Sure, 28 Oscar nominations and 17 wins aren’t to be sniffed at. But the remarkable thing about Peter Jackson‘s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy is that it should have been nominated for more. Only one of the cast was nominated for an Oscar across all three films — that was for Best Supporting Actor for Sir Ian McKellen in 2002 for “The Fellowship of the Ring” — while there were a few other curious snubs that, in hindsight, just don’t make sense. So, there was actually more room to nominate this rightly-heralded trilogy of astounding films. With that in mind, here are five more Oscar nominations “The Lord of the Rings” should have landed.
Best Original Score: “The Two Towers”
The music of “The Lord of the Rings” has gone down as one of the best scores ever committed to film. Howard Shore‘s adored score is so top drawer it leaves you clamoring for more.
Best Original Score: “The Two Towers”
The music of “The Lord of the Rings” has gone down as one of the best scores ever committed to film. Howard Shore‘s adored score is so top drawer it leaves you clamoring for more.
- 11/15/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
In 2004, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” became the film with joint-most Oscar wins of all time with a whopping 11 victories, matching the total tallies of both “Titanic” and “Ben-Hur.” Those 11 Academy Awards capped off a hugely successful trilogy of movies that collectively snagged 28 Oscar nominations and 17 wins in total. But yet… Peter Jackson‘s film series, adapted from the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, is so, so good that, well, it could have won more. That sounds greedy and over the top, of course, but if you take a look at each film’s nominations, it’s actually very feasible that any one of the three films could have turned the bid into a win. So, with that in mind, here are five Oscar nominations that “The Lord of the Rings” films could and perhaps should have turned into victories.
Best Art Direction — “The Fellowship of the Ring...
Best Art Direction — “The Fellowship of the Ring...
- 11/13/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Before Karl Urban was in "The Boys," he played characters who love swords and shields as much as Billy Butcher loves killing supes. There's his role as Skurge in "Thor: Ragnarok" and as Éomer in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, as well as the box-office dud "Pathfinder" or any of his various appearances in the Riddick films as Vaako. The reason for Urban's casting in this niche probably has something to do with the two television series that make up a large part of his early career: "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess."
Although Urban first appeared in "Hercules" as Cupid in the season 3 episode "The Green Eyed Monster," he's better known for the recurring character Julius Caesar in the spin-off "Xena". The actor also played two other guest roles in "Xena": the father-drugging psychopath Mael and the nomadic human Kor.
Urban's experience working on "Hercules...
Although Urban first appeared in "Hercules" as Cupid in the season 3 episode "The Green Eyed Monster," he's better known for the recurring character Julius Caesar in the spin-off "Xena". The actor also played two other guest roles in "Xena": the father-drugging psychopath Mael and the nomadic human Kor.
Urban's experience working on "Hercules...
- 8/28/2022
- by Steven Ward
- Slash Film
Movies like “Ready Player One” are becoming increasingly popular as the world becomes increasingly technologically advanced.
“Ready Player One” is a thrilling science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg that takes audiences on the journey of a virtual world. Set in 2045, the film follows Wade Watts as he tries to win a contest that will give him ownership of the Oasis, a virtual reality game world that has become a refuge for humanity.
With the help of his allies, Wade has to race against time to complete the contest before an evil corporation can get its hands on the Oasis. Full of excitement, suspense, and visual effects, “Ready Player One” is a must-see film for all fans of sci-fi movies.
If you’re looking for other movies like “Ready Player One,” you’ve come to the right place. There are no shortages of pop culture references in the film.
“Ready Player One” is a thrilling science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg that takes audiences on the journey of a virtual world. Set in 2045, the film follows Wade Watts as he tries to win a contest that will give him ownership of the Oasis, a virtual reality game world that has become a refuge for humanity.
With the help of his allies, Wade has to race against time to complete the contest before an evil corporation can get its hands on the Oasis. Full of excitement, suspense, and visual effects, “Ready Player One” is a must-see film for all fans of sci-fi movies.
If you’re looking for other movies like “Ready Player One,” you’ve come to the right place. There are no shortages of pop culture references in the film.
- 6/21/2022
- by Israr
- buddytv.com
Exclusive: Christian Rivers has signed on to direct Into Thin Air, a feature drama that explores the unsolved mystery behind the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The film is a co-production of Illusion Media Entertainment, K. Jam Media, and Altit Media Group and it is being financed by Avi Nakash. He’s the owner of Arkia Airline, the second largest in Israel.
Rivers is the Oscar-winning visual effects wiz behind such Peter Jackson-directed films as King Kong, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, who made his feature directorial debut last year on Mortal Engines. The film is scripted by Jonas McCord, an Oscar-winning documentarian and investigative journalist with credits that include Malice and Ask The Dust, and produced by Oscar winner Barrie Osborne, McCord, Kia Jam, and Dean Altit. Exec producers are Avi Nakash, Dan Gordon and Jonathan Sanger.
The film weaves a narrative around the tragedy,...
Rivers is the Oscar-winning visual effects wiz behind such Peter Jackson-directed films as King Kong, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, who made his feature directorial debut last year on Mortal Engines. The film is scripted by Jonas McCord, an Oscar-winning documentarian and investigative journalist with credits that include Malice and Ask The Dust, and produced by Oscar winner Barrie Osborne, McCord, Kia Jam, and Dean Altit. Exec producers are Avi Nakash, Dan Gordon and Jonathan Sanger.
The film weaves a narrative around the tragedy,...
- 1/27/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
The Peter Jackson produced and directed World War I documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old” will hit Chinese theaters on November 11. Though it will roll out nationwide, it will do so via the China’s National Arthouse Alliance, which has limited screens.
The 2018 documentary puts together interviews with WWI veterans and more than 100-year-old archival footage from the BBC and Imperial War Museum, restored via colorization and other production techniques to make it appear much more real to modern viewers.
The film premiered at the London Film Festival and was more broadly released by Warner Brothers earlier in February this year. It was nominated for a Best Documentary BAFTA Award, but was deemed ineligible for submission to the Oscar race for best documentary because it missed a filing deadline.
Peter Jackson is a big name in China, where all of his “Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings” movies have seen theatrical releases,...
The 2018 documentary puts together interviews with WWI veterans and more than 100-year-old archival footage from the BBC and Imperial War Museum, restored via colorization and other production techniques to make it appear much more real to modern viewers.
The film premiered at the London Film Festival and was more broadly released by Warner Brothers earlier in February this year. It was nominated for a Best Documentary BAFTA Award, but was deemed ineligible for submission to the Oscar race for best documentary because it missed a filing deadline.
Peter Jackson is a big name in China, where all of his “Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings” movies have seen theatrical releases,...
- 10/17/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
It’s been almost five years since Peter Jackson last directed a narrative feature, and it looks like fans will have to keep waiting for the filmmaker to make a return to fictional stories. Speaking to Empire magazine, Jackson said he doesn’t see himself getting started on another narrative film for at least another year or two years.
