City of Ember is a movie adaptation of the highly acclaimed post-apocalyptic book of the same name by Jeanne DuPrau.  Its release was eagerly awaited however it opened to mixed reviews from critics and fans of the book.

 

When an undisclosed apocalypse is about to bring mankind to an end, a vast underground city is created to protect some of the Earths population. The cities resident mayor is given an electronically sealed box which is to be passed down through the generations until it opens in 200 years time. The box contains instructions on how to reach the surface, which by that time would once again be safe for humanity. However after 200 years pass the box and its contents are misplaced and it quietly clicks open in its hidden resting place. By this time the city of ember is now falling apart and its only power source is now a barely functioning wreck. With frequent black outs and debris falling around them the residents prepare for the worse. However when a young girl discovers the box and its now half missing contents she and her friend begin a quest to fit all the pieces of the puzzle before the lights go out for good.

Well, I really enjoyed this movie. However I’d not read the book before hand; to be honest I didn’t even know about the book until after I’d watched the movie. Now having since read it I can see why a lot of the books fans, especially the younger ones would have been disappointed by the movie. Although for me personally while the city did have the same tone and feel as in the book, the novel is a very descriptive read and I think there were many parts of the city and the residents dwellings that were not as detailed in the movie. I think one of the other major let downs is that it doesn’t quite capture the importance of light and dark and the resident’s relationship to it. As this relationship and their dependence on their artificial lighting is a recurring theme throughout the book and is used as a metaphor with much deeper significance and the movie fails capture this. It also doesn’t even quite capture the inertly human fear of the dark and fear of what would happen if the lights went out for good. Maybe I’m asking too much of a movie that is after all geared towards children, but then again so is the book and this was handled in a way that provoked thought not fear.

 

Overall it’s a great post-apocalyptic action movie that’s excellent family viewing for all ages and it’s also a gentle introduction to the idea of a dystopian future for younger viewers. Fans of the book might be disappointed but that’s nothing new where movie adaptations are concerned.

 

Editors Rating: 8/10

 

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