R4 Blu Ray & DVD
Icon Entertainment
Release Date: 10/04/09
The
City of Ember is an unusual sort of kid’s film which will satisfy both young
and adult viewers alike. It is a science fiction/fantasy film which has a
surprisingly dark edge and at times seems to have much in common with City of
Lost Children and even Dark City. It has a “steampunk” look which is both
disconcerting and mesmerising. It was directed by Gil Kenan, whose previous
work was with Monster House, this is his first live action feel and it is an
impressive if not somewhat quirky debut.
The
plot of the City of Ember is based on the novel by Jeanne Duprau and is both
straight forward sci fi storytelling and an allegory. At times it seems to
resonate with Plato’s classic tale of the cave, at others a social critique
with Ember as a microcosm of society with its hierarchies, corruptions and
compromises – ranging from the clearly morally bankrupt political system to the
deluded religious “singers”.
The
City of Ember was build when some unnamed cataclysm brought about the demise of
humanity; somehow a group of people are chosen to live in a new proto city
underground. It seems they are not told what has occurred around them. The
“project” is meant to last for 200 years. The mayor is given a box which
includes details of what has occurred and a means to leave the underground
city, it is passed from mayor to mayor until a disaster hits and the box is
lost, it hits the 200 year mark in a dusty wardrobe.
The
city is not faring well, the large generator which controls its power is
failing and they have run out of parts to fix it. Insects are growing to an
immense size and slowly infiltrating the city. The hierarchy is confused and
bumbling, jobs are assigned by a sort of lottery and the great day of the year,
the Singing Day is a celebration of mindless patriotism and pseudo religious
fervour.
However,
the hierarchy is in denial about the real problem, black outs are occurring
more and more, the electrical grid and plumbing is failing and the city is
beginning to panic. Two teens, Lina
Mayfleet and Doon Harrow begin to ask questions and find the infrastructure of
the city in a state of decay. When Lina finds the “mayoral” box, they begin to
search for a way into the outside world. This is a dangerous quest, it is
illegal to try and leave Ember and Linas father died trying.
My
only criticism of the City of Ember was that it has lots ideas which could have
better developed if the film was not squarely aimed at a younger audience, at
times it seems many aspects of the film (such as the gigantic insects etc) have
been toned for a PG audience and this seems a shame. I had a similar criticism
of The Golden Compass. While it was a film I greatly enjoyed the book has a lot
more depth which was seemingly sacrificed for a more general “children’s”
market film.
In
any event, this is a fascinating and enthralling film which has lots of
fascinating themes and motifs. For younger viewers it works well as a simple
“lost children” adventure type film, though with a dark undercurrent. For the
rest of us it has lots of superb characters Bill Murray as the mindless mayor
is superb and Tim Robbins as the disillusioned visionary who once tried to
leave Ember is equally impressive.
While
the plot and acting is impressive, it is the look and feel of the film which is
truly striking. It is such a strange mixture of the future and the past, decay
and collapse. The climatic scenes where
the boats escape back to the surface are nicely animated and certainly fast
paced.
As
a family film it certainly works better than most and will keep everyone well
entertained.
This review will appear in Volume 2 No.2
(2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.
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