Imagine a world millions of miles below the Earth's surface. Lit by a powerful generator, the city has thrived for generations, never asking questions and always accepting their positions in life. But now, after generations of prosperity, the city is seeing a sharp decline in comfort as the once powerful generator keeps failing, giving the city long stretches of complete darkness. With time running out, two teenagers must go against their parents and friends as they search across the city of Ember, discovering clues and unlocking the mysteries that were left by the city's founding fathers, all for the sake of saving the town, hoping to rescue them before the lights go out forever.
Starring veteran actors like Bill Murray, Tim Robbins and recent Oscar-nominated Saoirse Ronan, City of Ember looked to be the complete package as it possessed a strong cast and a fun story. However, much to my dismay, the film was never able to break out of the mold and become another National Treasure; instead sticking to the scheme and serving as another fun and entertaining tale whose potential far outreached its end achievement.
Led by well-respected actors like Bill Murray and Tim Robbins, the film flourished from the very beginning, bringing a city of mass restriction and change to the screen. There is no sun, no moon and no stars; rather lights all around that are powered by a generator which has served as the city's power sources for many years. But more than the vast changes, these two actors bring out the history in the town, representing the type of people and thought-process that the underground way of life creates; and boy did both men deliver.
For Murray, who plays the city's current mayor, his performance contains a strong since of patriotism to the city and their people. His every action is that of a politician, and through his movements and interactions with others on-screen, he is able to convey his placement within the city and its people quite well. He comes across as a conniving leader who uses his power for the betterment of himself, and throughout the course of the film, you can't help but deny the effectiveness that his character has on the overall story, providing a third tier that not only creates a villain within the story, but also a central man of power.
As for Tim Robbins, he represents a man of liberal views. A father to one of our leading kids, Robbins brings his past to the forefront, coming across as somewhat mundane, but always with a little flare. His interactions with his son seem innocent enough, but as the film wares on, you begin to realize that every interaction and every word have detrimental meaning to the overall mission; making you question this man's antics and ask why. In addition, his ability to come across as sour and scornful while still being seen as a much needed constant is both impressive and crucial to the overall effects of the story.
But to be quite frank, the true acting force of the film is done by Saoirse Ronan and Harry Treadaway, two young actors who showed enough poise and talent to warrant a sure fire hit. Every one of their scenes is done with the perfectly blend of innocence and curiosity, and as the two characteristics mesh, you can't help but find yourself embedded in the story. Their interactions with one another and dead on, and their 'climatic' chase to beat the generator is both fun and entertaining. They bring their characters alive with energy and spunk, giving audience members a reason to sit up and pay attention.
Unfortunately, the film's detrimental aspect is its story. Never fully encompassing the world and explaining the world's reason for existence, viewers are constantly left in a state of uncertainty as they question the story's progression and overall validity. Why is everyone underground? Why are people satisfied with the town's way of life? Why does no one question their placement within the work force? And most importantly, why does no one wonder what life is life outside of Ember? The questions are simple enough, yet they are never asked and sadly never answered within the hour and a half film.
But more than the lack of questions and answers is the constant lull feeling that is propelled from the story. Never generating any momentum, the film is unable to accumulate any speed or intensity, instead becoming an endless process of steps that we all hope will ultimately lead to a final goal. There are no hyped dilemmas or a costly mistake as everything falls into place nicely, which is good for a children's film, but nothing else.
As a result, City of Ember possesses a great story and solid cast, but fails to materialize on all of its possibility, becoming grounded in its effectiveness, destined to forever serve as a great kid's film, nothing more and nothing less.
