Review of Mortal Engines (2018) by Valosagutas — 05 Nov 2022

People mostly hated this movie because "it make fun of British" and "too much Mary Sue characters!!!" but this movie is more than that.

In deeper sense this movie actually makes fun of the people who would hate this movie for no good reason because they just love to attack like the British in this movie LOL.

I didn't even hear the book before but movie itself is good enough. Cinematography is good enough. Art direction is decent. Visuals are good.

I agree that the script is very simple but it doesn't have to be deep in the first place. You have walking cities and all which is very satisfactory. What's deep however is the lots of substory of characters which make you enjoy lots of diversity in the story even though they are simple too. Mortal Engines really have the potential of lots of movies, tv series, even a MMO video game. While I watching this movie it felts like I'm watching lots of different movies simultaneously. But... but the script is really simple and cliche.

I love movies that can make me think which this is not such a movie but I also like a movie that can make my brain rest which this is that kind of movie. I use my brain during work enough. I'm not a kid who doesn't have an opportunity to use my brain. This old brain sometimes need simple medias for relaxation.

I also liked this movie because it has a very interesting character which lots of medias lack: Anna Fang. Yes she is a woman but it's not that this movie doesn't have strong men. It's just the thing is Tom is so an useless kiddo until the end of the movie it seem like this movie only has strong women and no strong men LOL. At least it's not Enola Holmes and whatnot Netflix BS.

About the whole British vs Asians subject: It kinda felt like watching first 4 seasons of Doctor Who. Since the target people were British they used British to reflect how humans are. It's not about being racist or something. And for a British, Asians symbolizes opposite of certain type of human. So in this movie Asians built a wall to protect themselves from enemies like what China did back then. And there is a walking London hunting other cities and people of London enjoying the show while drinking a cup of lovely tea. Which is actually realistic.

UK AKA "United Kingdom" is "united" for a good reason. They attacked weaker contries to take what they have which is the "London" you watch in this movie. And one of the main character called "Tom" is historian. So it shows whoever wrote the script has a thing for history so we watch history repeats itself in the movie even though the year is 2200 or something. UK attacking weaker "countries". No one insulting anyone in the movie. This is what British people does LOL. Though the movie actually make fun of humans in general in which two people have such conversation: "How people were so stupid to destroy themselves when they were so scientifically advanced." and the other guy was "We are the same but our only difference is we don't have that much dangerous power." LOL. Script may be simple but in deep down it's complex on how humans are.

Asians are not necessarily peacefull but this is the history here. China built a wall to protect itself. Japan isolated themselves for a long time. Et cetera. But yes Asians was not primitive barbarian as Europeans were which is a fact.

Some people complained how suck this movie is not "sci-fi" but it's actually. A gravity gun, planes shoots laser, walking cities, a flying city, et cetera makes it enough "sci-fi". But like how the plot is it's about post-apocalyptic movie so expecting empire from Star Wars and lightsaber fight scenes is idiotic LOL.

The only problem of this movie for ordinary people is it doesn't satisfy their black vs white mentality by being medicore movie. Another problem of this movie is targetting particular race to use symbolism. Ordinary people doesn't understand meanings and representations. They just think it in very shallow context.

For example every time the girl was trying to save Tom I felt like "it's like how a mother try to protect her child and the funny thing is a mother may initially hate their child but after a while as she take care of her child she starts to love the child" which is the case in this movie LOL. I have no idea if this was intentional though.

At least you may find the movie deep when you think about the "bad guy" and his relationship with the other characters. It make you think one failed step in your opinion can make you a living irony and thus by trying to avoid what you fear you may actually jump into the arms of what you feel. Just a tragedy LOL.

I wish the movie was longer because the lore of Mortal Engines universe is not properly explained. Some day I would want to experience adventures of Anna Fang which she is the actual main character. In that regard it was like The Librarians: Flynn Carsen is the main character but it's not about him LOL.