[Review] Mortal Engines (6/10)

Title - Mortal Engines
Studio - Universal Pictures
Starring - Hugo Weaving, Hera Hilmar, Robbie Sheehan, Jihae, Stephen Lang, Leila George, Colin Salmon
Writer - Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson
Director - Christian Rivers
Release - 14 December 2018

With all the bad reviews, I didn't catch this in the cinemas. But having just seen it at home, I thought it was not as bad as what I have heard.

The Good:

- The mythology and this universe were rich and held more appeal than expected even though it was a CGI fest. I loved what this world has become in this version of the future and just the idea of cities on wheels was so interesting and ingenious that it really is sad that it didn't do better.

- Everything was a spectacle. The CGI looked great because if it didn't look bad on TV, it would have looked better on the silver screen.

- Jihae's portrayal gave the best character in the bunch. She was on point and a scene-stealer.

- The fight scenes were exciting enough, especially the hand-to-hand combat with Stephen Lang's character - even though they were short but it was the purpose of that fight that kept me glued.


The Bad:

- The screenplay could use a lot more work. There were not enough of world-building and setup in the beginning, unlike, say, The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring. And I really wished Peter Jackson would have gave more attention here.

- The movie felt too big and did not invest enough attention on individual parts, especially the final city the two "cities" they visited (one in the sky and then later the wall one). They all felt too rushed, just touch-and-go.

- Some minor characters also could have been written in better, rather than just a few scenes with a few lines like Colin Salmon's character. And yet he felt more important than was being presented as we saw him right at the end as well.