Furthermore, the special effects work, although a little obvious during certain sequences involving humans, is noticeably strong particularly when a giant mole-like creature appears. Immediately, and most strikingly poignant during the opening sequence, the City of Ember itself is a sight to behold from the countless lightbulbs that give the city its light to the murky tunnels that run underneath to provide water, the production values present are superb. If there's one thing that Kenan manages to get across here however, it is the imagination and vision that is present in the script and story. The ending, as I stated, is a little underwhelming and all too brief, but it at least feels coherent and natural to that which comes before it. The pacing, particularly during the middle act, could have been a little tighter, and you often get the sense that there's a lot of footage missing from this cinematic cut, yet as a whole, City of Ember does enough, and with the right amount of originality in tact, to cover up the rough edges. From the arresting opening monologue to the somewhat anti-climatic ending, there is barely a spot here that feels out of place or contrived for the sake of playing to the camera.
What follows from here is a story that isn't entirely unfamiliar (in fact, it's dangerously close to this year's WALL-E), and yet director Gil Kenan manages to take the script and turn it into his own compelling take on a tried and trusted concept. However, in a time of desperation, two citizens Doon Harrow (Harry Treadaway) and Lina Mayfleet (Saoirse Ronan) go on their own quest to try and find an exit from the underground city, which doesn't go down well with gluttonous Mayor Cole (Bill Murray) who just wants his next meal in peace.
Set many years on from this event however, much of the inhabitants of Ember are unaware of their origin and all the more scared of it as a result. Taking place almost exclusively within the confines of Ember, Gil Kenan here presents us with a vision of a dystopian future, where mankind has been forced to live underground in order to survive. In this respect, City of Ember is a solid family film that most audiences should enjoy regardless of age, gender or anything else good entertainment, and a wonderful story to remember at that. To be sure, there are moments when the film dabbles in and out of tired clichés, most of which we have seen countless times this year alone in other children's adventures yet what distinguishes this from, say, The Chronicles of Narnia or The Spiderwick Chronicles is through its mature themes and presentation that keeps the older viewer in mind. As a result I found City of Ember to be a gratifying and sensually enticing experience with brilliant performances, an endlessly captivating story and pace, and a great mix of fantastical environments and characters which pave way for subtext that is grounded in simple allegory of our own, current world.
#The city of ember movie#
Fortunately for myself I have never taken it upon myself to read the source material on which this movie is based upon, nor had I even heard of it until now.
When moving from book to motion picture, there are a myriad of problems associated with such a task, one of which comes from those die hard fans of the original story.
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