Technically speaking… I did not read the Mortal Engines novels. I actually went to the movie screening not knowing any plot of the highly acclaimed quartet novel. So I watched it with an open heart, even though I wasn’t impressed with the trailer. To be honest, the movie was not too bad, much better than I expected. Because I cannot stand that the male lead, Robert Sheena, looking too polished like a Ken doll in the trailer. But after I watched the movie and knowing the background of the character, I think he suited the role and he did a great job.
I think the general public will rate it’s an okay or above average kind of movie. It’s still a movie worth watching over this weekend. Luckily in Singapore, it is coming out one week before Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (check out our review here).
But from a movie buff’s perspective, it’s a little underwhelming. Too much cliché and predictable outcomes. The character build up and background of the story were a bit shallow for non-fans of the novel to pick up and get into the mood in the 2 hours 8 mins runtime. And if you read that novel, you might hate it more. Because the movie screenplay changed too much from the novel and made it same same but very very different. How do I know? I did not read the novel… I read the novel plot summary from Wikipedia. hahaha… I thought I should at least do that before writing this review. The plot in the novel is not much better, logical and less cliché.
If only the movie screenplay stick close to the novel, I might love it more and become a fan of Mortal Engines. I do like the steampunk world of the Mortal Engines. If they ever comes out with a sequel, please stick the screenplay closer to the original novel. I would give this movie a 3 star out of 5, for the good CGI and steampunk themed world. It’s really not that bad… just that it can be better.
