Mortal Engines chronicles a very unique tale, making it difficult to find films, but, thankfully, numerous post-apocalyptic, steampunk, and fantasy movies have been made over the years. The 2018 post-apocalyptic steampunk film, directed by Christian Rivers and written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson, depicts a world set more than a thousand years in the future where cities have become motorized on wheels and try to destroy one another following the Sixty Minute War. Although it is based on Philip Reeve’s 2001 novel of the same name, Mortal Engines contains several changes from the book.
The cast of Mortal Engines includes:
Although Mortal Engines bombed at the box office — it grossed around $83.7 million against a budget of $100–150 million — and was a critical failure, audiences rated it a little better and praised the cast for their performances. The 2018 film didn’t feature multiple big names (except for Hugo Weaving, and even then, he’s no Tom Cruise), so it’s understandable why some weren’t drawn to see it in theaters. Movies often succeed by having big stars attached to a project, which is why many projects similar to Mortal Engines performed better at the box office (while others had similar receptions).
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets features the same futuristic tone as Mortal Engines, and both movies contain evil entities that threaten humanity and mobilized cities. The 2017 space opera film, directed and written by Luc Besson, is based on Dargaud’s Valérian and Laureline, a French science fiction comics series, written by Pierre Christin and illustrated by Jean-Claude Mézières. So, like Mortal Engines, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is an adaption.
Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne lead the cast of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets as Valerian and Laureline, respectively. The duo are soldiers for the United Human Federation, which rules over the galaxy, but they run into trouble while on a mission. Unfortunately, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets has one more similarity to Mortal Engines — the 2017 space opera was also a box office bomb since it grossed $225 million worldwide against a budget of around $223 million.
Oblivion, directed by Joseph Kosinski and written by Karl Gajdusek and Michael deBruyn, is another post-apocalyptic movie that centers around Earth, which has been demolished after an alien war, in 2077. The 2013 action-adventure film has some star power as its leading man is Tom Cruise, who plays Jack Harper, a technician who repairs drones on Earth, and some other big names in the Oblivion cast are Morgan Freeman and Melissa Leo.
Like Mortal Engines, Oblivion is a movie based on comics, as its source material is director Joseph Kosinski’s unpublished graphic novel of the same name. Unfortunately, there are no plans for an Oblivion sequel with Tom Cruise. However, many fans hope that will change after the success of Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick, and only time will tell if the actor is inspired to continue the science fiction story.
The Chronicles of Riddick is the perfect movie to watch after Mortal Engines as its science fiction elements are similar to the ones featured in the 2018 film. The 2004 movie was directed and written by David Twohy and serves as the second installment in the Riddick film series, following Pitch Black (which Twohy also directed) in 2000 and succeeded by Riddick in 2013. Ken and Jim Wheat initially created the franchise, which has grown to include video games, comics, books, and more.
The Chronicles of Riddick is about a fugitive named Richard B. Riddick, played by Vin Diesel, who is on the run from bounty hunters. However, Riddick is also tasked with saving humanity from the Necromongers, an army that aims to rule over the galaxy. Aside from Diesel, some of the other members of the cast of The Chronicles of Riddick include Colm Feore as the Lord Marshal, Keith David as Abu “Imam” al-Walid, Alexa Davalos as Jack/Kyra, Karl Urban as Commander Vaako, Thandiwe Newton (credited as Thandie Newton) as Dame Vaako, and Judi Dench as Aereon.
The 2008 science fiction fantasy adventure film City of Ember is based on Jeanne DuPrau’s 2003 novel of the same name, similar to how comics inspired Mortal Engines. The movie chronicles an underground city (Ember) that has run on a massive generator for 200 years. However, the generation starts to lose power, so two characters — Lina Mayfleet, played by Saoirse Ronan, and Doon Harrow, played by Harry Treadaway — have to find a way to save Ember. The movie’s visuals are striking enough to pull audiences in, while the all-star cast gives great performances.
