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I had not heard of the book series upon which this film was based. I did not see the film in theaters, but the movie look interested in the trailers. I am also a big Bill Murray fan. So I have been waiting for the movie to come out on DVD.
I read all of the Amazon reviews, and others on the internet. I am disappointed in the presentation on the DVD. The extras are only trailers of other movies. No making of features, and not even the trailer for the CITY OF EMBER. I spend almost as much time usually watching the special features as I do watching the movie. I don't think there will ever be a two-disk director's cut version of this movie to ever come out. However, I was hoping that they would do the same as they did with THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU, and issue this elaborate two-disk dvd package complete with a map of Ember and the fragmented Builders instruction sheet.
I was not troubled without having a lot of back story details. After all, the people living in Ember had forgotten the reasons of why they were living underground in the first place. I was a little shaken up with the idea of people eating 200 year plus canned and packaged food. No wonder it was time to back up, and leave Ember. All someone had to do was look at the expiration date on the packaging! There is no sense of population control that you have in the film THX 1138, and there is only blessing is of electricity by the Builders.
The two young friends, Lina Mayfleet (Saoirse Ronan) and Doon Harrow (Harry Treadaway) did a great job in their roles. I only wish we had more on air time for Bill Murray and Martin Landau. I am sure the character of "Sul" played by Martin Landau was just as it was in the book, a pipe worker who spent a lot of time sleeping, but knows when he needs to do his job. I could not help think of his (uncredited part) of Peter Van Garrett in the creepy SLEEPY HOLLOW film. Tim Robbins had just enough air time, and was perfect in his role. The only thing I was a little miffed by was the INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM mine car/boat ride to exit the City of Ember. Hey! It will work as an amusement park ride one day. After all it is a children's movie (I said to myself), but thought the Builders would have came up with a better way to exit the city. I suppose it had to be just as hard for someone to get out, and even more difficult for others to get in. The City of Ember is hard to find from the surface of the planet, and hard for the Aliens to discover its location. You wiped us out, so we are crawling in our hole, and hope you get tired and leave by the time we decide to come out.
I thought that the movie was a lot better than such films as BRIDGE OF TERABITHIA which is really more of a (not-so-good) after School Special than a theater release film. I think the films holds its own on the same level to other similar classic such as LOGAN'S RUN, and DARK CITY. In a lot of ways the film is very much like DARK CITY where their memories of the day have been wiped clean as they sleep in eternal darkness. The City of Ember's inhabitants have had their memories wiped clean because there appears to be only one book which is in the possession of the Mayor Cole who is more interested in making sure he as more food than everyone else in the City. There is no mass media, no folklore or mythology other than what they they created after they were entombed in the City of Ember. They lost the knowledge of why there were there, and how long they would have to stay. No wonder they also forgot how to read the meaning of expiration dates on food packaging. Like the Village in the PRISONER television series, the children have to realize that they are freemen, and should search for Sanctuary like in LOGAN'S RUN. If it really exists?
The CITY OF EMBER is a fairy tale for all young adults. It evokes utopias and dystoias from Terry Gilliam's BRAZIL, Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS to THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN. Thank goodness the film was not made by Tim Burton who would have made it much darker. The movie holds its own, and perhaps should not be compared to the book. The film is largely about generation gaps and what happens when that is woven around a city that is dying and corrupted. The parents and the older generations have given up on the dream. In the spirit of the WIZARD OF OZ, a child (or children) can fix things that adults have messed up, or given up on.
It is too bad the film received such poor box office performance because I would love to see a prequel and a sequel. I definitely would liked to have seen a longer movie to learn more about what life is like in the City of Ember. I was not bothered by a lot of missing information or detail not revealed in the film. People are left in the dark, and never are aware that they are living in an underground city. The movie goes forward, and we are never left with they question, "Why don't they grow mushrooms in their underground city?" Answer is, "Because they don't know they are living underground!"
The film was filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland in the Titanic-Quarter area of the city. So the sound stage for the City of Ember was filmed was the same space where the HMS Titanic was constructed. That is how big of a sound stage area they needed to construct the sets. So in a sense you get the feeling that the inhabitants are sealed up in the Titanic, and the sea water is getting to the electrical wiring.
Bill Murray did a great job as Mayor Cole. He is the Mayor Cole of the original book. The film is not the leading role as GROUNDHOG DAY, or GHOSTBUSTERS, but it is always a treat to see Bill Murray in any film. Do more comedy-horror, science fiction and fantasy films, Bill! I don't have a burning desire to see you in a western on a horse.
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Reviews with images
REGION 2
When I bought this on the Amazon app, it said nothing about the BluRay being a Region 2 (non-USA) Disc. It took over 2 months for it to be delivered, and then didn't even work. When I reached out to the company, they said they advertised it as a Region 2 (which, it conveniently is on the desktop version of Amazon), so they will not accept a refund or return, which is whatever, since it was so cheap. HOWEVER, if you look on the app, it doesn't say ANYWHERE that is was a Region 2 BluRay Disc (see photo). BUYER BEWARE.
Top reviews from other countries
Don T.
Decent quality, fast delivery and good price.
Reviewed in Canada on January 25, 2022