Critics less than impressed by Kiwi-shot movies

The latest Kiwi‑shot blockbuster fantasy is receiving less‑than‑stellar reviews.

Stuff.co.nz reports that Mortal Engines, produced by Sir Peter Jackson and directed by Christian Rivers, has been blasted as lacking "personality" and "direction".

It currently has a score of 47 on review aggregate site Meta-critic, on a par with Claire Foy's disappointing The Girl in the Spider's Web (43) and the Freddy Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (49).

Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Chris Nashawaty thought that "despite all of the film's retro‑future eye candy, it never quite sweeps you out of your seat and transports you someplace new.

He says it's a squeaky salvage job that could have used a fresh dose of oil to make it hum.