Summary
- Mortal Engines is a fun action-packed sci-fi flick with a cool steampunk world and intriguing characters.
- Despite box office flop, the film offers an entertaining post-apocalyptic adventure with unique cities on wheels.
- The cast of international veterans and Hollywood newcomers deliver standout performances in this visually stunning movie.
Mortal Engines, while flopping in theaters when it was released in 2018, is nonetheless an enjoyable action sci-fi-fantasy romp thanks to its great cast of characters. Based on the 2001 novel of the same name by Philip Reeve, the 2018 movie adaptation of Mortal Engines was directed by Christian Rivers after Peter Jackson purchased the rights to the book. Unfortunately, Mortal Engines bombed at the box office, which is a shame as the interesting story and world had promise.
Mortal Engines takes place in a post-apocalyptic steampunk world where giant, moving cities known as "Traction Cities" roam the land and consume smaller traction cities and settlements as predators. London is the biggest predator of them all, but a group of underground rebels known as the Anti-Traction League plot to overthrow the Traction City and its de facto leader, Thaddeus Valentine. What follows is an adventure through a unique world populated with colorful, memorable characters.
Actor | Character |
---|---|
Hera Hilmar | Hester Shaw |
Robert Sheehan | Tom Natsworthy |
Hugo Weaving | Thaddeus Valentine |
Jihae | Anna Fang |
Stephen Lang | Shrike |
Regé-Jean Page | Captain Khora |
Leila George | Katherine Valentine |
Ronan Rafferty | Bevis Pod |
Patrick Malahide | Magnus Crone |
Colin Salmon | Chudleigh Pomeroy |
Hera Hilmar as Hester Shaw
Hera Hilmar Is 35 Years Old
Actor: Icelandic actor Hera Hilmar was born in Reykjavík, Iceland in 1988 and she broke out in 2007 for her role in The Quiet Storm. After becoming a notable young star in her native Iceland, being nominated for and winning several Edda awards, Hilmar made the jump to an English language, American audience with a starring role in The Ottoman Lieutenant. Her role in Mortal Engines was her breakout role with an American audience, and she's landed roles in the TV series The Romanoffs, See, and DaVinci's Demons.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Year | Movie/TV Show |
---|---|
2007 | The Quiet Storm |
2012 | Anna Karenina |
2012 | World Without End |
2014 | Life in a Fishbowl |
2013-2015 | DaVinci's Demons |
2017 | The Ottoman Lieutenant |
2018 | The Romanoffs |
2018 | Mortal Engines |
2022 | A Letter from Helga |
2019-2022 | See |
Character: Hester Shaw is a mysterious young woman with a scarred face on a mission to assassinate Thaddeus Valentine. It was Shaw who killed her mother in order to steal a precious artifact her mother had discovered. After escaping Valentine - but not before he gravely disfigured her face - she was taken in and raised by Shrike, a bounty hunter. In Mortal Engines, she's almost semi-feral thanks to her upbringing, and she wants nothing more than revenge for what Valentine did to her.
Related
Mortal Engines could be the start of a new, Lord of the Rings-style franchise. Here's how the ending (and book changes) set up a sequel.
Robert Sheehan as Tom Natsworthy
Robert Sheehan Is 36 Years Old
Actor: Robert Sheehan was born in Portlaoise, County Laois, Ireland and started acting from the time he was a child, landing his first role at just age 14 in Song for a Raggy Boy. He garnered attention for the next few years, but it was undoubtedly his role as Nathan Young in the British TV series Misfits that was Sheehan's biggest breakout role. Since then, he's continued to act steadily, appearing in both big genre movies like Mortal Instruments and Mortal Engines, as well as indies. Currently, he's best known for playing Klaus Hargreeves in the Netflix adaptation of The Umbrella Academy.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Year | Movie/TV Show |
---|---|
2009 | Cherrybomb |
2009 | Red Riding |
2011 | Season of the Witch |
2011 | Killing Bono |
2009-2011 | Misfits |
2011 | The Borrowers |
2013 | The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones |
2010-2013 | Love/Hate |
2017 | Fortitude |
2017 | Geostorm |
2018 | Mute |
2018 | Bad Samaritan |
2018 | Mortal Engines |
2019-2024 | The Umbrella Academy |
Character: Mortal Engines' protagonist Tom Natsworthy is an apprentice historian living in the traveling city of London and attempting to learn the trade. While going on a routine job to retrieve some artifacts, he crosses paths with Hester Shaw and sees her attempt to kill Thaddeus Valentine but intervenes. After Valentine betrays Tom, he's forced to go on the run with Hester, where they join up with an underground resistance and plan to stop Valentine before he can unleash a superweapon that threatens all of what remains of humanity.
Hugo Weaving as Thaddeus Valentine
Hugh Weaving Is 63 Years Old
Actor: Hugo Weaving was born in Ibadan, British Nigeria, to English parents, growing up in the United Kingdom, Australia, and South Africa before returning to the UK. Weaving was a prolific actor in the UK for many years, but it was undoubtedly his role as Agent Smith in 1999's The Matrix that catapulted him into true stardom. Weaving established himself internationally for his roles in multiple huge franchises including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit as Elrond, the Transformers as the voice of Megatron, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the Red Skull, and individual movies like V for Vendetta.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Year | Movie/TV Show |
---|---|
1991 | Proof |
1991 | The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert |
1999 | The Matrix |
2001 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring |
2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers |
2003 | The Matrix Reloaded |
2003 | The Matrix Revolutions |
2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King |
2005 | V for Vendetta |
2007 | Transformers |
2009 | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen |
2010 | The Wolfman |
2011 | Captain America: The First Avenger |
2011 | Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon |
2012 | Cloud Atlas |
2012 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey |
2014 | The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies |
2016 | Hacksaw Ridge |
2018 | Mortal Engines |
2023 | The Royal Hotel |
Character: Thaddeus Valentine is the villain of Mortal Engines. As the Deputy Lord Mayor of London and the Head of the Guild of Historians, Valentine is a power-mad archaeologist and historian who becomes obsessed with finding powerful pieces of Old-Tech to build a superweapon called MEDUSA. He pursues Tom, Hester, and the Anti-Traction rebels throughout the movie, even as his own daughter starts to grow suspicious of his intentions.