Gil Kenan directed City of Ember in his live-action directorial debut, while Caroline Thompson wrote the script. The 2008 fantasy adventure film received mixed reviews from critics, and unfortunately, it was a box office bomb like Mortal Engines. The movie only grossed $17.9 million worldwide against a budget of $55 million, meaning that a City of Ember sequel is unlikely to happen.
Martin Scorsese’s Hugo certainly isn’t the renowned filmmaker’s most talked-about movie, but it was critically successful following its premiere in 2011 and contains a thrilling story set in 1930s Paris. The action-adventure film takes place in the past instead of in the future like Mortal Engines. However, its engrossing adventure (which entails a young boy trying to solve a mystery revolving around an automaton) is worth watching if one liked the 2018 post-apocalyptic steampunk movie.
Hugo is based on Brian Selznick’s 2007 novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and while Scorsese’s movie was a box office disappointment (it earned $185 million against a budget of $150 million), it was a critical success. The 2011 action-adventure film received 11 nominations at the 84th Academy Awards and ultimately won five Oscars — for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects.
Mad Max: Fury Road certainly has a more rugged feel to it than Mortal Engines but both are set in a post-apocalyptic world where the struggle for power dominates the story. The 2015 post-apocalyptic action film, directed by George Miller and written by Miller, Brendan McCarthy, and Nico Lathouris, is the fourth installment in the Mad Max movie series, after Mad Max in 1979, Mad Max 2 in 1981, and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985.
The Mad Max franchise was revived 30 years after the release of the third film because Miller decided to follow through with his plans for another sequel after it spent years in development hell and faced numerous other obstacles. It was a fantastic decision on Miller’s part since Mad Max: Fury Road is considered the best movie in the franchise. The 2015 film was a critical and box office success as it grossed $380.4 million against an estimated budget of around $150 million. Mad Max: Fury Road also won six Oscars at the 88th Academy Awards.
To be honest, either Blade Runner or Blade Runner 2049 are perfect movies to watch after Mortal Engines, but the more recent film aligns a little bit better with the themes of the 2018 post-apocalyptic steampunk movie. The sequel to the classic 1982 science fiction film debuted in 2017. It featured the return of Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard and the introduction of Ryan Gosling as K. Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve, is more associated with cyberpunk than steampunk. However, the two genres are close enough that those who enjoyed Mortal Engines would like Blade Runner 2049.
The 2017 epic neo-noir science fiction film revolves around a new blade runner for the Los Angeles Police Department (Gosling’s character) who discovers a game-changing secret that could send the world into disarray. As a result, K sets out to find Rick Deckard, a former blade runner who no one has seen in 30 years. Unfortunately, Blade Runner 2049 was a box office bomb like Mortal Engines, despite receiving positive reviews. The movie earned $267.5 million against a budget of around $150–185 million.
While Alita: Battle Angel is considered cyberpunk (like Blade Runner 2049) instead of steampunk like Mortal Engines, the two films still have a lot in common. Both Alita: Battle Angel and Mortal Engines revolve around a young protagonist tasked with uncovering their destiny while surrounded by the obstacles of a post-apocalyptic world. The 2019 cyberpunk action film, directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by James Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis, chronicles the journey of a cyborg named Alita who wakes up in a new body with no memory of what happened to her.
Unlike Mortal Engines, Alita: Battle Angel was a box office success, having grossed $405 million against a budget of around $150-200 million. However, it received mixed reviews from critics, who claimed that the futuristic action in the movie was superb but the story was comparatively lacking to the grand scale of its world. Nevertheless, an Alita: Battle Angel sequel is in development.
Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One is based on Ernest Cline’s 2011 book of the same name and is set in 2045, a future where most of humanity utilizes a virtual reality program (OASIS) as an escape from the stresses of the real world. Tye Sheridan, one of the many talented actors in the superb cast of Ready Player One, plays Wade Watts, a teenager who seeks to win ownership of the OASIS before someone evil can get their hands on it. So, like Mortal Engines, the fate of humanity is at stake in the 2018 science fiction action film.