'Mortal Engines': New trailer shows London as 'predator city'

It is the post apocalyptic world in “Mortal Engines.” A cataclysmic event thousands of years ago has changed life on earth forever. Now, mobile cities roam the world, and London is one of these predator cities. A new trailer of the film has been released online, teasing scenes and the plot.

Gigantic moving cities prey upon the smaller traction towns, devouring the weaker towns on their path. There are various tiers in the traction city of London, with people living in different tiers.

The way the world has adapted to the apocalypse is that the tier in which they live in the city appears to signify their status. People living in the lower sections will have to deal with the smoke and sounds of the engines that drive the city, while the people at the top enjoy open spaces and gardens.

The survival of a traction town depends on how fast they can move. Things take a different turn for the city of London after they swallow a smaller traction town. Hiding among the people who will now have to join the city is an assassin, who knows a secret about Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving), the man who runs the city.

Thaddeus is so keen on keeping his secret from being exposed in front of the others that he will try to get rid of museum apprentice Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan), even though the young man will save Thaddeus from the assassin.

The assassin Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmer) wants revenge on Thaddeus because he killed her mother. The secret Thaddeus wants to protect has something to do with why he killed that woman.

Forced by these circumstances, the assassin and the museum apprentice will have to join forces in order to stay alive.

“Mortal Engines” has been directed by Christian Rivers. “The Lord of the Rings” and the “Hobbit” trilogies director Peter Jackson is a producer and screenwriter for the upcoming movie. The film is set to be released on Dec. 26 in Australia.