Deadly machines

Mortal Machines could mark the beginning of a fantastic new film universe, so loved by fans like The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter . However, even the flawless look of "the epic" is not able to reverse the total lack of charisma of the characters and the society itself described in this one.

Taking the post-apocalyptic steampunk world of Philip Reeve Peter Jackson's new venture as a producer turns out to be uninteresting and cluttered. The journey of protagonist Hester Shaw ( Hera Hilmar ) to avenge the ambitious Thaddeus Valentine of Hugo Weaving ), as well as his improbable partnership with the dreamer Tom Natsworthy ( by Robert Sheehan) ) seem very familiar, because you have already seen most of the elements of this story, in another context. In this context, the slow and small detours of the main plot – already expected of an adventure film related to the name of Jackson – would make the experience more enjoyable. boring were not the beauty and the level of detail of this universe. The director Christian Rivers wisely uses part of the more than two hours of film to value each city, giving the viewer at least a moment to take an interest in the conflict and even get excited about the action and trips. protagonists.

So it's hard to get involved in Hester's dramatic past or take on a naïve character like Tom – and Hilmar's and Sheehan's warm performances are not enough for you. encourage them. Weaving, which gives a little substance to a simplistic villain, and the actress Jihae who gets noticed, steals the stage under the name of the rebel Anna Fang – without a doubt the most interesting in the middle of all this.

Perhaps, if it had been made public years earlier, clichés would not have jumped so much from the screen. But now Mortal Machines is even worth the visual spectacle. The story itself is far from fascinating.