It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Blistering performances.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

If H.P. Lovecraft, Guillermo Del Toro, and Tim Burton all sat down, had a few beers and wrote a post apocalyptic children's story book, it would look something like City Of Ember, a magnificent, underrated dystopian fable. It concerns a world ravaged by some horrible nuclear calamity, the sparse remnants of humanity forced into an underground city thousands of miles below the earth's surface. Now, this ain't no Fallout. The brutality and desperation that usually characterize the post apocalyptic sub genre are breezily absent. Humanity, although relegated to an existence alike to that of a groundhog or mole, have more or less made peace with their predicament, and live a very pleasant subterranean life, making the best of what they have and keeping their industry thriving, for the most part. Saoirse Ronan is Lina Mayfleet, a vivacious young girl just coming into her own, marvelling at the wonders of her vast underground city, and wondering about the marvels that potentially lie beyond, or specifically, above it. The adults in her world are more or less settled in their ways. But the great generators which power the City Of Ember have begun to fail, threatening darkness for everyone. The corrupt mayor (a perfectly sleazy Bill Murray) could give a crap and is content to steal all the wealth for himself. It's up to Lina and her close friend Doon Harrow (Harry Treadaway) to use ancient clues left by benevolent ancestors in an attempt to reach the surface of the earth and save their species. It's a terrific adventure, with care and thought put into the special effects. The climate further into the centre of the earth causes the wildlife to grow exponentially in size, and we are treated to stunning visuals of this, such as a huge golden moth the size of a Volkswagen. There's great support from actors including Tim Robbins, Mary Kay Place, Martin Landau, Toby Jones and Simon Kunz, that adorable butler from The Parent Trap, stealing scenes as a fatherly employment official. The film was shot in the same shipyard which the Titanic was constructed in, now converted into the largest soundstage in the world. You really get a sense of vastness and large scale isolation from such a method, drawing you into the character's environment all the more. Highly recommended.

I kinda like the the trailer, okay, but trust me, this movie is not worth it to watch for. You will just waste your precious hour. I kinda a bit regret it.At first, i think the story is quite interesting and unique. Let say, 15 minutes at the beginning you will feel like... oh wow, it's an interesting concept. 30 minutes later, you would say..err okay, so what's next? ( the story kind of left many plot holes especially since i do not read the book so like hell i will know what happen. There are too many things left unexplained, come from out of nowhere, or just left out-untouched ). Then you will start to wonder and doubt yourself, should you stop watching it or just continue it. I decided to continue it, since i still expect things would turn out to be better. It was a false hope. The development of the story itself and the character, were so poor. Everything seemed so rush and the ending was so horrible.

City of Ember (2008): Dir: Gil Kenan / Cast: Harry Treadaway, Saoirse Ronan, Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, Martin Landau: Stunning futuristic adventure displays a decaying underground society. Mankind is forced to progress underground for 200 years. A box contains the count down and instructions on how to surface. This box is passed down from Mayor to Mayor with instructions given but the last Mayor died suddenly leaving everything forgotten. Harry Treadaway accepts a job on the pipeline in hopes of locating the failing generator. He is joined by Saoirse Ronan whose grandfather was the last Mayor to obtain the box. They had originally swapped jobs to further their talents but as time runs out they grow closer to figuring out a way to escape the city. Bill Murray plays current Mayor who is stealing food and making false promises. The consequences for this arrive at the mutation of the normal. Tim Robbins plays Treadaway's inventor father who is too busy yet has ideas. He will soon have to listen to his son's facts about above ground. Martin Landau plays a mentor to Treadaway who also works in the pipe areas. This should appeal to family audiences looking for adventure as director Gil Kenan delivers on inventive ideas to this underrated film. Good clean fun full of visual spectacular, which prevents the film from decaying like Ember itself. Score: 10 / 10

I really enjoyed this film – it had a fairly interesting and original idea that of a disaster befalling mankind and the only escape was to construct a sort of generational enclosed underground city (similar to the idea of a generational spaceship travelling from a polluted earth to find a new earth) but then the purpose is forgotten over time. In this case the power is running out and there's a corrupt Mayor (played by Bill Murray) with his evil sidekick played by the splendid Toby Jones. Over time the instructions for exiting the city are lost and forgotten. Martin Landau also makes a cameo appearance. The production design of the retro underground city and its associated (very analog) technology is believable and excellent. There is a strong emphasis on engineering and mechanics rather than computers and software which when you want something to last 200 years makes sense with a small enclosed population which needs to self- sustain itself with limited resources and which is in a back-to basics de-evolving state. Very good – but as with 'When Worlds Collide' (1951), 'Logan's Run' (1976) and 'THX 1138' (1971) I would have liked to have seen more of the 'new world' and the way in which our protagonists adapt (or fail to adapt) to it. There's a nice (predictable) sunrise scene at the end of the film which I was fully expecting.