Mortal Engines review

Mortal Engines

A film based on the first of the novels in the Mortal Engines Quartet by Philip Reeve. In a world thousands of years after a devastating Sixty Minute War, giant mobile predator cities roam. In one of these cities, London, a young historian finds himself thrown into an adventure he doesn't want. But first, London captures a mining town, on which a young lady, Hester Shaw, is waiting. (Did Hester sabotage Salthook's engines to ensure that she could get aboard London?) She is on a mission of revenge against Thaddeus Valentine, an important Londoner.

But that is not what the story is all about. Valentine is up to something, having commandeered St. Paul's Cathedral for his purposes. It is also about Tom Natsworthy, a Londoner historian, learning to survive in the Hunting Ground that Europe has become, after he inadvertently gets involved in Hester's plot. These revelations are done rather well, as they travel across the Hunting Ground and are then rescued from a slave auction by Anna Fang, an Anti-Tractionist agent (given that the predator cities are also called Traction Cities).

Thus revelations occur, about what Valentine is doing, and what has happened to Hester to make her the way she is. Some as these are as crazy as the setting, but make sense within it. For instance, Shrike, a cyborg built from a corpse, is as well developed as the two main characters (and his story links with that of Hester's in a very effective and believable way). The source of difficulty he presents is a very good part of the story. It all leads to the conclusion where Valentine attacks the Ant-Tractionist Sheild Wall with an ancient superweapon.

The ending with Tom, Hester and Anna leading a raid on London in Anna's airship (alongside others) is very well done (and not too reminiscent of any Star Wars films). Overall, it is a good film, even if more needed to be done at various parts. 7.75/10.