Jackson has spent the last years since his final “Hobbit” movie working on documentaries such as the World War I non-fiction feature “They Shall Not Grow Old.” The movie, which was a box office hit with nearly $20 million worldwide, found Jackson colorizing and restoring old World War I footage. The film was presented in 3D and featured narration from real war veterans. Jackson is sticking with documentaries for the foreseeable future, having already announced he’s working on an untitled project about The Beatles.
The director also revealed to Empire that...
Jackson has spent the last years since his final “Hobbit” movie working on documentaries such as the World War I non-fiction feature “They Shall Not Grow Old.” The movie, which was a box office hit with nearly $20 million worldwide, found Jackson colorizing and restoring old World War I footage. The film was presented in 3D and featured narration from real war veterans. Jackson is sticking with documentaries for the foreseeable future, having already announced he’s working on an untitled project about The Beatles.
The director also revealed to Empire that...
- 5/14/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Stars: Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheenan, Hugo Weaving, Jihae, Ronan Raftery, Leila George, Patrick Malahide, Stephen Lang, Colin Salmon, Mark Mitchinson, Regé-Jean Page, Menik Gooneratne, Frankie Adams, Leifur Sigurdarson | Written by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens | Directed by Christian Rivers
If Mortal Engines succeeds at anything it’s officially ending any chance of the original blockbuster existing in cinema from this point forward. Although the writing has been on the wall for a significant amount of time now, the Peter Jackson produced vehicle ultimately cements the death of a much-needed ideal in cinema.
Mortal Engines isn’t horrendous, nor is it quote-unquote “bad”, it’s just a calamitous bore from start to finish. Opening in such an effulgent and prolific manner undoubtedly engaging the full concentration of its audience with a tremendous scale and scope of outstanding visuals, but never from that moment forward can it successfully surpass such a...
If Mortal Engines succeeds at anything it’s officially ending any chance of the original blockbuster existing in cinema from this point forward. Although the writing has been on the wall for a significant amount of time now, the Peter Jackson produced vehicle ultimately cements the death of a much-needed ideal in cinema.
Mortal Engines isn’t horrendous, nor is it quote-unquote “bad”, it’s just a calamitous bore from start to finish. Opening in such an effulgent and prolific manner undoubtedly engaging the full concentration of its audience with a tremendous scale and scope of outstanding visuals, but never from that moment forward can it successfully surpass such a...
- 4/19/2019
- by Jak-Luke Sharp
- Nerdly
Deadline’s annual film revenue tournaments have celebrated the triumphs of each year’s most profitable films. For the second year in a row, we decided to look at those ambitious features which did not connect with the masses. Here are the movies our experts said posted the worst losses.
The Film
Mortal Engines
Universal
Total Loss: -$174.8M
Peter Jackson owned the rights to Philip Reeve’s early millennium Scholastic sci-fi series for roughly a decade. The three-time Oscar-winning filmmaker was fascinated by the book’s conceit of mobile cities inhaling smaller cities for their resources, a concept never before seen on screen, and had the potential to be visually exciting. Jackson wanted to direct, but was sidelined by The Hobbit trilogy. He entrusted Mortal Engines to his protege Christian Rivers, who was called up here to make his feature directorial debut after serving in various positions for Jackson...
The Film
Mortal Engines
Universal
Total Loss: -$174.8M
Peter Jackson owned the rights to Philip Reeve’s early millennium Scholastic sci-fi series for roughly a decade. The three-time Oscar-winning filmmaker was fascinated by the book’s conceit of mobile cities inhaling smaller cities for their resources, a concept never before seen on screen, and had the potential to be visually exciting. Jackson wanted to direct, but was sidelined by The Hobbit trilogy. He entrusted Mortal Engines to his protege Christian Rivers, who was called up here to make his feature directorial debut after serving in various positions for Jackson...
- 4/8/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
With a book series already published and Peter Jackson’s writing team on board to convert, Mortal Engines ticks the boxes for any film studio looking for a money-making franchise with a pre-existing fanbase.
Still, even with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens converting, and Jackson protege Christian Rivers directing (he worked on storyboards across all of Jackson’s movies), Mortal Engines is a movie with a great deal of promise, but finds itself running out of gas before the credits roll.
Society as we know it has long collapsed and transformed into what is described as ‘Municipal Darwinism’. The ’60 Minute War’ destroyed much of the world, and the survivors grouped together to form ‘predator cities’, cities that no longer sit-in one place, rather, they have been converted into giant, roaming fortresses that rumble around the country looking for smaller societies to claim as their own.
Led by the Lord Mayor...
Still, even with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens converting, and Jackson protege Christian Rivers directing (he worked on storyboards across all of Jackson’s movies), Mortal Engines is a movie with a great deal of promise, but finds itself running out of gas before the credits roll.
Society as we know it has long collapsed and transformed into what is described as ‘Municipal Darwinism’. The ’60 Minute War’ destroyed much of the world, and the survivors grouped together to form ‘predator cities’, cities that no longer sit-in one place, rather, they have been converted into giant, roaming fortresses that rumble around the country looking for smaller societies to claim as their own.
Led by the Lord Mayor...
- 1/18/2019
- by Richard Phippen
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Cinema lives or dies by illusion. To make stories work, movies must take audiences to another place, suspend their disbelief and thrill them. And effects, whether created in-camera or in post-production or a combination of the two, have always been among the tools used by filmmakers to make that happen.
But despite their vital role, visual effects have qualified for a five-slot Oscar category in only the past decade, and films deemed “heavy” on VFX have often found themselves on the outs in the acting and writing categories.
The effects category has evolved over time. In 1963, the special effects award was removed and two categories — one for visual effects and one for sound effects — were created. Then, from 1977 to 1979, a maximum number of five VFX nominees were permitted, though 1979 was the first year to max out nominations. From 1980 to 1995, two or three films could be nommed in the VFX category...
But despite their vital role, visual effects have qualified for a five-slot Oscar category in only the past decade, and films deemed “heavy” on VFX have often found themselves on the outs in the acting and writing categories.
The effects category has evolved over time. In 1963, the special effects award was removed and two categories — one for visual effects and one for sound effects — were created. Then, from 1977 to 1979, a maximum number of five VFX nominees were permitted, though 1979 was the first year to max out nominations. From 1980 to 1995, two or three films could be nommed in the VFX category...
- 1/9/2019
- by Karen Idelson
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheenan, Hugo Weaving, Jihae, Ronan Raftery, Leila George, Patrick Malahide, Stephen Lang, Colin Salmon, Mark Mitchinson, Regé-Jean Page, Menik Gooneratne, Frankie Adams, Leifur Sigurdarson | Written by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens | Directed by Christian Rivers
If Mortal Engines succeeds at anything it’s officially ending any chance of the original blockbuster existing in cinema from this point forward. Although the writing has been on the wall for a significant amount of time now, the Peter Jackson produced vehicle ultimately cements the death of a much-needed ideal in cinema.
