City of Ember

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City of Ember
The City of Ember was established two hundred years ago, as the last bastion of civilisation, after a terrible bloodletting on the surface. The residents are assigned jobs by the luck of the draw. One young man ends up working on the water system, while his friend becomes a messenger. Both long to find a way to the surface, especially since their city is facing two major crises: dwindling food, and dwindling energy (not unlike our current Plant Earth). Using old stories and an even older map, they try to find a way out, but the mayor's assistant is determined to thwart them.

94 minutes.
Mature Accompaniment under 10 (Violence).
Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi.

Not currently showing on the local cinema circuit.

Wish there was somewhere we could go on a date...
Wish there was somewhere we could go on a date...

Credits

Cast
Saoirse Ronan, Harry Treadaway, Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, Martin Landau, Toby Jones, Mary Kay Place
Director
Gil Kenan
ScreenplayCaroline Thompson, from the book by Jeanne Duprau
MusicAndrew Lockington
CinematographyXavier Pérez Grobet
EditingAdam P. Scott, Zach Staenberg
Sound formatsDolby Digital, Sony Dynamic Digital Sound, DTS
SoundtrackAvailable
Made in2008
Produced byPlaytone, Walden Media

Official Site | IMDB page | ScreenIt Report
Trailer: Small | Medium | Large | Scroll down for embedded trailer

Film and Publications Board (FPB) Report (SA)

GenreFantasy, horror, adventure
LanguageMild
NudityNone
SexNone
ViolenceStrongish menace
PrejudiceNone
BlasphemyNone
Drug abuseNone
CommentsA curious genre piece involving adventure, fantasy and some horror menace. Parental guidance and supervision strongly recommended for sensitive children.
These details are supplied by the FPB. If you have a problem with any of the above, please take it up directly with the FPB. Read the Classification Guidelines.

ScreenIt Report (USA)

Sex / Nudity
0
Violence
3
Blood / Gore / Gross
0
Guns / Weapons
0
Profanity
0
Alcohol / Drugs
0
Smoking
0
Disrespectful / Bad Attitude
4
Imitative Behaviour
2
Frightening / Tense Scenes
3
Jump Scenes
2
Tense Family Scenes
3
Music (Scary/Tense)
4
Music (Inappropriate)
0
Topics to talk about
3


Ratings

Scale (Max)20

What the Critics say

Cape Argus / The Star
Theresa Smith
10
Die Burger
Jeanne Calitz
10
Cape Times
Michael Sragow
10
Chicago Sunday Times
Roger Ebert quote iconCity of Ember would probably entertain younger viewers, if they haven't already been hopelessly corrupted by high-powered sci-fi on TV and video. It's innocent and sometimes kind of charming.
13
eye Weekly
Kieran Grant quote iconEven while Lina and Doon’s quest drums up a faint inner cheer, the sense that director Gil Kenan can’t find a satisfying way to complete the tale doesn’t do much to mitigate the blatant metaphor for ecological doom.
5
ReelViews
James Berardinelli quote iconCity of Ember has almost anything one could want from a science fiction-based family adventure film: likeable characters, an imaginative setting, and a fast pace.
15
ScreenIt
C. Fuchs quote iconWhile most of us aren't looking for an exciting and adventurous solution and conclusion to our current chaotic state and instead would appreciate a calm and measured approach, that's the antithesis of what we're looking for in a film. Unfortunately, there's little excitement or overall entertainment value to be found in City of Ember.
8
Metacritic.com
27 critics
12
Rottentomatoes critics
112 critics
11
Rottentomatoes tomatometer
Tomatometer quote iconCity of Ember is visually arresting, and boasts a superb cast, but is sadly lacking in both action and adventure.
10

What the People say

Internet
1739 Netizens quote iconFading Ember
14

Average .. 54%

11

Trailer






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