On November 20, Universal organized a screening that presented the first half-hour of Mortal Engines, Peter Jackson's latest production, and directed by Christian Rivers, who signs here his first feature film. Focus!
We very quickly find ourselves in familiar territory in this new Hollywood attempt adapted from popular novels among teenagers. Tout reminds us of The Hobbit and its author's paw. The camera movements, photography and sets clearly remind us of Peter Jackson's last trilogy, contrasting.
In a post-apocalyptic London ravaged by a nuclear holocaust, Tom Natsworthy, a teenager, and Hester Shaw, a young woman from the Outlands, discover an element that could change everything. This is the credo of this new blockbuster designed to ravage the box office as the lands of Outland. The treatment of the post-apo is particularly interesting with cities that are forced to move on an empty and unoccupied land. In terms of design, it's perfectly successful. By reusing the codes of steampunk, adapting them in a futuristic setting, Jackson and Rivers reveal a universe that is both familiar to us and at the same time different from ours. The world of the film seems to be one of the most fascinating and original worlds seen in a long time in cinema.
In terms of action, the film crushes almost all the competition (only Ready Player One competed this year). It's quite simple, almost no other big blockbuster could offer such intense, almost physical sensations in 2018. On a personal level, we stayed glued to the seat for almost the entire production because the show was so intense, ingenious and impressive. Unfortunately, while the action is mind-blowing, not everything else in this clip is as mind-blowing.
This first half hour seems to suffer from editing problems, spoiling the rhythm of the action, in order to introduce the universe, creating a real sense of frustration. Although amazed by the technical mastery, it is not easy to get attached to the characters. There is also a veritable anthology of information that overloads the film, which can catch viewers off guard, who may have trouble following.
Nevertheless, the show offered by this Peter Jackson production is sufficiently exciting and rich in pieces of bravery to make us want to see more, and buy the ticket to see the sequel!