Mortal Engines isn’t horrendous, nor is it quote-unquote “bad”, it’s just a calamitous bore from start to finish. Opening in such an effulgent and prolific manner undoubtedly engaging the full concentration of its audience with a tremendous scale and scope of outstanding visuals, but never from that moment forward can it successfully surpass such a...
If Mortal Engines succeeds at anything it’s officially ending any chance of the original blockbuster existing in cinema from this point forward. Although the writing has been on the wall for a significant amount of time now, the Peter Jackson produced vehicle ultimately cements the death of a much-needed ideal in cinema.
Mortal Engines isn’t horrendous, nor is it quote-unquote “bad”, it’s just a calamitous bore from start to finish. Opening in such an effulgent and prolific manner undoubtedly engaging the full concentration of its audience with a tremendous scale and scope of outstanding visuals, but never from that moment forward can it successfully surpass such a...
- 12/21/2018
- by Jak-Luke Sharp
- Nerdly
Produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Christian Rivers, Mortal Engines (above) revolves around large mobile communities known as "traction cities." Based on the first in a popular series of novels by Philip Reeve and sumptuously designed, the action-adventure is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, where it covers a lot of ground in telling its tale of courage and daring. What lies ahead for action movies in the new year? We've picked out three upcoming thrillers that all look very promising. Miss Bala Gina Rodriguez stars as an American woman who is forced by authorities to go undercover in a Mexican gang in order to clear her name of the crime the gang forced her to commit. The twisty thriller also stars Anthony Mackie; it looks to be...
- 12/17/2018
- by Peter Martin
- Movies.com
“Mortal Engines,” the science-fiction epic directed by Christian Rivers and produced by Peter Jackson, has delivered distributor Universal Pictures a giant lump of coal this holiday movie season. The film opened December 14 in over 3,000 U.S. theaters and only grossed $7.5 million domestically opposite a reported $110 million budget. The title didn’t fare any better internationally ($42 million globally). As box office analyst Jeff Block of Exhibitor Relations told Variety, “This is a true Christmas disaster for Universal. They took a big swing, and they struck out.”
With “Mortal Engines” becoming an instant box office bomb, the film now stands to lose over $100 million for Universal. A report from Deadline claims that number could even skyrocket to $150 million depending on how the film performs through the Christmas holiday. Even if the film managed to get to $120 million internationally, it would still cost Universal around $105 million. Deadline reports that film finance sources asked...
With “Mortal Engines” becoming an instant box office bomb, the film now stands to lose over $100 million for Universal. A report from Deadline claims that number could even skyrocket to $150 million depending on how the film performs through the Christmas holiday. Even if the film managed to get to $120 million internationally, it would still cost Universal around $105 million. Deadline reports that film finance sources asked...
- 12/17/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
To celebrate the release of Mortal Engines, in cinemas now, Universal are giving away 5 Mortal Engines bundles that include a T-Shirt, jumper, backpack, notebook, torch and scarf.
Thousands of years after civilization was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, humankind has adapted and a new way of living has evolved. Gigantic moving cities now roam the Earth, ruthlessly preying upon smaller traction towns. Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan)—who hails from a Lower Tier of the great traction city of London—finds himself fighting for his own survival after he encounters the dangerous fugitive Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar). Two opposites, whose paths should never have crossed, forge an unlikely alliance that is destined to change the course of the future.
Mortal Engines is the startling, new epic adventure directed by Oscar®-winning visual-effects artist Christian Rivers (King Kong). Joining Rivers are The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies three-time Academy Award®-winning filmmakers Peter Jackson,...
Thousands of years after civilization was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, humankind has adapted and a new way of living has evolved. Gigantic moving cities now roam the Earth, ruthlessly preying upon smaller traction towns. Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan)—who hails from a Lower Tier of the great traction city of London—finds himself fighting for his own survival after he encounters the dangerous fugitive Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar). Two opposites, whose paths should never have crossed, forge an unlikely alliance that is destined to change the course of the future.
Mortal Engines is the startling, new epic adventure directed by Oscar®-winning visual-effects artist Christian Rivers (King Kong). Joining Rivers are The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies three-time Academy Award®-winning filmmakers Peter Jackson,...
- 12/17/2018
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Photo: Sony Pictures Animation).
Sony Animation’s Spider-Man reboot swung into Australian cinemas last weekend but trailed Universal/Illumination’s powerhouse The Grinch, which ruled again in its third frame.
Andre Rieu fans turned out for his concert filmed at Sydney Town Hall while Fox’s M-rated Once Upon a Deadpool had a middling start, in line with its Us debut.
Meanwhile Peter Jackson, Universal Pictures and co-financiers Media Rights Capital and Perfect World Pictures are facing a write-off of $100 million or more on Mortal Engines, which bombed in the Us.
Bruce Beresford’s Ladies in Black is winding down after 13 weeks, having generated $11.9 million for Sony.
Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, which chronicles a turbulent year in the lives of a middle-class family in 1970s Mexico City, is having a brief run in a handful of cinemas including the Ritz, Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace Cremorne and...
Sony Animation’s Spider-Man reboot swung into Australian cinemas last weekend but trailed Universal/Illumination’s powerhouse The Grinch, which ruled again in its third frame.
Andre Rieu fans turned out for his concert filmed at Sydney Town Hall while Fox’s M-rated Once Upon a Deadpool had a middling start, in line with its Us debut.
Meanwhile Peter Jackson, Universal Pictures and co-financiers Media Rights Capital and Perfect World Pictures are facing a write-off of $100 million or more on Mortal Engines, which bombed in the Us.
Bruce Beresford’s Ladies in Black is winding down after 13 weeks, having generated $11.9 million for Sony.
Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, which chronicles a turbulent year in the lives of a middle-class family in 1970s Mexico City, is having a brief run in a handful of cinemas including the Ritz, Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace Cremorne and...
- 12/16/2018
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
After Thanksgiving weekend, it looked like the Lionsgate movie “Robin Hood” would be the biggest blockbuster bomb of the 2018 box office. But the Sherwood Forest revamp has now been dethroned by Universal/Media Rights Capital’s “Mortal Engines,” an adaptation of Philip Reeve’s sci-fi dystopian novel that opened to a mere $7.5 million domestically this weekend.
Most of this year’s box office flops have been mid-budget releases like “Annihilation” and “The Hurricane Heist,” rather than blockbusters with $100 million-plus budgets like 2017’s “Ghost in the Shell.” “Robin Hood” was the closest to that budget mark with a reported budget of around $97 million.
But “Mortal Engines” had a budget of at least $100 million, with some reports estimating it as much as $150 million. While Universal doesn’t disclose budget figures, it’s possible that the studio might not make back its production costs, let alone that of its marketing campaign. Overseas figures...
