City of Ember Movie: My Review

If you have read Jeanne duPrau's YA novel The City of Ember than, no doubt, you were thrilled (as I was) to learn that a movie adaptation was in production.

I first read City of Ember only a few months ago, having been captivated by (no kidding) the cover.  The age old proverb says not to judge a book by it's cover, but in this case I saw the cover, judged it to be an intriguing book, dove into it, and was pleasantly not disappointed.  :)

The story follows the adventures of young teens Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow as they discover that their home is rapidly self destructing and do everything in their power to save themselves and their loved ones from peril.  Lina is a responsible girl who is raising her adorable younger sister, Poppy, and caring for her dying grandmother.  Doon is the driven "jack-of-all-trades" who fights to fix everything.  What Lina and Doon don't know (but we do) is that the town they have grown up in and known as "the only light in a dark world" is really an underground city created to preserve life for 200 years while the world above is destroyed through nuclear war.
War rages above.  Life thrives below.  For 200 years.
Until the electricity starts to run out.  And the food starts to run out.  And the massive generator that powers the entire city keeps breaking down leaving the entire "world" in complete darkness. 
Lina and Doon must entertain the idea that there might be more to the world than this.  Armed with incomplete instructions and no knowledge of anything but Ember they must venture into the unknown and darkness to save the entire city.

So, last Saturday night I sat in the theater with some of my siblings and their friends and felt a thrill run down my spine as The City of Ember appeared on the screen.  Exactly as I had imagined it.  :)
I give this movie 2 thumbs up!  Excellent adaptation.  Probably the best book-to-movie transformation I've seen in a long time.  The score was beautiful, the actors and actresses perfect, the set design was GORGEOUS.  Seriously, at the beginning of the movie the thought actually wildly crossed my mind that I wouldn't mind living in Ember.  Before the destruction of course :).


While some people argue that the idea of the apocalypse (the circumstance which necessitates the creation of Ember) is a bit dark for a children's book, I found it refreshingly honest.  Of course, I'm a bit older than the average reader :) I was intrigued by the idea of a civilization existing with no knowledge of the outside world, in fact, believing that they ARE the whole world.  While Lina and Doon struggle to inform the city of the impending danger, no one wants to believe them (despite obvious signs).  They are forced to take matters into their own hands, only believing that the rest of their city will somehow be saved through their actions.  Definitely a "think outside the box" theme.  Which I love. :)  And the idea that one (or two) people CAN make a difference. 


Rated PG.  Definitely some very scary parts not suitable for children.  Mostly consisting of a giant mole attacking the teens.  Creepy.  And not original to the book, either, the mole was added for the movie. 

HERE is a review at Plugged In that is more detailed if you're interested.