Another adaptation of a wildly popular book franchise comes alight. "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" is the big-screen adaptation of the fantasy book saga penned by Cassandra Clare. It borrows from other materials but the film offers quite an intriguing story line of magic.
Here, the magical-powered people are called Shadowhunters. There are two possible ways one can be a Shadowhunter; you're descended from a Shadowhunter, or you drink from the Mortal Cup granted by the Angel Raziel.
The story starts with Clary Fray starting to see strange symbols and seeing things other can't see. After her mother has been kidnapped, she is drawn into the world of the Shadowhunters, warriors trained to slay demons. She learns that the Shadowhunters are after one of the Mortal Instruments: the Mortal Cup. The villains are after it in hopes of conquering the world and the good guys are here to prevent the villains from succeeding. Along the way, there are many twists and a rich background story that makes this a wonderful ride.
There are many twists concerning the alliances of the characters. In the beginning, some of these twists work and are quite surprising and therefore they work. However, as the movie moves along, similar twists are put and it becomes kind of repetitive that it becomes quite predictable (at least for me).
The movie itself has quite an interesting and fun plot. The background is rich and the characters are quite interesting. It blends various mythologies and also incorporates some peculiar tiny bits (Johann Sebastian Bach was a Shadowhunter). The characters' motives are quite clear too. However, I felt a little bit down during the climax since the main character was not really involved prominently and therefore it was kind of disappointing.
The film has a wonderful ensemble of young likable stars. The role of the protagonist is taken by the beautiful young Lily Collins. Her performance here was stunning and definitely a highlight. Coming in as the her love interest is Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace Wayland. Although he had a fine performance, it didn't match Collins's performance. The rest of the cast also gave impressive performances.
The pace was quite well-done and it didn't feel rushed. However, sometimes the film did feel draggy in some scenes. The visual effects were incredible too and definitely a treat for the eyes. Characters were quite well-developed too.
All in all, "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" is a well-crafted fantasy adaptation that is enjoyable. It's loosely based on the book. It's not for all and no, it doesn't put the love triangle as the main theme of the film so not all "Twilight" fans will enjoy this. If you just open your mind a bit, you might be able to savor the film.
Rating: 7/10
Final Verdict: "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" is an enjoyable adaptation of the popular fantasy book series with an intriguing plot and an excellent performance by Lily Collins.
Here, the magical-powered people are called Shadowhunters. There are two possible ways one can be a Shadowhunter; you're descended from a Shadowhunter, or you drink from the Mortal Cup granted by the Angel Raziel.
The story starts with Clary Fray starting to see strange symbols and seeing things other can't see. After her mother has been kidnapped, she is drawn into the world of the Shadowhunters, warriors trained to slay demons. She learns that the Shadowhunters are after one of the Mortal Instruments: the Mortal Cup. The villains are after it in hopes of conquering the world and the good guys are here to prevent the villains from succeeding. Along the way, there are many twists and a rich background story that makes this a wonderful ride.
There are many twists concerning the alliances of the characters. In the beginning, some of these twists work and are quite surprising and therefore they work. However, as the movie moves along, similar twists are put and it becomes kind of repetitive that it becomes quite predictable (at least for me).
The movie itself has quite an interesting and fun plot. The background is rich and the characters are quite interesting. It blends various mythologies and also incorporates some peculiar tiny bits (Johann Sebastian Bach was a Shadowhunter). The characters' motives are quite clear too. However, I felt a little bit down during the climax since the main character was not really involved prominently and therefore it was kind of disappointing.
The film has a wonderful ensemble of young likable stars. The role of the protagonist is taken by the beautiful young Lily Collins. Her performance here was stunning and definitely a highlight. Coming in as the her love interest is Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace Wayland. Although he had a fine performance, it didn't match Collins's performance. The rest of the cast also gave impressive performances.
The pace was quite well-done and it didn't feel rushed. However, sometimes the film did feel draggy in some scenes. The visual effects were incredible too and definitely a treat for the eyes. Characters were quite well-developed too.
All in all, "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" is a well-crafted fantasy adaptation that is enjoyable. It's loosely based on the book. It's not for all and no, it doesn't put the love triangle as the main theme of the film so not all "Twilight" fans will enjoy this. If you just open your mind a bit, you might be able to savor the film.
Rating: 7/10
Final Verdict: "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" is an enjoyable adaptation of the popular fantasy book series with an intriguing plot and an excellent performance by Lily Collins.