Most of this year’s box office flops have been mid-budget releases like “Annihilation” and “The Hurricane Heist,” rather than blockbusters with $100 million-plus budgets like 2017’s “Ghost in the Shell.” “Robin Hood” was the closest to that budget mark with a reported budget of around $97 million.
But “Mortal Engines” had a budget of at least $100 million, with some reports estimating it as much as $150 million. While Universal doesn’t disclose budget figures, it’s possible that the studio might not make back its production costs, let alone that of its marketing campaign. Overseas figures...
- 12/16/2018
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
There is nothing more daunting right now in the current franchise-obsessed box office marketplace than launching an original piece of sci-fi/fantasy. This weekend, we’re seeing the Peter Jackson-produced, $110M+ Mortal Engines a casualty of its own ambition to create a brand new world on screen, with a disastrous opening of $7.5M and a running worldwide total of $42.3M.
Rival film finance sources project that should Mortal Engines chug its way to a global gross of $120M–and that’s a lofty projection–it would still lose around $105M. However, they believe it could be much greater, in the neighborhood of $150M, after all ancillaries are factored-in down the road. Some film finance sources who were even asked to participate in the project claim that the production cost is even higher than the $110M being floated around.
The reason why Mortal Engines failed to fire up is inherent in the property itself,...
Rival film finance sources project that should Mortal Engines chug its way to a global gross of $120M–and that’s a lofty projection–it would still lose around $105M. However, they believe it could be much greater, in the neighborhood of $150M, after all ancillaries are factored-in down the road. Some film finance sources who were even asked to participate in the project claim that the production cost is even higher than the $110M being floated around.
The reason why Mortal Engines failed to fire up is inherent in the property itself,...
- 12/16/2018
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
I’ve been pretty excited about seeing producer Peter Jackson’s epic new film project Mortal Engines. I’ve really enjoyed everything that I’ve seen in the trailers for the film and what we see in those trailers is exactly what this movie delivers.
If you like what you’ve seen from the footage that has been shared, chances are you’re going to enjoy the movie. If you’ve scoffed at the trailers, and you think the movie looks like it’s going to be a silly and/or piece of crap movie, then that’s what you’re going to get.
With a movie like Mortal Engines, you just can take it too seriously. You’ve kinda got check your brain out at the door. This is an epic and adventurous popcorn flick, and I personally enjoyed the hell out of it! I loved the massive scale...
If you like what you’ve seen from the footage that has been shared, chances are you’re going to enjoy the movie. If you’ve scoffed at the trailers, and you think the movie looks like it’s going to be a silly and/or piece of crap movie, then that’s what you’re going to get.
With a movie like Mortal Engines, you just can take it too seriously. You’ve kinda got check your brain out at the door. This is an epic and adventurous popcorn flick, and I personally enjoyed the hell out of it! I loved the massive scale...
- 12/15/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is swinging into theaters on a high note.
Sony-Marvel’s latest output is launching to $42 million from 3,813 North American locations in its debut, though other more conservative estimates place that number at $35.5 million. The animated superhero story picked up $12.6 million on Friday, easily leading the pack for the weekend.
The film, which takes place in the shared “Spider-Verse,” follows a Brooklyn youth (Shameik Moore) who becomes one of many Spider-Men that must battle the villain Kingpin. “Spider-Verse” also features the voices of Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Velez, Zoë Kravitz, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn with Nicolas Cage, Kathryn Hahn and Liev Schreiber. The pic has a 97% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes after earning rave reviews, and an A+ CinemaScore.
Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman directed from a screenplay by Phil Lord and Rodney...
Sony-Marvel’s latest output is launching to $42 million from 3,813 North American locations in its debut, though other more conservative estimates place that number at $35.5 million. The animated superhero story picked up $12.6 million on Friday, easily leading the pack for the weekend.
The film, which takes place in the shared “Spider-Verse,” follows a Brooklyn youth (Shameik Moore) who becomes one of many Spider-Men that must battle the villain Kingpin. “Spider-Verse” also features the voices of Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Velez, Zoë Kravitz, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn with Nicolas Cage, Kathryn Hahn and Liev Schreiber. The pic has a 97% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes after earning rave reviews, and an A+ CinemaScore.
Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman directed from a screenplay by Phil Lord and Rodney...
- 12/15/2018
- by Erin Nyren
- Variety Film + TV
Is there room for late entries “Bumblebee,” “Mary Poppins Returns,” “Mortal Engines,” and “Welcome to Marwen” in the Oscar VFX bakeoff on January 5th? We’ll find out Monday when the Academy releases its shortlist of 10 qualifiers.
With the “E.T.”-inspired “Bumblebee,” Laika CEO Travis Knight dove into directing live-action for the first time. But he was acutely aware of the details that go into animated performance, having Industrial Light & Magic channel its energy into stripping down and simplifying the beloved Autobot for his ’80s origin story.
With most of the emotion coming from his big blue eyes when interacting with Hailee Steinfeld, Bee achieves a nuanced performance. The biggest challenge for Ilm, though, was turning the simplified G1 designs into realistic-looking characters, using cutting edge tech to achieve the vintage looks.
Rob Marshall’s “Mary Poppins Returns” offers live-action/CG convergence at its cutting-edge best. The director was...
With the “E.T.”-inspired “Bumblebee,” Laika CEO Travis Knight dove into directing live-action for the first time. But he was acutely aware of the details that go into animated performance, having Industrial Light & Magic channel its energy into stripping down and simplifying the beloved Autobot for his ’80s origin story.
With most of the emotion coming from his big blue eyes when interacting with Hailee Steinfeld, Bee achieves a nuanced performance. The biggest challenge for Ilm, though, was turning the simplified G1 designs into realistic-looking characters, using cutting edge tech to achieve the vintage looks.
Rob Marshall’s “Mary Poppins Returns” offers live-action/CG convergence at its cutting-edge best. The director was...
- 12/14/2018
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Don Kaye Dec 14, 2018
Director Christian Rivers and screenwriter Philippa Boyens explore how they got Mortal Engines onto the screen.
Director Christian Rivers wrote a letter to Peter Jackson more than 26 years ago, asking if he could come and work for him. To Rivers’ surprise, he found himself storyboarding Jackson’s third feature film, Braindead (1992) and has worked on every one of Jackson’s film since as either a storyboard artist, visual effects supervisor, special effects technician or second unit director.
Now Rivers makes his feature directorial debut with Mortal Engines, based on the first of four novels by Philip Reeve in which massive cities on wheels rumble through a blasted apocalyptic landscape of the far future, swallowing up smaller burgs whole as a means of survival. As Rivers tells us below, he was both prepared and yet unprepared for the massive job of bringing this unique world to life --...
