Mortal Engines Review: 3 Ups & 7 Downs

6. It Takes Itself Far Too Seriously

This is an extremely common issue in the YA genre, and Mortal Engines is sadly no exception.

This movie takes itself incredibly seriously for the most part, wanting the audience to become deeply invested in its sombre characters and lore despite their fundamental silliness.

This is a film where statues of Despicable Me's Minions briefly appear as "relics" of a simpler time - a property also owned by Universal, bear in mind - yet we're also asked to accept this post-apocalyptic steampunk future with a straight face.

It's also a film where a character makes an hilarious reference to masturbation, and within 5 seconds, someone's had their head blown clean off with a shotgun.

Newbie director Christian Rivers unfortunately has no idea how to reconcile these serious and silly elements, and overall one's left with the feeling that a campier tone with a more self-aware regard for its familiarity could've been so much more entertaining.

Even Hugo Weaving, who seemed primed to give a hammy reprise of his Agent Smith role, plays his villainous character oddly straight for the most part. How disappointing.