This Saoirse Ronan YA Fantasy Adaptation With a Villainous Bill Murray Got Lost in the 2000s

The cinematic landscape of the 2000s seems to be riddled with curious but unlucky projects that were brought down by the time of their release and got lost amidst the bigger franchises. One notable example is a fantasy adventure film, City of Ember, which had the misfortune of coming out in 2008, when the audience’s attention was largely preoccupied with The Dark Knight, a new James Bond film, the first Sex and the City movie, as well as the start of the Twilight series. Directed by Gil Kenan, for whom it was a live-action feature debut, City of Ember looks a lot like the start of a much larger and more complex story — because it is. The film is based on the first novel in the Books of Ember series and was supposed to be followed by the adaptations of the rest of it, but the disappointing box office killed the franchise before it really kicked off. A real shame, since both the original YA book series written by Jeanne DuPrau and Kenan’s movie are filled with captivating ideas, engaging visual concepts, and a socially conscious agenda that reads pretty prophetic.

What is ‘City of Ember’ About?

The story is set about 200 years after a global catastrophe that has driven humanity underground, where the titular city of Ember had been built. Each Mayor of the city gets the task of passing the mysterious metal box with valuable instructions to his successor, until the box opens and reveals its contents in due time. By the time the main events in the film start, the box has been discarded and forgotten, leaving the residents of Ember with little to no hope when the blackouts start and the generator threatens to fail for good. Doon Harrow (Harry Treadaway), the son of an unlucky inventor, Loris (Tim Robbins), wishes to work on the generator to try and fix it, but during the graduation ceremony, where occupations are assigned via lottery, he is tasked with being the city’s messenger.

Doon switches trades with his friend, Lina Mayfleet (Saoirse Ronan), to do pipework, and in their new capacities, both young people uncover curious details about the true nature of things in their city and the power that governs it. The said power here is symbolized by the latest Mayor, Cole, played to perfection by Bill Murray, as a satire of the state representatives who ooze charisma into the world but are irreversibly corrupted by the minimal power vested in them. Murray plays the character not with the boisterous energy that is often imminent for dystopian villains, but with a reserved apathy. In the face of the impending apocalypse, Mayor Cole doesn’t seem to have the will to conduct any Machiavellian schemes, but instead, contents himself with simple pleasures at the expense of the people he’s supposed to serve.

This Fantasy Film Might Not Be Action-Packed, but It Is Filled with a Great Sense of Wonder and Adventure

One of the most common critiques of the film at the time of its release was its lack of proper action and excitement, which seems a bit unfair, since this installment was supposed to be a setup for more grandiose things to come. While the narrative in City of Ember is self-sufficient and gets a somewhat proper closure, there is still an obvious “and then…” note at the end of it, which also might have added to the mixed reactions and reviews. Another point of contradiction was the film’s PG rating, which prevented it from going fully dark. But even though the camera shies away from death here, its implications are still ever-present, like in the majority of the best coming-of-age stories, as well as the sense of danger that not only threatens the main characters but their world as a whole.

Gil Kenan, who would go on to direct the 2015 Poltergeist and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, was primarily known for his animated film, Monster House at the time. His experience in animation seems to have had an influence on his live-action debut’s style, which is adorned with intricate work with a color palette and geometry of space, and leans towards visual storytelling. The film is full of creative imagery and designs, including those of multiple fun-looking devices, such as the answering machine that belonged to Lina’s parents. Not unlike the way it happens in animated films, various characters also come off as aesthetic tools in their own right — from Murray’s Mayor and his shifty assistant, played by Toby Jones, to the young protagonists. Both Ronan and Treadaway are great at emanating a genuine sense of mystery and wonder that comes with entering adult life and rediscovering their reality.

From the current perspective, City of Ember also looks very much like a fantasy metaphor for very real and relevant issues. The dystopian version of the world is on the verge of collapsing, the resources are almost gone, the vital generator is broken, and the government is merely throwing around vaguely sounding, reassuring statements. While the authors, following the spirit of the novel, praise the relentlessness of youth in fighting for the future, they also take an opportunity to acknowledge the role of fate, as well as some of the less attractive sides of human behavior. Giant moles and bugs are lurking around the dark city tunnels, but they mostly come off as a red herring rather than an actual danger, as City of Ember clearly shows that, most of the time, real evil doesn’t have antlers or claws, but comes down to humans being seduced by easy access to canned pineapple.

City of Ember

Release Date

October 7, 2008

Runtime

95 minutes

Director

Gil Kenan