Mortal Engines

Centuries after civilization collapsed, cities move across a scarred Earth on enormous tracks, hunting smaller settlements for parts and fuel. Tom Natsworthy, a junior historian in the mobile London, is thrown off course when he crosses paths with Hester Shaw, a scarred and driven outsider from the wastelands. Their uneasy alliance drags them into a power struggle that exposes long-buried secrets about the traction cities and the people who run them. The story follows chases, betrayals, and shifting loyalties as Tom and Hester try to survive in a world where mechanical might dictates who lives and who gets consumed.

Directed by Christian Rivers, Mortal Engines was adapted from Philip Reeve's novel and produced by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, arriving in theaters in 2018 with heavy studio backing and high expectations.

The film struggled to meet commercial hopes, and it didn't match the box office returns studios had projected, which affected plans for potential sequels despite significant investment in production design and effects.

Critics were mixed, reflected in an average user vote around 6.2 out of 10, with many praising the film's production values while pointing to a crowded plot and uneven character development. Themes include class disparity, the cost of industrial expansion, cycles of violence, and how technology reshapes power, all filtered through action set pieces and moral conflicts.

Visually, Mortal Engines left an impression with its imaginative mobile cities and distinctive creature and vehicle designs, and it sparked discussion among fans of speculative worldbuilding. While it didn't become a mainstream franchise, its aesthetic and some sequences have stuck in genre conversations, inspiring concept art, cosplay, and interest in Philip Reeve's original book world.