We don’t get movies like this anymore. Yes, it’s a
large-scale piece of sci-fi action adventure cinema, a familiar form of popcorn
fodder, but I’m talking more about the aesthetic. This kind of globe-spanning
steampunk is a genuine rarity nowadays. And in the hands of Peter Jackson,
giving his frequent collaborator Christian Rivers a thunderous directorial
debut, his finesse in the realm of computer effects gives this film an
absolutely fantastic visage.
Showing a world where cities have become gargantuan
machines, roaming the scorched earth in hopes of materials to maintain their
own existence (referred to in-universe as 'Municipal Darwinism'), the level of
scale and detail here is staggering. Watching the colossal city of London chug
along what was once the world we know is a disquieting experience… and not just
because of the destruction in its wake.
