Peereddi I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Jerrie It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Mikelikesnotlikes The sets are beautiful and the acting is very good (I am very critical of child/teen actors in general but the main characters were great fits for their roles). The movie is slightly cartoonish in the exaggerated stereo-types shown. The world they inhabit is simplistic and the people are mostly friendly and helpful to each other. It is not a dark movie despite the ominous feelings of doom approaching. The lead up is rushed and I'm not sure if really young viewers would get the gist of what's going on. The rest of the story-line is easy to follow and interesting enough to engage all age groups. Some of the action sequences didn't make a lot of sense which I forgave. I just let logic go at some point near the end and enjoyed the experience.The giant mutated animals had no explanation, and didn't progress the story-line at all. I'm pretty sure they could have been dispensed with. I also thought the escape route wouldn't be the most efficient way to evacuate an entire population.Forget that stuff if you can and you'll enjoy the ride.

Imdbidia City of Ember, the film, has an entertaining story, a deluxe cast, fantastic production design, music and atmosphere, and it is certainly a good family movie.I expect, and it's understandable, that some changes are to be made to adapt any book to the big screen, as a book narrative and pace aren't always good for a film. However, I expect those changes to be respectful with the original and within the spirit of the original. Well, the script does just the contrary, killing anything good that the story had for the sake of nothing, including unnecessary bizarre modifications and characters that add nothing to the story, and transform a multi-layered novel into a simplistic action/escape film.One of the most exciting things in the book is discovering the mystery as the same pace the main characters do: discovering that Ember is an underground city, discovering that the message in the box is from the Builders themselves, and so on. Well, the first five minutes of the film reveal just that upfront to you, so part of the mystery is destroyed on purpose at the beginning. What was the scriptwriter thinking?!!!! If this wasn't enough, the novel is remarkably metaphorical; think about the Plato's Cave allegory, think of the underground as the land of the subconscious, think of a cave as the motherly womb, and so on. I understand that metaphors of this sort do not translate well into a family fun film, but producing a less simplistic film would have shown viewers that the story is not all what it seems and that there is more for them to uncover.Finally, the actors'talent is wasted mostly because it's impossible to do wonders with the material or direction they've been given. One of the most remarkable exceptions is Martin Landau as Sul, who is great despite his character being very secondary and having barely any line in the film.Overall, this is an enjoyable movie, but has little to do with the original in message and meaning. Just the surface of the story has been scratched, and not always in a respectful way.

hiphonkey This movie starts out okay, but later on not so much. While the two main characters are trying to find their way out of the city it obviously can't be too easy for them. I get that this is the whole point of the movie. However, this is the type of movie where the characters make such stupid decisions you find yourself yelling at them for most of the last half. Some people may find this suspenseful, but I ended up wishing they would just die so it will all be over. In the end I fast forwarded when I couldn't take it any more, but found myself too invested to just turn it off. Simple and predictable, but sadly I've seen much worse.

tbutterful Read the book before the movie so I was pretty peeved. Letting that go now. Everyone is living underground with lights that are powered by a hydro water generator. The city of Ember has been having more frequent power outages with greater recovery times. Most people just accept this. It has been drilled into the people of Ember that this is the only safe place, only darkness covers the rest of the world. In fact, it is illegal to even try and go into the darkness that surrounds the city. Most of the adults don't appear to be too interested in pursuing leaving the city. They are complacent or believe that the builders, who constructed Ember over 200 years ago and have never made an appearance since, will return to provide refuge for them once more. Doon Harrow and Lina Mayfleet are the only two that are being proactive about saving their people. The different viewpoints of the two protagonists, Doon and Lina worked to cover most of what the audience needs. However the pacing of the movie seemed really rushed. It works at some points then completely fails at others. Some things that happen just seem forced and random. The over-sized creatures that no one but crooks, Doon and Lina seem to notice as a problem, is one thing that seems silly and useless. Still the does have a certain entertaining quality.Acting: Good for the most part. Setting: Good. Costumes: decent.