Jihae as Anna Fang
Jihae Is 35 Years Old
Actor: Jihae was born Jihae Kim in Seoul, South Korea and started out as a model before moving into music, releasing multiple albums. Her first role, which was also her breakout role, was in the National Geographic series Mars, where she played Joon and Hana Seung. Since then, Jihae has appeared in both movies, like Mortal Engines, and TV shows, like Succession. She currently lives in the United States as she splits her time between music and acting.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Year | Movie/TV Show |
---|---|
2016-2018 | Mars |
2018 | Mortal Engines |
2020 | Altered Carbon |
2021 | Succession |
Character: Anna Fang is the leader of the Anti-Traction League underground resistance. As a fighter and pilot, she's highly skilled and is a decisive, strategic leader. When Tom and Hester are captured, it's Anna who rescues them after she kills their slaver captors. She's determined to stop Valentine no matter what it takes, even it it means giving up her own life to do it.
Stephen Lang as Shrike
Stephen Lang Is 71 Years Old
Actor: Stephen Lang was born in New York City and appeared in multiple movies, TV shows, and stage productions, with his theater background as notable as his screen work. His first major movie role was Major General George E. Pickett in 1993's Gettysburg. Since then, his most famous movie roles are Colonel Miles Quaritch in James Cameron's Avatar series, and The Blind Man in Fede Álvarez's Don't Breathe horror movies. TV shows include Commander Nathaniel Taylor in Terra Nova, Increase Mather in Salem, and Waldo in Into the Badlands.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Year | Movie/TV Show |
---|---|
1985 | Death of a Salesman |
1986 | Manhunter |
1993 | Gettysburg |
1993 | Tombstone |
2000-2001 | The Fugitive |
2009 | Public Enemies |
2009 | The Men Who Stare at Goats |
2009 | Avatar |
2011 | Conan the Barbarian |
2011 | Terra Nova |
2014-2017 | Salem |
2015-2018 | Into the Badlands |
2016 | Don't Breathe |
2017 | Hostiles |
2018 | Mortal Engines |
2021 | Don't Breathe 2 |
2022 | Old Man |
2022 | Avatar: The Way of Water |
Character: Shrike is a cyborg and the last of an undead group of soldiers known as Stalkers, who is sent to assassinate Hester. The plot takes a turn, however, when it's revealed that he was Hester's surrogate father after her mother was killed by Valentine, with Shrike raising her as a child. Initially, she promises to let him turn her into a Stalker like him, but he releases her from that promise.
Mortal Engines Supporting Cast & Characters
Regé-Jean Page as Captain Khora - Captain Khora is an aviator in the Anti-Traction League who works with Anna Fang. After Mortal Engines, Regé-Jean Page's biggest production was For the People, but his breakout role was playing Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings, in Bridgerton season 1. Since then, he's appeared as the antagonist Carmichael in The Gray Man, and as the heroic paladin Xenk in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Leila George as Katherine Valentine - Katherine Valentine is the daughter of Thaddeus Valentine, with a heart that's truer than her father's. A year after starring in Mortal Engines, she landed a role in the Western The Kid. Her most notable TV role to date is playing young Catherine in Animal Kingdom.
Ronan Raftery as Bevis Pod - Bevis Pod is an apprentice engineer for the city of London, and befriends Katherine. His biggest movie role prior to Mortal Engines was playing Langdon Shaw in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. His TV series include The Terror, The Rook, and the British series Gangs of London.
Patrick Malahide as Magnus Crome - Magnus Crome is the ineffective Lord Mayor of London. Malahide's most prominent roles were the long-running British TV series Minder, where he played Detective Sergeant Albert "Cheerful Charlie" Chisholm, Balon Greyjoy in Game of Thrones, and a recurring role in Luther. Notable movies include Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Brideshead Revisited, The World Is Not Enough, and Bridget Jones' Baby.
Colin Salmon as Chudleigh Pomeroy - Chudleigh Pomeroy is a London historian and Tom's boss. He played Charles Robinson in a trio of James Bond movies and James "One" Shade in the Resident Evil movies, for which he's better known than Mortal Engines. He's had multiple appearances in British and American TV shows, including Krypton, Merlin, Arrow, Doctor Who, The Musketeers, EastEnders, and Master of None.
Mortal Engines
PG-13
Mortal Engines is a 2018 action/adventure film from director Christian Rivers and writer Peter Jackson. Based on the novel by Philip Reeve, Mortal Engines is set 1,000 years in a post-apocalyptic future where cities are turned into giant vehicles that try to destroy one another. The film stars Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, Hugo Weaving, and Jihae Kim.
- Director
- Christian Rivers
- Release Date
- December 14, 2018
- Cast
- Frankie Adams , Robbie Sheehan , Colin Salmon , Hera Hilmar , Ronan Raftery , Stephen Lang , Jihae , Hugo Weaving
- Runtime
- 128 Minutes