The City Is Coming Down
City of Ember is actually based off of a novel which I am not familiar with but am not surprised to hear is better than the film, according to many online. We’re presented with a very critical time in the days of the Earth in which the best engineers, architects, and scientists come together to create a city underground as the Earth has become uninhabitable on its surface. When the city was created and its first mayor named, a strange metallic box was presented to the mayor with instructions that she must simple pass it down to the next mayor as the years go by.
The box was set to be open after two hundred years, but around the one hundred sixty year mark, the passing of the box from mayor to mayor fails, and the box is lost until one day it’s rediscovered. We eventually learn of the importance of the box and its contents, but that’s not before a good bit of adventuring for our two main stars, Saoirse Ronan and Harry Treadaway.
The two young stars play Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow respectively. It’s an important day for them at the outset of the film as it’s Assignment Day, the day in which young students discover what their jobs will be. Doon is hoping to land a spot on the team responsible for the Generator, the electrical heart of the city, which has been failing as of late and Doon is confident he can fix it. His hopes are dashed when he has to trade up just to get to Pipeworks, the plumbing and water supply division of the city. His friend, Lina, happily accepts a role as a Messenger, one who is responsible for swiftly and accurately delivering messages from one person to the next around the city.
As their adventure continues, Lina and Doon become involved with the metallic box, which is found in a closet by Lina’s younger sister. Word of this reaches the mayor, Bill Murray, and he is eager to get his hands on this box. Some mild fantasy adventure and sleuthing takes place and eventually Lina and Doon discover the significance of this box and its purpose as given by the Builders – it’s a way out of the city, a way to return to the surface of Earth which was expected to be ‘rebooted,’ essentially, after two hundred years.
You can fairly well predict what is going to happen in this film, but it was still a fun watch. I thought some of the fantasy themes, like the massive moles, were just a little too out of place, but overall the actors turned in good performances and the story was entertaining enough for a once over.
City of Ember On DVD
We received City of Ember for review on DVD, and in terms of video and audio quality, it’s just fine, as you would expect. No real complaints in that department, but what is sorely lacking are any extras at all. The only extra ‘features’ on this disc are three trailers for other Fox films, which I don’t consider extra features at all. I don’t believe this film faired well at the box office, but to release such a bare DVD is a shame and really hurts the chances that this DVD will sell well.
Ultimately, I feel comfortable recommending City of Ember for a quick rental, but I wouldn’t suggest an outright purchase until you’ve seen the film.