Director Christian Rivers and screenwriter Philippa Boyens explore how they got Mortal Engines onto the screen.
Director Christian Rivers wrote a letter to Peter Jackson more than 26 years ago, asking if he could come and work for him. To Rivers’ surprise, he found himself storyboarding Jackson’s third feature film, Braindead (1992) and has worked on every one of Jackson’s film since as either a storyboard artist, visual effects supervisor, special effects technician or second unit director.
Now Rivers makes his feature directorial debut with Mortal Engines, based on the first of four novels by Philip Reeve in which massive cities on wheels rumble through a blasted apocalyptic landscape of the far future, swallowing up smaller burgs whole as a means of survival. As Rivers tells us below, he was both prepared and yet unprepared for the massive job of bringing this unique world to life --...
- 12/14/2018
- Den of Geek
Imagine if New York was completely mobile. Not “if everyone in the five boroughs (which, for those of you who have not seen Gotti, are: Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island, the Bronx) had mobile phones” — that’s not very hard to imagine at all. More along the lines of: What if the entire city was on wheels, roaming through some sort of post-nuclear wasteland tundra? And what if it had the ability to take a similarly moving smaller town — say, Hazard, Kentucky, or maybe Monrovia, Indiana — and just swallow it up?...
- 12/14/2018
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Don Kaye Dec 14, 2018
Actors Hugo Weaving and Stephen Lang on Playing Complex Villains and Working with Visionary Filmmakers.
Mortal Engines is a new steampunk science fiction film based on the first of four novels by author Philip Reeve. In the story, a cataclysmic event known as the Sixty Minute War has thrown the Earth into chaos, and centuries later the remnants of humanity have regrouped and now live in cities that roam the blasted landscape on wheels. The bigger “predator” cities have a frightening tendency to consume the smaller ones, absorbing their resources, supplies and populations.
In the movie version, directed by Christian Rivers and written/produced by Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh (the team behind The Lord of the Rings), the city of London is one of the world’s largest predator cities, led by the head of the Guild of Historians, Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving). While...
Actors Hugo Weaving and Stephen Lang on Playing Complex Villains and Working with Visionary Filmmakers.
Mortal Engines is a new steampunk science fiction film based on the first of four novels by author Philip Reeve. In the story, a cataclysmic event known as the Sixty Minute War has thrown the Earth into chaos, and centuries later the remnants of humanity have regrouped and now live in cities that roam the blasted landscape on wheels. The bigger “predator” cities have a frightening tendency to consume the smaller ones, absorbing their resources, supplies and populations.
In the movie version, directed by Christian Rivers and written/produced by Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh (the team behind The Lord of the Rings), the city of London is one of the world’s largest predator cities, led by the head of the Guild of Historians, Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving). While...
- 12/14/2018
- Den of Geek
Three titles look to make a splash before Mary Poppins arrives next week.
This week’s UK box office sees three high-profile studio releases enter the market.
For the last three years, this weekend in December has seen the release of a blockbuster Star Wars title, two of which, The Force Awakens in 2015 and The Last Jedi in 2017, now sit as respectively the first and fifth highest-grossing titles of all time in the UK.
This year, however, sees a break from the franchise and an opportunity for other releases to make the most of the early festive market.
Disney’s...
This week’s UK box office sees three high-profile studio releases enter the market.
For the last three years, this weekend in December has seen the release of a blockbuster Star Wars title, two of which, The Force Awakens in 2015 and The Last Jedi in 2017, now sit as respectively the first and fifth highest-grossing titles of all time in the UK.
This year, however, sees a break from the franchise and an opportunity for other releases to make the most of the early festive market.
Disney’s...
- 12/14/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Mortal Engines director Christian Rivers is a protege of filmmaker Peter Jackson, who co-wrote and co-produced this adaptation with his The Lord of the Rings collaborators. This is a tight-knit group, so it’s no surprise that when they needed a company to tackle the visual challenges of a movie about a city that eats other […]
The post ‘Mortal Engines’ Visual Effects Team Talks About Solutions to Industry-Wide Problems, Bringing Those Moving Cities to Life, and More [Interview] appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Mortal Engines’ Visual Effects Team Talks About Solutions to Industry-Wide Problems, Bringing Those Moving Cities to Life, and More [Interview] appeared first on /Film.
- 12/13/2018
- by Ben Pearson
- Slash Film
The new sci-fi movie Mortal Engines was produced by Peter Jackson, who recruited Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit effects wizard Christian Rivers to direct. So, like the Middle Earth movies, the film has a distinct, striking visual look. When we talked to the movie’s stars, Hera Hilmar and Jihae, they spoke about how [...]
The post With Cities On Wheels, ‘Mortal Engines’ Runs On Creativity appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
The post With Cities On Wheels, ‘Mortal Engines’ Runs On Creativity appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
- 12/12/2018
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
From the team behind The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit franchises comes Mortal Engines, crashing into cinemas up and down the country this weekend. To celebrate the film’s release we had an epic time at an epic junket, speaking to producer, and the legend that is Peter Jackson, as well as writer Philipa Boyens and stars Rob Sheehan, Leila George, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Lang, Jihae and Hera Hilmar. We also spoke to the film’s director, the debutant Christian Rivers. Told it was a big one.
Watch all interviews below:
Synopsis
Hundreds of years after civilization was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, a mysterious young woman, Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar), emerges as the only one who can stop London — now a giant, predator city on wheels — from devouring everything in its path. Feral, and fiercely driven by the memory of her mother, Hester joins forces with Tom...
Watch all interviews below:
Synopsis
Hundreds of years after civilization was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, a mysterious young woman, Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar), emerges as the only one who can stop London — now a giant, predator city on wheels — from devouring everything in its path. Feral, and fiercely driven by the memory of her mother, Hester joins forces with Tom...
- 12/12/2018
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Opening box office metrics point to Sony Animation’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse —a fresh take on the Marvel superhero where anyone can wear the mask told in a novel cartoon style– in the neighborhood of $30M-$35M, which would be a great start in this sleepy pre-Christmas marketplace.
Those who deal in box office projections are holding their hands up, emphasizing the leg-out factor of the movie, and how hard it is to make moviegoing a priority at this point in time during the holiday season. Interest is strong among families, African American and Hispanic demos. However, there’s an immense amount of heat surrounding this Phil Lord-scripted animated feature, which he produced with his creative partner Christopher Miller, as well as Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, and Christina Steinberg, so no one will be surprised if this movie overindexes. Sony has been screening this movie for the last month,...
Those who deal in box office projections are holding their hands up, emphasizing the leg-out factor of the movie, and how hard it is to make moviegoing a priority at this point in time during the holiday season. Interest is strong among families, African American and Hispanic demos. However, there’s an immense amount of heat surrounding this Phil Lord-scripted animated feature, which he produced with his creative partner Christopher Miller, as well as Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, and Christina Steinberg, so no one will be surprised if this movie overindexes. Sony has been screening this movie for the last month,...
