Mortal Engines' Biggest Influences Come From Star Wars

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Mortal Engines, in theaters now.

Director Christian Rivers' Mortal Engines is tailored to fans of steampunk adventures and post-apocalyptic epics. As we follow Hester Shaw and the Anti-Traction League in their fight against the mobile predator cities, we realize how much of a debt the film, and Philip Reeve's original novel, owes to Star Wars.

Oh, sure, there are echoes of The Lord of the Rings (after all, Peter Jackson and his longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens wrote the screenplay) and Mad Max, but Mortal Engines draws most obviously, and frequently, from that galaxy far, far away.

LONDON IS THE DEATH STAR

Rivers follows Reeve's novel to a tee in how he shapes London, a ravenous, mobile city that prowls Europe, gobbling up resources. As its villainous general, Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving), plots to take over the city, he collects technology from the past to build a secret weapon.

That turns out to be the Medusa, a quantum-energy blaster, which destroys entire cities with a single shot. He positions it atop London, where it serves as a beacon of destruction, transforming the city into an Earth-bound Death Star.

TOM NATSWORTHY IS LUKE SKYWALKER

Tom (Robert Sheehan) is nearly killed when Valentine throws him out of the city. But, as Hester and the rest of the League find out when Tom joins up with them, he's not merely some poor schmuck or nerdy historian.

Tom is also an aspiring pilot with a lot of skill. Sure, he's needs to hone his craft, but in the finale, he endures a baptism of fire, commanding a fighter of his own to take down the Medusa. He officially joins the League, helping a squadron to attack London, similar to when Luke became an X-wing pilot in A New Hope. The comparison comes full-circle when Tom exposes London's weak point, its engine -- and, like Luke, he destroys the greatest threat to the resistance.

A RELENTLESS BOUNTY HUNTER

Just before Hester and Tom are rescued from slavers by the League, they're attacked by an undead cyborg called Shrike (Stephen Lang). He's a Stalker, who retains his human memories but is programmed with hate, and tasked with hunting down Hester. It's a similar scenario to Boba Fett's tireless pursuit of Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back.

Of course, Boba had a different motive (money), but Shrike simply wanted Hester so she can honor their pact and allow him to turn her into a Stalker, thus washing away the painful memories of her mother's death. Shrike sports an awesome look, just like Boba does, and ironically, he infiltrates and attacks the League's secret City in the Sky, echoing Boba Fett's arrival at Cloud City.

THE FATHERLY TWIST

Valentine was a close to Hester's mother, Pandora, although he ultimately murdered her when she tried to hide the Medusa tech. Enraged and obsessed, he also attempted to kill Hester, slashing her face, and then burning their home to hide evidence of his actions.

After shutting down the Medusa in Mortal Engines' climax, Hester tries to exact revenge on Valentine as he escapes in his airship. However, when she gets the upper hand, slashing him just like he did her, Valentine laughs at the irony, saying, "Your mother never told you, didn't she? I'm ... oh, yes, you knew, didn't you?" That triggers Hester's repressed memories, cutting to sequences of Pandora's romance with Valentine, and confirming he's Hester's father. All that was missing was the "I am your father!" line Darth Vader dropped in The Empire Strikes Back.

Directed by Christian Rivers, Mortal Engines stars Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, Hugo Weaving, Jihae, Andy Serkis, Ronan Raftery, Leila George, Patrick Malahide, and Stephen Lang. The film is in theaters now.