My review of the Mortal Engines novel concluded that it was a middling teen adventure story that was enjoyable enough to read but that it was mostly set apart by its evocative worldbuilding.

That would appear to be the perfect kind of story to turn into a big-budget blockbuster.

So how did the Mortal Engines adaptation turn into one of the biggest box office bombs of all time?

Well, the first ingredient for a big loss is a big budget, and the production value of Mortal Engines really shows. The opening sequence of London chasing down and devouring a little Bavarian town looks gorgeous and spectacular and everything I had dreamed up while reading the novel. That mostly holds up throughout the story: the costumes and CGI are good and blend together well enough. So far, so good.

How about the acting? Mortal Engines isn’t full of big names and Oscar winners, but the actors do a decent enough job – I didn’t feel there were standout performances, but then, the movie doesn’t leave a lot of room for character moments – which bring us to…

The plot feels a bit rushed – like the book, the Mortal Engines adaptation is very highly paced, with the action driving the movie forwards constantly with very little room for reflection or character. Still, we’re watching a teenage adventure action flick so I’m having a tough time accepting that the sub-par plot sunk this movie. If sub-par writing tanked movies, most movies would tank.

So what’s going on?

I don’t find it easy to put my finger on what made this movie a commercial failure, but if I’d have to guess, it is that it ultimately feels a little incoherent and just too derivative.

The grab-bag of settings and tropes that I mentioned in my review of the novel is also present in the movie: steampunk airships, dieselpunk mobile traction fortresses, a terminator robot, a future-past miracle weapon… with all these separate influences, it is not easy to define a coherent visual style that is easy for the viewer to latch on to. Whatever you go with, something will always feel out of place.

As such, it may be uniquely difficult to suspend your disbelief for all elements of the Mortal Engines movie.

And if you’re not fully absorbed, some of those scene start looking awfully familiar. Especially the visual comparisons with Star Wars, The Matrix or Terminator are easily drawn. And if the plot progresses at a breakneck pace while bringing nothing new, if the characters are decent but not quite convincing, and the villain rolls his future-past lightning-crackling energy weapon up to the gates of the cliché orientalist good guys…. you might just tap out.

At least, if you’re expecting depth and emotion and not just a rule-of-cool visual spectacle. Because if a rule-of-cool visual spectacle is what you’re after, you could do far worse than Mortal Engines. And as an adaptation of a teenage adventure novel, that is not a particularly bad spot to land.

Overall, Mortal Engines is certainly not exceptional, perhaps not even good, but I would venture to say that it is good enough. Good enough for a rainy weekday evening with nothing else to do and no expectations at risk of being disappointed.

Whether I would have recommended you to watch it in cinemas though….

It was a lazy evening desperately in need of some simple enrichment that led me to streaming Mortal Engines. I had some vague memories of Peter Jackson’s involvement in this movie (though apparently he didn’t direct it). This, along with a glimpse of the trailer, was enough for Jasmijn and me to give it a shot.

The worldbuilding was the first thing that really excited me. It’s no news that post-apocalyptic settings quickly appeal to me, though it’s not necessarily easy to do completely original things with them (after a few zombie and nuclear apocalypses, you have a general idea of what a desolate world looks like). As such, the concept of mobile cities that ‘devour’ each other for resources had me captivated. Bonus points for the sheer decadence of London having incorporated St Paul’s (including catacombs) on top of their moving settlement.

The visual effects, costumes and general designs of the locations really help sell the world of Mortal Engines. Though the wow factor of the opening scenes weakens somewhat thereafter, everything is a delight to look at en feels like a real (lived in) location. Some additional things that stood out to me were the gigantic tracks left by the mobile cities and a settlement existing of floating air balloons.

The plot of Mortal Engines is entertaining and manages to keep you on your toes, though it is not necessarily as unique or gripping as its worldbuilding. Additionally, it’s very fast-paced. Though this means there is always some action to keep your attention, it also means that the main characters never really get time to breath. Their relationships have difficulty developing in a way that feels organical and subplots and mysteries are often wrapped up in ways that left me wanting for more emotional depth. The only time this movie really made me feel something was in the subplot involving Shrike (which also contains some interesting themes, by the way). I would have loved to see the care taken with this personal storyline reflected in the rest of the narrative.

Even though the pacing of Mortal Engines leaves little room for its characters, the cast is fairly solid. Hugo Weaving makes a convincable antagonist, and Hera Hilman and Robert Sheehan (whom I love in The Umbrella Academy) portraying the protagonists with as much emotion as the writing allows them.

On the whole, I would say Mortal Engines deserves more love than it apparently got. There were some (action) scenes that had me squeeling enthusiastically. This is more than I can say of most Marvel movies I’ve seen.