- 12/11/2018
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Chicago – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 60 pairs of advance-screening IMAX movie passes up for grabs to the new film “Mortal Engines” starring Hugo Weaving, Hera Hilmar and Robert Sheehan!
“Mortal Engines,” which opens on Dec. 14, 2018 and is rated “PG-13,” also stars Jihae, Ronan Raftery, Leila George, Patrick Malahide and Stephen Lang from director Christian Rivers and writers Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson based on the book by Philip Reeve.
To win your free passes to “Mortal Engines” courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our social media widget below. That’s it! This screening is on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning! Completing these social actions only increases your odds of winning; this doesn’t intensify your competition!
Deadline: Entries can continue being submitted through Tuesday,...
“Mortal Engines,” which opens on Dec. 14, 2018 and is rated “PG-13,” also stars Jihae, Ronan Raftery, Leila George, Patrick Malahide and Stephen Lang from director Christian Rivers and writers Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson based on the book by Philip Reeve.
To win your free passes to “Mortal Engines” courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our social media widget below. That’s it! This screening is on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning! Completing these social actions only increases your odds of winning; this doesn’t intensify your competition!
Deadline: Entries can continue being submitted through Tuesday,...
- 12/10/2018
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
No new openers in the top five this week.
Today’s Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.27.
Rank Film (Distributor) Three-day gross (Dec 7-Dec 9) Total gross to date Week 1 Ralph Breaks The Internet (Disney) £2.5m £7.4m 2 2 The Grinch (Universal) £2m £19.5m 5 3 Creed II (Warner Bros) £1.7m £6m 2 4 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald (Warner Bros) £1.5m £29.3m 4 5. Bohemian Rhapsody (20th Century Fox) £973,627 £44m 7 Disney
Ralph Breaks The Internet stayed top of the chart after a tepid weekend at the UK box office. The film dropped 38% on its previous session, adding £2.5m for £7.4m to date. The film should have a long tail over the Christmas holiday.
Today’s Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.27.
Rank Film (Distributor) Three-day gross (Dec 7-Dec 9) Total gross to date Week 1 Ralph Breaks The Internet (Disney) £2.5m £7.4m 2 2 The Grinch (Universal) £2m £19.5m 5 3 Creed II (Warner Bros) £1.7m £6m 2 4 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald (Warner Bros) £1.5m £29.3m 4 5. Bohemian Rhapsody (20th Century Fox) £973,627 £44m 7 Disney
Ralph Breaks The Internet stayed top of the chart after a tepid weekend at the UK box office. The film dropped 38% on its previous session, adding £2.5m for £7.4m to date. The film should have a long tail over the Christmas holiday.
- 12/10/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
In 1988, Sir Peter Jackson, then simply known as "Pete," received his first-ever piece of fan mail. It was a letter from a high school kid in Whanganui, New Zealand, named Christian Rivers, who had seen Jackson's self-produced directorial debut, Bad Taste, and sensed a kindred spirit.
"An envelope shows up addressed to me, and it's stuffed with pages and pages of sketches of dragons and all this fantasy stuff," recalls Jackson, seated on a plush sofa in the wood-paneled inner sanctum of his sprawling Park Road Post Production facility, on a typically windy recent ...
"An envelope shows up addressed to me, and it's stuffed with pages and pages of sketches of dragons and all this fantasy stuff," recalls Jackson, seated on a plush sofa in the wood-paneled inner sanctum of his sprawling Park Road Post Production facility, on a typically windy recent ...
- 12/10/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In 1988, Sir Peter Jackson, then simply known as "Pete," received his first-ever piece of fan mail. It was a letter from a high school kid in Whanganui, New Zealand, named Christian Rivers, who had seen Jackson's self-produced directorial debut, Bad Taste, and sensed a kindred spirit.
"An envelope shows up addressed to me, and it's stuffed with pages and pages of sketches of dragons and all this fantasy stuff," recalls Jackson, seated on a plush sofa in the wood-paneled inner sanctum of his sprawling Park Road Post Production facility, on a typically windy recent ...
"An envelope shows up addressed to me, and it's stuffed with pages and pages of sketches of dragons and all this fantasy stuff," recalls Jackson, seated on a plush sofa in the wood-paneled inner sanctum of his sprawling Park Road Post Production facility, on a typically windy recent ...
- 12/10/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
‘Mortal Engines’. (Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures)
Following on from middling reviews, Universal’s Mortal Engines, produced and co-written by Peter Jackson, couldn’t match The Grinch, Bohemian Rhapsody or Creed II at the Aussie box office last weekend.
Directed by Christian Rivers and based on the novel by Philip Reeve, the Nz-shot sci-fi starring Hera Hilmar and Hugo Weaving opened on $1.4 million from 327 screens. Due to release in the Us this week, it totalled just $US18 million in 43 international markets over the weekend.
Illumination/Universal’s The Grinch stole the number one spot in Oz its second round, reaping $2.5 million from 323 screens – a fall of only 11 per cent. Co-directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney, the animated Dr. Seuss adaptation features a voice cast that includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Cameron Seely and Rashida Jones. In total, the film has amassed $7.4 million to date in Australia, $US223.5 million in North America and $US322.4 million internationally.
Following on from middling reviews, Universal’s Mortal Engines, produced and co-written by Peter Jackson, couldn’t match The Grinch, Bohemian Rhapsody or Creed II at the Aussie box office last weekend.
Directed by Christian Rivers and based on the novel by Philip Reeve, the Nz-shot sci-fi starring Hera Hilmar and Hugo Weaving opened on $1.4 million from 327 screens. Due to release in the Us this week, it totalled just $US18 million in 43 international markets over the weekend.
Illumination/Universal’s The Grinch stole the number one spot in Oz its second round, reaping $2.5 million from 323 screens – a fall of only 11 per cent. Co-directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney, the animated Dr. Seuss adaptation features a voice cast that includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Cameron Seely and Rashida Jones. In total, the film has amassed $7.4 million to date in Australia, $US223.5 million in North America and $US322.4 million internationally.
- 12/10/2018
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Peter Jackson may not have directed Mortal Engines himself (that would be Christian Rivers), but the various trailers and clips have shown that his fingerprints are all over the post-apocalyptic world. Jackson co-wrote the script along with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens based upon the novel of the same name by Philip Reeve. Mortal Engines takes place thousands of years after civilization…...
- 12/7/2018
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
One of the big mysteries surrounding Peter Jackson’s upcoming fantasy epic Mortal Engines has been the villainous character Shrike, who is played by Stephen Lang. There hasn’t been much information revealed about him, but that all changes today.
We have a cool new featurette to share with you that completely focuses on this character and offers us our first real details about who he is.
