ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE

City of Ember is an adventure film about survival and the ability of the human spirit to rise above adversity. For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in a breathtakingly beautiful world of glittering light, miles below the surface of the earth. Built as the last refuge for humanity and powered by a massive generator, the people begin to fear for their safety as the generator begins to fail as unbeknownst to them, it was only meant to last 200 years. Now as the lights of Ember begin to flicker and fade, the hope for its citizens lie in the form of Lina Mayfleet (Saorise Ronan) and Doon Harrow (Harry Treadway) as they race against time to unravel a centuries old puzzle and lead their people to safety.

Along the way Lina and Doon must find the inspiration and support from those close to them, such as Doon’s father, Loris (Tim Robbins), to overcome the constricting laws of Ember and its corrupt Mayor Cole (Bill Murray) in a race to solve the mysteries of their glorious city before it’s too late.

Visually, this was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while. The costumes helped spark your imagination and the entire city was constructed on a massive soundstage in Belfast, Ireland, to help immerse the actors and stress how important the character of the city is to the dynamic of the film.

“When you walk in and there’s a street in an underground city that is 55ft-60ft high with tunnels underneath it, there’s decaying doors and windows and bricks built as a street and concrete and plaster for the walls and real doors and real glass windows and beautiful design work too. The emblems of the city built into the streets and the fountains and the fountains work. It’s not hard to say you’re a part of the society when it’s right there. You walk into work and its right there, it’s so simple. The costumes as well. The best costumes I’ve ever worn. They exceed any other film, by far. Ruth Meyers, the costume designer, is a genius,” commented Bill Murray at a press conference in New York City.

The relationship between Lina and Doon, the two heroes of the story, is great as well. Their stark contrast in character is enjoyable as the driving force for the movie and helps support the overall message.

“It’s more about the spirit of humanity that finds a way to survive under the direst of circumstances. The thing that really got me about this movie was that it had that great kind of dynamic with the two young people and that you have to be strong enough to have hope when others have lost it and if you believe in it enough, anything is possible,” said Tim Robbins when asked about the story’s message.

The biggest problem I had with the movie is that they simply tried to cram too much into 95 minutes and this led to a lack of overall character development. It also restricted the playing out of the conflict between Lina, Doon, and the forces in Ember trying to prevent them from reaching their goal and this took a little away from the overall enjoyment of the movie.

Still, though, City of Ember is a solid film for the whole family, which is hard to find at a time of the year more synonymous with ghouls and goblins. Enough action to keep the adults entertained and the two young protagonists will help inspire any youngster to what they can do if they believe in something enough and are willing to go as far as necessary to follow it through.

City of Ember comes out nationwide October 10th.

-3 out of 5 stars

-Ray Carsillo