Review of Mortal Engines (2018) by Alina K — 24 Dec 2018

A very good movie. Enjoyable from start till the end. I have been waiting for it for over a month since I watched the trailer. But this morning when we decided to go to movie theater we discovered that it has low ratings and I almost refused going. But we still went. because of knowing that it has low rating, first half of the movie I was expecting that any moment movie can go sideways and disappoint me. But it never happened. I feared it may have terrible feminist propaganda, - thanks Gods! it did not happen ( super tired of lame feminist propaganda). I also feared that the movie would have lots of special effects but have no story. Or the trailer would turn out to be a false advertisement(like it happened with Downsizing when it never made a movie about a struggle off tiny people, when they never showed that huge vodka bottle party). This movie is beautiful, has lots of special effect. It shows you exactly, what you expect after the trailer - the story about big city that consumes tiny cities in order to survive by taking their, small cities' resources. And what do people even find confusing about moving cities? Have they never seen Haul's Moving Castle?.. The movie has a perfect pace, without burdening long boring scenes, at the same time giving enough time to describe what is currently happening, giving enough time to learn new characters. And I am very happy that Hester did not kiss Tom at that moment and they did not have a long cheesy conversation (I always hate when they do it in movies when characters have these conversations and kisses for like 10 minutes when they actually have to run and save the world!). Closer to the end of the movie I started wondering why people disliked this movie. ??? Really? This movie is gorgeous! And I should say I feel like recently Hollywood is having a crises, most of franchise sequels are disappointing. The Last Jedi was a disappointment(Why are they not fighting but dragging on on that ship! Are they rebels or impostors?! What a nonsense! ) Solo was a great disappointment(20 minutes from beginning it felt like a final scene, and I don't understand what is happening and I don't care when somebody dies!.. Probably the actress was disgusted with the movie and decided to quit it). The last Pirates of the Caribbean (O! how I loved the first movie!) was a total disaster! they destroyed Jack Sparrow! Jack Sparrow was smart, cunning and resourceful. But in the last movie he is shown incompetent. And how come that pirates do not know about navigating by stars! That astronomy girl who was teaching pirates about it was super annoying! As to numerous super hero movies! come on! I feel like they make the same movie but they change name and special powers of the super hero. I am totally not watching any super hero movies any more. Fantastic Beasts? O, I love Harry Potter, but Fantastic Beasts is an attempt to make money on name of Harry Potter. Fantastic Beasts feel like cheap rip-off. I feel like movie industry has run out of good stories and imagination, and they just try to survive on issuing franchises. How about making new characters?! And new stories. and Mortal Engines is a new story. And I am writing this review because I want to see movie after the second book of the series. Because I know what may happen: they made the first movie after Golden Compass by Philip Pullman but since the first movie was not successful they never made 2nd and 3d movie (and I am still waiting, 10 years later I am waiting and waiting, but they never made movies after the rest of the series).

As to critics who negatively criticize Mortal Engines, first of all, all they say are very general words without any specific explanation why they dislike the movie, which makes me think that they are , second,paid by Londoners who are offended with the movie that London city is the main villain in the movie.

Mortal Engines deserve higher rating!