City of Ember

I have never read Jeanne DuPrau’s City of Ember. So I can’t approach the film version of City of Ember, directed by Gil Kenan and written by Caroline Thompson, with the knowledge of what this story originally was. I think in this case that may be a boon of sorts.

I’ve read in various reviews that the movie’s lost much of what made the prose story great. I’m entirely willing to believe that – rarely have I read a book and then seen the film version and not considered it inferior to the story in its original medium. But I find that I’m actually somewhat glad not to have read the novel first, because this way I think I can appreciate the movie for what it is, rather than what it may have failed to live up to.

First, while the movie may have lost much of what made the book special, it effectively cast my mind back to William Nicholson’s Wind on Fire trilogy. These novels bear a number of similarities to the City of Ember storyline, from a fantastic world, to children who break the rules of their city and eventually leave it to save their people, to a pair of main characters, one boy and one girl, and so on. And while the original plot certainly contributes to the similarity, I believe Gil Kenan and Caroline Thompson accomplished something by duplicating what I imagine is also the feel of Jeanne DuPrau’s novel.

I’m guessing several aspects of the film allow for the translation of this feel onto screen. One, the world itself has been visually transposed onto screen in marvelous fashion. The yellow light of the world itself, coming from many, many yellow light bulbs would have to take first prize. But after that come the sets, the costumes, and the look of the characters themselves. Everything puts the viewer into another world, another life on a visual level. Everything seems to fit and provide a certain texture very appropriate to the story, right down to Lina’s bright but worn red messenger outfit. The actors’ faces themselves – both say quirky and bright and not your perfect Hollywood beauty. As is appropriate for a story of an underground city that not only has no idea of the existence of a world on the surface, but whose only sources of light are thousands of yellow light bulbs strung from wires and placed on and inside buildings.


The pacing felt appropriate to me, neither too slow nor too fast, and the plot ran much the way I’d expect the plot of a similar story in prose to run. Little mannerisms and activities, like Lina’s pedaling to play the voices from their old answering machine and her semi-salute to the messenger head/dispatcher, came naturally and smoothly. And the cast makes the most of what they're given to create characters with some depth to further draw the viewer into the City of Ember.

Saoirse Ronan and Harry Treadaway both do fine jobs portraying Lina and Doon. Lina’s energy and charm appear easily and Doon’s desire to fix the city comes across nicely, as well. The film never overtly creates great depth to either character, but that’s because of the script and possibly editing decisions. Enough is provided to give each a distinct feel and sense of realness, and then the film moves on. The entire movie revolves around these two characters, so everyone else pales in importance. Bill Murray plays the city’s mayor, and personally I found his character both interesting and amusing. Tim Robbins claims the role of Doon’s father, and managed to give me a distinct impression of his character with very, very few minutes of screen time. Again, shortages in character depth should probably be attributed to the scenes actors were given to work with.


Now, with all of this said, I believe it’s time to get back to what the film really is. It’s a contained, grungy but bright fantasy world housing a plot that goes like this: the generator powering the city’s lights is failing, a girl finds a lost box meant to guide the people of Ember out of the city and back to the surface of Earth, and she and a boy take the clues and attempt to find the way out of the city, against the wishes of various persons within Ember. It’s a puzzle hunt, and if that doesn’t interest to you, don’t go to this movie. The plot is neither overly complex nor overly deep or dramatic. I’d guess it’s been simplified to prevent snags and slow-downs and allow viewers of all ages to understand what’s going on with little explanation.

City of Ember, the film, is something like one of those sparkling gem stones you might find in a quasi-science childrens’ store. It sparkles, the colors are fascinating, and for what it is the gem stone is a marvel of nature. City of Ember is great for what it sets out to be. Just don’t come expecting what it’s not.