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‘City of Ember’ shines
Movie Review: City of Ember
By Michael Farrar
Special to 2theadvocate.com
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out of 4 stars.
Imagine a Dr. Seuss kind of world that lies under gray skies. The colors have faded, but there is still some innocence in the faces of the people -- well, half of them anyway -- and the rest are just trying to cope with life in a constant shadow. That's the fascinating premise of "City of Ember."
Ember is a city locked away underground for two centuries. It’s a place in which the inhabitants aren’t even sure the surface world exists anymore. The population of Ember lives with no sun or wind and relies totally on an aging, failing generator. Everyone is a government worker whose job is decided by chance when they literally pull their lifetime career from a grab bag.
The film follows a wide-eyed girl, Lina Mayfleet (Saoirse Ronan), who begins uncovering the lost importance of a box hidden in her family's closet.
As the puzzling pieces slowly come together, Lina finds a friend in Doon Harrow (Harry Treadway), a young man seeking to find a way to repair the electrical generator.
This movie is whimsical, yet realistic in the way the characters behave. It's actually a nice change from most films that feel like they have to be overly sweet or violent to tell a story.
I admit that it may take a bit of patience in the beginning for some viewers to settle into the subtle storytelling pace, but within 20 minutes the story takes hold of you.
"City of Ember” is visually creative, even beyond the few computer effects scattered throughout the film. The lack of CGI is somewhat surprising, considering that Gil Kenan comes from an animation background, which included directing "Monster House." The overall look of the film's costumes, sets, lights, etc. has a designer's eye, but with a more subdued Tim Burton feel to it.
Even though the two main actors are not well-known, there are some famous faces in minor roles within the cast, including Bill Murray as a corrupt mayor and Tim Robbins playing Doon's father.
The lack of star power in the lead roles actually works, because through Ronan and Treadway the audience can see two normal people trying to be brave and clever enough to change their world. Since audiences are not familiar with these young actors, there is no adjustment in seeing them play a familiar part or break out of his usual role.
While I can certainly enjoy the movie star charisma upon which most films rely to sell tickets, it is refreshing to get a film that gives you something unexpected -- a quieter mystery to solve. In fact, “City of Ember” reminds me of "Pan's Labyrinth," "Dark City" and "Brazil." These movies not only have edgy, yet slow-paced mysteries about discovering some forbidden truth, but they are also definitely worth a look.
