For the first half hour or so, the Peter Jackson-produced steampunk adventureMortal Enginesis beautifully freaky popcorn bliss.
Its like a YAMad Maxas directed by Terry Gilliam during his wiggyTime Bandits/Brazilphase.
Its virtually a beat-for-beat remake of George Lucas originalStar Wars.
Credit: Universal Pictures
The only thing missing is a Wookiee and a pair of bickering droids.
At least it cribs from top-shelf source material.
Mortal Engineslooks like it cost a billion bucks.
If only as much originality had gone into its beats-by-Joseph Campbell narrative as itsBaron Munchausen-for-teens set design.
The actors, apart from the always-dependable Weaving, dont add much screen presence to their hand-me-down roles.
But inMortal Engines, that debt is too literal.