Jackson says that Shrike is one of the most interesting characters in the story. It’s explained that he is a resurrected man who has spent hundreds of years killing people in the most brutal and horrific ways. Apparently, he’s an unstoppable force that must be stopped! After all, he’s on a mission to kill the main character of the story, Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar).
Shrike certainly sounds like he’s an interesting and crazy villain and it will be interesting...
We have a cool new featurette to share with you that completely focuses on this character and offers us our first real details about who he is.
Jackson says that Shrike is one of the most interesting characters in the story. It’s explained that he is a resurrected man who has spent hundreds of years killing people in the most brutal and horrific ways. Apparently, he’s an unstoppable force that must be stopped! After all, he’s on a mission to kill the main character of the story, Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar).
Shrike certainly sounds like he’s an interesting and crazy villain and it will be interesting...
- 12/7/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Set in a post-apocalyptic world where London — now a giant, predator city on wheels — devours everything in its path, Universal's Mortal Engines may look like it was set thousands of years in the future, but it was crafted entirely in New Zealand, mostly around Wellington, the home of the island country’s most famous filmmaker, Peter Jackson.
Jackson was a writer and producer of the film, opening Dec. 14 and based on the Philip Reeve book series. Directed by Christian Rivers (also a VFX pro who won an Oscar for Jackson’s King Kong), the live action ...
Jackson was a writer and producer of the film, opening Dec. 14 and based on the Philip Reeve book series. Directed by Christian Rivers (also a VFX pro who won an Oscar for Jackson’s King Kong), the live action ...
- 12/6/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Set in a post-apocalyptic world where London — now a giant, predator city on wheels — devours everything in its path, Universal's Mortal Engines may look like it was set thousands of years in the future, but it was crafted entirely in New Zealand, mostly around Wellington, the home of the island country’s most famous filmmaker, Peter Jackson.
Jackson was a writer and producer of the film, opening Dec. 14 and based on the Philip Reeve book series. Directed by Christian Rivers (also a VFX pro who won an Oscar for Jackson’s King Kong), the live action ...
Jackson was a writer and producer of the film, opening Dec. 14 and based on the Philip Reeve book series. Directed by Christian Rivers (also a VFX pro who won an Oscar for Jackson’s King Kong), the live action ...
- 12/6/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Mortal Engines is one of my most anticipated films as the year comes to close. The movie looks so visually spectacular and unique that it’s hard not to get excited. I just hope that it turns out to be as good as it looks!
Adam Savage had the opportunity to sit down and talk with writer and producer Peter Jackson as well as director Christian Rivers. In this lengthy interview, they discuss the process of adapting an epic story like Mortal Engines into a massive movie.
Some of the topics discussed include building out the world, telling cinematic stories, and the collaborative process of filmmaking at this huge scale.
If you’ve liked what you’ve seen from Mortal Engines and you’re excited about the movie, this interview with something that you won’t want to miss. It’s filled with all kinds of great information!
The movie...
Adam Savage had the opportunity to sit down and talk with writer and producer Peter Jackson as well as director Christian Rivers. In this lengthy interview, they discuss the process of adapting an epic story like Mortal Engines into a massive movie.
Some of the topics discussed include building out the world, telling cinematic stories, and the collaborative process of filmmaking at this huge scale.
If you’ve liked what you’ve seen from Mortal Engines and you’re excited about the movie, this interview with something that you won’t want to miss. It’s filled with all kinds of great information!
The movie...
- 12/6/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Universal Pictures has pulled back the curtains on Mortal Engines, a steampunk fantasy film presented by Peter Jackson. Jackson is also responsible for the film’s screenplay alongside writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, the trio behind The Lord of the Rings. Mortal Engines promises to be one of the biggest special effects spectacles of the year, and ahead of the release, we chatted with director Christian Rivers about the challenges of creating the movie's villain,...
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- 12/6/2018
- by affiliates@fandango.com
- Fandango
The Peter Jackson-produced Mortal Engines, an adaptation of Philip Reeve’s book series that was directed by Oscar-winning visual effects artist Christian Rivers, is headed to theaters next weekend, and it looks like Universal is trying to pull horror fans in with their latest featurette. It focuses on Shrike, a fearsome villain played by Don’t Breathe‘s Stephen Lang. “He has […]...
- 12/6/2018
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Jihae, a musician turned actress, was trained by an eight-time tae kwon do champion to prepare for her fight scenes in Mortal Engines. She plays Anna Fang, a pilot and resistance fighter in Christian Rivers' feature-film directorial debut, based on Philip Reeve's 2001 novel. Her character opposes the predatory "moving cities" that populate the film, which premiered on a drizzly Wednesday night in Westwood's Regency Village Theatre.
"I love the fact that it's a rare opportunity to find a role that embodies the kind of strength and power that Anna Fang beholds. Usually we see ...
"I love the fact that it's a rare opportunity to find a role that embodies the kind of strength and power that Anna Fang beholds. Usually we see ...
- 12/6/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Jihae, a musician turned actress, was trained by an eight-time tae kwon do champion to prepare for her fight scenes in Mortal Engines. She plays Anna Fang, a pilot and resistance fighter in Christian Rivers' feature-film directorial debut, based on Philip Reeve's 2001 novel. Her character opposes the predatory "moving cities" that populate the film, which premiered on a drizzly Wednesday night in Westwood's Regency Village Theatre.
"I love the fact that it's a rare opportunity to find a role that embodies the kind of strength and power that Anna Fang beholds. Usually we see ...
"I love the fact that it's a rare opportunity to find a role that embodies the kind of strength and power that Anna Fang beholds. Usually we see ...
- 12/6/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sneak Peek new footage, plus images from director Christian Rivers' post-apocalyptic 'steampunk' feature "Mortal Engines", co-written by Peter Jackson ("Lord Of The Rings"), based on the novel by Philip Reeve, starring Robert Sheehan, Hera Hilmar and Hugo Weaving, opening December 14, 2018:
"...in the future, 'Tom' is a Londoner who has only ever lived inside his 'traveling' hometown, and his feet have never touched grass, mud or land. His first taste of the outside comes quite abruptly: Tom gets in the way of an attempt by the woman 'Hester' to kill 'Thaddeus Valentine', a powerful man she blames for her mother's murder.
"Then both Hester and Tom end up being thrown out of the moving 'traction'..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Mortal Engines"...
"...in the future, 'Tom' is a Londoner who has only ever lived inside his 'traveling' hometown, and his feet have never touched grass, mud or land. His first taste of the outside comes quite abruptly: Tom gets in the way of an attempt by the woman 'Hester' to kill 'Thaddeus Valentine', a powerful man she blames for her mother's murder.
"Then both Hester and Tom end up being thrown out of the moving 'traction'..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Mortal Engines"...
