City of Ember (2008)

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

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Nov. 27

7:15 AM

MAX

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

Color:

Color

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:

Doon Harrow: Sul, what are you doing up here?
Sul: This thing is jammed stuck. I've gotta free it.
Doon Harrow: How do you know that's what you should do?
Sul: [pause] It's my job!

Movie Connections:

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

well, I quite liked it

I've read quite a few negative reviews but i think some of the people who have read the book need to realise this was a children's film that would no doubt have to be simplified and draw people in from the start. It hasn't had an easy launch either because it's been competing with High School Musical 3, when i went to see it the cinema was empty apart from me because everyone else had gone to see a certain other film.

It wasn't great and i am certain that if i had read the book i would have hated it because the characters were not brilliantly written and it was a messy mix of excellent fantasy sci-fi with the appropriate special effects and corny American generic children's movie. But it was good fun.

The girl in it displayed a superb acting performance the general set and costumes and well mise-en-scene in general was excellent and well worth watching just for that.

It was good to watch in the cinema and throughly enjoyable if a bit predictable. As i say, generally i liked it.