City of Ember (2008)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Gil Kenan

Writers (WGA):

Caroline Thompson (screenplay)
Jeanne Duprau (book)

Release Date:

10 October 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Discover The Secret

Plot:

For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights. But Ember's once powerful generator is failing ... and the great lamps that illuminate the city are starting to flicker.

Plot Keywords:

Message | Box | Escape | Steampunk | Graduation

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

David Ryall	...	Chief Builder
Ian McElhinney	...	Builder
Harry Treadaway	...	Doon Harrow
Tim Robbins	...	Loris Harrow
Bill Murray	...	Mayor Cole
B.J. Hogg	...	Mayor's Guard
Toby Jones	...	Barton Snode
Lucinda Dryzek	...	Lizzie Bisco
Matt Jessup	...	Joss
Lara McIvor	...	Roner
Myles Thompson	...	Smat
Eoin McAndrew	...	Student #1
Rachel Morton	...	Student #2
Conor MacNeill	...	Student #3
Lorraine Hilton	...	Miss Thorn

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild peril and some thematic elements.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #43559) | Ireland:PG | UK:PG | Singapore:PG | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Hong Kong:IIA | Australia:G | Czech Republic:U | South Africa:10M | Canada:G (Manitoba/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | France:U | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:Atp | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Belfast Methodist College, Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK

Company:

Playtone

Trivia:

The first time Bill Murray and Martin Landau have been in a film together since Ed Wood (1994). And Caroline Thompson, the screenwriter on City of Ember (2008) regularly works with Tim Burton.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Doon is walking to look at the Generator room, a girl in full orange work gear and yellow boots walks across the control room and towards a hall. The shot changes to the door. Then when it goes back to Doon, the same girl(orange gear, yellow boots) gets up from the left and starts walking across the room again, before the shot changes back to the door.

Quotes:

Loris Harrow: [narrating] On the day the world ended, the fate of mankind was carried in a small metal box. In a secret location, architects, scientists and engineers met and concluded that there was only one hope for our future: to build an underground city designed to keep its citizens protected for generations to come...

Movie Connections:

Featured in "At the Movies: (2008-11-26)" (2008)

City of Ember Movie Review from The Massie Twins

City of Ember employs a supremely majestic setting to unravel its end-of-the-world sci-fi adventure, but several missed opportunities keep it from escaping its family-friendly roller coaster ride feel and becoming something truly unique. However, a few too-convenient outcomes and a rushed introduction can't take away the undeniable enjoyment of solving the epic mystery of the once-grand city with the two enthusiastic leads.

When the world ended, a group of elite scientists and engineers determined that the only way to save their way of life was to build an underground city far below the decimated surface. Deciding upon a lifespan of 200 years for their city, the key to salvation was locked away in a metal box to be handed down from one mayor to the next until the time was right. But somewhere along the way the box was forgotten… Years and years have passed and the once mighty City of Ember steadily falters as corrupt officials dictate an antiquated way of life and the massive generator that powers the city frequently fails. Now it is up to two ambitious youths, Doon Harrow (Harry Treadaway) and Lina Mayfleet (Saoirse Ronan) to solve the mystery behind the origins of their city and find a way out before their world is blanketed in darkness forever.

Easily the most impressive piece of the City of Ember puzzle is the delightfully ominous science-fiction visuals. The massive sets were built in Northern Ireland in the shipyard-turned-soundstage of the location the Titanic was actually constructed in (now the largest soundstage in the world) and it's never more apparent than in the beautiful crane shots through the underground city. The CG elements are also top-notch, but the practical effects flawlessly immerse the audience in the fantasy world of pipeworks and generators.

While the setting is brilliantly realized, the characters that populate the grandiose city receive far too little development. The introduction and relationship between the two main characters feels truncated and never really furthers as the story progresses, and the origins of each remain as enigmatic as that of the shining city. The adult characters throughout never provide as much support as they should to enhance the understanding and motives behind the city's cryptic suppression. At least Bill Murray hams it up as the gluttonous mayor with a devious agenda of his own.

Like something blended from a video game universe (Bioshock in particular) and 12 Monkeys' post-apocalyptic subterranean sewer-world (or even Terminator's hypogeal bomb shelters), City of Ember packs adventure and intrigue into the wondrous exploration of a society crumbling from age and deceit. As the young heroes scour the dank passages and forgotten tunnels, it's difficult not to become immersed in the fun of uncovering clues and discovering secrets alongside the venturous duo.

- The Massie Twins