic Violence and Action)
Genre
Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adventure, Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 14, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 19, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$15.9M
Runtime
2h 8m
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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