Movie Review

City of Ember

“City of Ember” is about a civilization facing its end. What an apt time to release something like this after weeks of financial disaster and pictures depicting near-suicidal stockbrokers! That plus a weak marketing campaign doesn’t really spell much success for this movie at the box office, which is too bad because, and I’m just taking a wild guess here cause I didn’t bother with the dog movie, I’d say this is an infinitely more entertaining family film than last week's box office champ “Beverly Hills Chihuahua." It has talented people behind it like director Gil Kenan (who also did the animated hit “Monster House”) and screenwriter Caroline Thompson (who wrote many of Tim Burton's best movies like “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas"), and in front of the camera you have veteran actors like Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, and Martin Landau. “Ember” is an easy film to watch and for the most part it kept my interest, but its one real flaw, just like in “The Chronicles of Narnia," is that it plays things way too safely.

Ember is a community buried beneath the Earth that would plunge into total darkness except for an electric generator that powers all the lights. Lina Mayfleet (Saoirse Ronan, from last year's “Atonement”) and Doon Harrow (Harry Treadaway) live in the city and are about to start their lives as young adults. Lina has just been appointed to messenger and Doon appointed to pipe-repairman. Just as they embark on their new jobs, they each discover something is wrong. The generator is failing and the only hope for the people of the city is to leave before they become trapped in darkness. It’s not as easy as just leaving though. The builders of the city never wanted its inhabitants to leave before a certain time and they made sure that no one really could. So Lina and Doon must figure out an escape, but as they get closer to finding answers, they also find that the city’s mayor (Bill Murray) is handling the current collapse of the generator in a very corrupt and advantageous way. And in an effort to keep his nest egg hidden, the mayor puts an award out for their arrest and capture.

Director Kenan, in his first big live-action flick, does a really nice job of establishing the dark, murky mood for this film. The set design is like something out of a Dicken’s novel combined with a sewer. The buildings make a closely-knit community of dinginess, all encompassing an even dirtier looking fountain in the center of this little cozy town. There are creepy looking places strewn with old pipes and string hanging everywhere. Characters wear faded, worn out clothes and some of the older people seem very perturbed, which they have a right too. A looming dread hangs over this movie every time a light flickers or you hear a loud sound or ominous music. Kenan uses all the tricks to nice effect. His movie doesn’t drag but for the most part it doesn’t really thrill or add much fun, at least for the first half anyway. This movie could use a dark sense of humor. Everything feels very somber and serious. And the story tries to be more than your usual “Chihuahua”-like kids film. It centers around a doomsday-type scenario but also makes mentions about those who abuse their positions of power and the importance of searching for truth but these elements are flimsy at best. The story is based on a book by Jeanne Duprau and I would assume her descriptions hold more depth and dramatic weight.

Once the plot finally kicks into motion, and it does seem to take a while, the concern switches more toward CGI creatures (one looking like a gigantic porpoise) and cartoony-looking action sequences like a boat-ride over a wind-mill and down a carefully placed roller-coaster type incline-drop. This type of stuff will entertain kids, look fake to parents, but at least offer up some fun that the first half of the movie misses in all the murkiness. The cast helps this movie out a lot though. Ronan and Treadaway are both very likable and give their characters strong wills and determination. Bill Murray is goofy and smarmy all on his own and what’s unfortunate is that the movie doesn’t give him more time on screen. Martin Landau is also a nice surprise, primarily because I didn’t even know he was going to be in this movie, but still he gets a few laughs as an eccentric narcoleptic pipe-worker. And Tim Robbins is given a small role as Doon's father, but he adds some gravitas to it.

“City of Ember” was a movie that divided me. It creates an interesting looking world and kept me reasonably entertained with its creepy mood but I also felt like it should have taken a few more risks. The plotting could have taken on more weight and the filmmakers could have tried for a darker sense of humor and fun. In the end, I came to the conclusion that I was never really bored with it and I actually felt like, from a craft stand-point, this movie had a lot to offer so I’m recommending it slightly based on those two things. Take that as a see-it-in-the-theater or see-it-on-DVD recommendation if you wish, but I’m just saying, it’s worth seeing.

Craig's Grade: B-

A	10.9%
B	41.8%
C	31.8%
D	15.3%
F	0.3%