Now I am a sucker for YA novels/fantasy films and I actually read the first three books of the series, but it has been so long since I have read them. But naturally, I would have to check out this film, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. Despite the lack of originality, I found the film to be engaging. Everything has been done before, but I couldn't resist watching Clary fight demons and fall on love with the main demon hunter, Jace. The visuals are strong and I liked the look of the monsters. There is lots of action. The screenplay may be the weakest link as some of the dialogue was cringe-worthy, on the scale of the Twilight films. But I'm a very forgiving person it seems.
Harald Zwart's film is about a girl named Clary whose world is turned upside down when she finds out a world of demons and vampires exist and there are a group of Shadowhunters that exist to kill them. When she finds out her mother may not seem to be all she is, she is put in a tough spot when she retains the knowledge of the Mortal Cup, which an evil man named St. Valentine is looking for.
The acting was actually decent. Lily Collins makes for a better, more emotional heroine than Kristen Stewart did in the Twilight Series. Speaking of which, Jamie Campbell Bower was pretty good as Jace. Jared Harris made for an excellent Hodge, who is the "Dumbledore" of the Institute. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers was okay as Valentine, although he may have over-acted just a little bit.
Overall, the City of Bones is a fine book-to-film translation, although I cannot remember how much material was left out. The lack of originality did not disturb me all that much but I shall point out I saw comparisons to Harry Potter, Twilight, Ghostbusters, and so on. But the film was fun and entertaining and it worked as a fantasy film. Too bad the next time we see Clary, it will be on the television screen. But I did like this adaptation, perhaps a bit more than I would like. I rate this film 9/10.
Harald Zwart's film is about a girl named Clary whose world is turned upside down when she finds out a world of demons and vampires exist and there are a group of Shadowhunters that exist to kill them. When she finds out her mother may not seem to be all she is, she is put in a tough spot when she retains the knowledge of the Mortal Cup, which an evil man named St. Valentine is looking for.
The acting was actually decent. Lily Collins makes for a better, more emotional heroine than Kristen Stewart did in the Twilight Series. Speaking of which, Jamie Campbell Bower was pretty good as Jace. Jared Harris made for an excellent Hodge, who is the "Dumbledore" of the Institute. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers was okay as Valentine, although he may have over-acted just a little bit.
Overall, the City of Bones is a fine book-to-film translation, although I cannot remember how much material was left out. The lack of originality did not disturb me all that much but I shall point out I saw comparisons to Harry Potter, Twilight, Ghostbusters, and so on. But the film was fun and entertaining and it worked as a fantasy film. Too bad the next time we see Clary, it will be on the television screen. But I did like this adaptation, perhaps a bit more than I would like. I rate this film 9/10.