- 12/6/2018
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Universal Pictures has pulled back the curtains on Mortal Engines, a steampunk fantasy film presented by Peter Jackson. Jackson is also responsible for the film’s screenplay alongside writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, the trio behind The Lord of the Rings. Mortal Engines promises to be one of the biggest special effects spectacles of the year, and ahead of the release, we chatted with director Christian Rivers about the challenges of creating the movie's villain, the hero's facial disfigurements and the mobile cities. Watch the video interview down below after learning more about the Ya adaptation. Here's everything we know about Mortal Engines: What’s the movie about? Based on Philip Reeve’s series of the same name...
- 12/6/2018
- by J.S. Lewis
- Movies.com
Adam Shepherd Dec 5, 2018
This Peter Jackson produced Mortal Engines excels at world-building but stalls when it comes to character development
For a story that revolves around giant motorized cities, flying airships, and steampunk cyborgs, Mortal Engines is puzzlingly forgettable. As the latest project from Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, Mortal Engines has had a troubled genesis. Adapted from a somewhat unknown young adult novel by Philip Reeve, the film has been in development for almost a decade after Jackson had to shelve the project in order to work on The Hobbit and its sequels.
The premise is an engaging one: In the future, a catastrophic war has forced settlements to uproot themselves and become mobile, strapping engines and wheels to themselves in order to hunt for resources. Larger cities eat smaller ones in a system known as "municipal Darwinism." The central axis of the story is London--or a version of it,...
This Peter Jackson produced Mortal Engines excels at world-building but stalls when it comes to character development
For a story that revolves around giant motorized cities, flying airships, and steampunk cyborgs, Mortal Engines is puzzlingly forgettable. As the latest project from Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, Mortal Engines has had a troubled genesis. Adapted from a somewhat unknown young adult novel by Philip Reeve, the film has been in development for almost a decade after Jackson had to shelve the project in order to work on The Hobbit and its sequels.
The premise is an engaging one: In the future, a catastrophic war has forced settlements to uproot themselves and become mobile, strapping engines and wheels to themselves in order to hunt for resources. Larger cities eat smaller ones in a system known as "municipal Darwinism." The central axis of the story is London--or a version of it,...
- 12/5/2018
- Den of Geek
You’ve never seen a chase scene like the one at the start of “Mortal Engines”: A young woman scans the horizon and sees London, the whole city, rolling towards her on giant tank treads. She races back to another, smaller city and sounds an alarm. All the businesses and residences suddenly retract into a shell, and the smaller city rolls away at top speed.
Two giant cities are now chasing each other across the countryside, power-sliding towards the lips of a canyon, until one of them eats the other.
The only rational response to “Mortal Engines” is “Wow.”
Also Read: Harvey Weinstein Fires Back at Peter Jackson Over Ashley Judd, Mira Sorvino Blacklisting (Update)
This is one of the most breathtaking action sequences in recent memory, at once wholly unbelievable and yet brought to life with thrilling detail. It’s a high standard to set for the rest of “Mortal Engines,...
Two giant cities are now chasing each other across the countryside, power-sliding towards the lips of a canyon, until one of them eats the other.
The only rational response to “Mortal Engines” is “Wow.”
Also Read: Harvey Weinstein Fires Back at Peter Jackson Over Ashley Judd, Mira Sorvino Blacklisting (Update)
This is one of the most breathtaking action sequences in recent memory, at once wholly unbelievable and yet brought to life with thrilling detail. It’s a high standard to set for the rest of “Mortal Engines,...
- 12/5/2018
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
For the first 10 minutes of dystopian sci-fi saga “Mortal Engines,” a blessedly enjoyable interval before you start to realize just what a long slog you have in store, director Christian Rivers stages a most unusual chase sequence. In this chase, the pursued is a small mobile mining town called Salthook, constructed to fold itself up like a hydraulic steampunk Transformer and drive away at the first sign of danger. The pursuer is the city of London, mounted on 200-foot-tall tank treads and rearranged into a teaming vertical monstrosity, with St. Paul’s Cathedral on top, and the London Eye repurposed as a sort of spinning subway transporting citizens from one tier of town to another.
The film, based on the first installment of Philip Reeve’s four-novel Ya series, is set several centuries in the future, after a calamitous war has turned the planet into a barren wasteland, leaving giant mobile...
The film, based on the first installment of Philip Reeve’s four-novel Ya series, is set several centuries in the future, after a calamitous war has turned the planet into a barren wasteland, leaving giant mobile...
- 12/5/2018
- by Andrew Barker
- Variety Film + TV
Jackson has turned Philip Reeve’s dystopian adventure novel into a tiringly frenetic and derivative fantasy-adventure movie
Mortal Engines was originally a Ya dystopian adventure novel from British author Philip Reeve, published in 2001, the first of the “Mortal Engines quartet”. Among its many fans is Peter Jackson, who has now turned it into a tiringly frenetic and derivative fantasy-adventure movie, co-producing and co-writing the adaptation with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Making his directing debut here is Jackson’s former storyboard artist and visual effects supervisor Christian Rivers.
The film is basically a steampunk Star Wars, with a bit of low-octane Gilliam and Gaiman on the side. By the end, in fact, the resemblances to George Lucas’s great creation become so distractingly obvious that it is difficult to credit that it isn’t some kind of intentional homage.
Mortal Engines was originally a Ya dystopian adventure novel from British author Philip Reeve, published in 2001, the first of the “Mortal Engines quartet”. Among its many fans is Peter Jackson, who has now turned it into a tiringly frenetic and derivative fantasy-adventure movie, co-producing and co-writing the adaptation with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Making his directing debut here is Jackson’s former storyboard artist and visual effects supervisor Christian Rivers.
The film is basically a steampunk Star Wars, with a bit of low-octane Gilliam and Gaiman on the side. By the end, in fact, the resemblances to George Lucas’s great creation become so distractingly obvious that it is difficult to credit that it isn’t some kind of intentional homage.
- 12/5/2018
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Opening in St. Louis on December 14, 2018, is Mortal Engines.
Enter for your chance to win two free passes to the St. Louis advance screening. The theatrical sneak preview will be on December 11 at 7pm.
Add you name and email in our comments section below.
No Purchase Required. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house.
Hundreds of years after civilization was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, a mysterious young woman, Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar), emerges as the only one who can stop London — now a giant, predator city on wheels — from devouring everything in its path. Feral, and fiercely driven by the memory of her mother, Hester joins forces with Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan), an outcast from London, along with Anna Fang (Jihae), a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head.
Enter for your chance to win two free passes to the St. Louis advance screening. The theatrical sneak preview will be on December 11 at 7pm.
Add you name and email in our comments section below.
No Purchase Required. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house.
Hundreds of years after civilization was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, a mysterious young woman, Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar), emerges as the only one who can stop London — now a giant, predator city on wheels — from devouring everything in its path. Feral, and fiercely driven by the memory of her mother, Hester joins forces with Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan), an outcast from London, along with Anna Fang (Jihae), a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head.
- 12/3/2018
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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