From producer Tom Hanks and the best selling novel of the same name comes City of Ember, the family-friendly adventure now available on DVD!
Story
The film, based on the book by Jeanne DePrau, tells the story of the citizens of the subterranean City of Ember. Ember is a haven, designed to thwart an unnamed disaster which threatened the survival of the human race. After 200 years, Ember’s power is failing, leaving its inhabitants facing a dark and uncertain future. We follow two teenage Emberites, Doon Harrow and Lina Mayfleet in their quest to unravel the mystery behind the enigmatic Founders and their long lost escape plan.
Highlights
The two young protagonists Doon Harrow and Lina Mayfleet, played by Harry Treadaway and Saoirise Ronan, respectively, provide interesting and believable characters, balancing precariously between charmingly youthful and necessarily adult due to the demands of their quest.
-Tim Robbins plays yet another support grown-up role in a children’s/tween adventure (Zathura anyone?). He is a welcome addition to the cast, bringing with him a quiet dignity, tinged with quirky humor.
-Bill Murray’s Mayor Cole, is an ambivalent antagonist, not evil, so much as selfish and self-deluded. It is not a stretch to imagine a leader of with these qualities.
-Clever and visually appealing puzzles, somewhat reminiscent of those from the Myst video game series.
-A giant, carnivorous mole. Need I say more?
Special Features
– Flipper disc in both full screen (1.33:1) and wide screen features (2.35:1 ratio) with English 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish and French Dolby Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Overall
The film, despite good production values and engaging performance was overall something of a letdown. It felt as if we were simply not the target audience. Both the very beginning and the very end (two notably important parts of a movie) felt incomplete.
ComicsOnline gives City of Ember 3 out of 5 flickering and fading light bulbs.
