City of Ember (2008)

'Ember' Is the Night

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

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The "City of Ember" is located well under the surface of the earth, built there by forward-thinking scientists on the brink of some kind of (nuclear?) destruction, with a plan to guide its inhabitants back to the surface in 200 years' time. Of course, the plan goes awry, and the city remains, well past its expiration date, run by a vaguely corrupt mayor (Bill Murray) populated with good-hearted folks who occasionally wonder if there might be more to life. Unfortunately, the ancient generator and pipes keeping the city running are about to wear out completely.

Screenwriter Caroline Thompson -- who adapted Jeanne Duprau's 2003 young adult book -- usually has a flair for fantasy, having scripted Edward Scissorhands and directed a good television update of Snow White (2001). But director Gil Kenan (Monster House) only seems interested in getting in and back out again, rampaging right over the set design as well as several logic holes (the movie never establishes how much each of the characters is supposed to know). Kenan assembles a dream cast, including a snarky, pot-bellied Murray, a crazy-haired Martin Landau, sturdy Tim Robbins, Toby Jones, loony Mary Kay Place and Marianne Jean-Baptiste, but leaves them stranded among the half-conceived sets. No one is ever fully transported anywhere, and that unfortunately includes the audience.

With: Saoirse Ronan, Harry Treadaway, Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, Toby Jones, Mary Kay Place, Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Written by: Caroline Thompson, based on a book by Jeanne Duprau
Directed by: Gil Kenan
MPAA Rating: PG for mild peril and some thematic elements
Running Time: 92 minutes
Date: October 10, 2008