It's a post that isn't a book review/tag/books I did not finish! It's still a review but for a film instead! And a very popular one at that. So a little background detail yesterday (Thursday 19th September 2013) I finally got around to watching the Mortal Instruments City of Bones movie.
I know shocking right? Considering how excited I was. Damn my busy schedule that appeared out of nowhere when this was first released!
The Mortal Instruments City of Bones: Movie
Tagline: There is a world hidden within our own.
Okay so when I sat down to watch this film, my expectations (despite the epic shambolic Rotten Tomatoes score) was still very high. I had done no research in to what fans thought how much money it made at the box office, until after I finished watching it. In hindsight I probably should have done all that before I watched it then I wouldn't have been writing notes like a raving lunatic through out the film about all the things that were just wrong! I know I've made it clear that I don't like books to be changed all that much when they go to the big screen but I do allow some scope like I loved The Hunger Games and parts of that were different. But this was so far off the mark it just stopped being funny.
Warning this a spoilerific in depth review. If you want to read a none spoiler review on whether it's good or not, leave now. You have been warned.
Okay first things first we open with shots of New York City, scene setting. Looks cool. Moving on we find Clary and her mum and Luke. Cool okay . . . . hold on a minute why the heck is Clary already drawing the angelic power symbol???? What's going on with that? She never did that in the book.
Next issue, Clary's only reason for going into the club Pandemonium is because she can see the angelic power symbol on the sign when no one else can and wants to find out what it means. Right. I though her and Simon were just going clubbing, okay fair enough.
The demon killing happens I wasn't all that bothered that it happened right in the middle of the club, then Clary blacks out at home and wakes up to see she's drawn that angelic power symbol freaking everywhere! Then we get the coffee shop scene which is slightly different in that she's not meant to be asking about the symbol, but still she meets Jace this way so at least that bit was the same.
Next we see Jocelyn (Clary's mum) beating the crap out of some demon's with a frying pan (I thought I was watching Disney's Tangled the non animated version for a second) I am joking obviously. Actually I thought this bit was really well done because if I remember right the book, doesn't really show or tell you what Jocelyn did before Clary came back and found the apartment destroyed, I thought the whole phone call exchange/ demon attack was a very good addition, and very well done (Positive points see I am accepting of some changes!)
The next bit I thought they went straight back to the institute after Jace finds Clary destroying the Demon which by the way was a change I did not like one bit. Book Clary didn't need Jace to kill the demon for her, she did it herself (albeit using is demon tracker device thing) she didn't need Jace to stab it for her. So okay I can understand they did the whole Madame Dorothea visit, and going to Luke's (which I thought they went through a portal to get to but never mind) and then they go to the institute (after an unnecessary action sequence) no matter moving on.
At this point in watching the film I decided I did not like Jace. Not one bit. You see whilst reading the book I'm ashamed to admit I was a swooning giggling messy at his character. He's supposed to be swoon worthy and cocky, smirking all the time, full of self confidence. Movie Jace is just a dead pan arrogant arsehole (excuse my language) who I would happily slap repeatedly across the face, he doesn't smirk, or act playfully cocky and he's definitely not swoon worthy (I guess that's down to personal preference but I didn't find him swoon worthy). Cleary they hired someone exceptionally good at cutting trailers together because I actually started to warm to Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace but after watching the film, definitely not.
Another cool moment, that I'm giving positive points to, the reveal of the institute that was pretty damn awesome.
Not a lot to say other than that but the effects in this film are good, a lot better than some of the YA adaptation's that you see.
Another issue I have is that the dialogue throughout this film is kind of cheesy and annoying. At first I thought there wasn't enough dialogue to action scene ratio but the more I watched the more I wanted the dialogue to just stop. It was embarrassing.
I think I am getting a little too descriptive into every single point I am making so I'll try and hurry this along a little bit.
Positive points some more of them, I loved Robert Sheehan and Jemima West as Simon and Isabelle respectively. They were probably the two most believable and best actors in the film. So needless to say I very much enjoyed the Simon and Isabelle scenes that we were given!
The other actors, Lily Collins was okay, at least she looked the part and her acting wasn't terrible unlike the guy who played Magnus Bane. He looked the part, but his acting was awful.
A note on Jace and Clary, I'm not sure if this is just must me, but I felt absolutely no chemistry between these two. So much so that the kiss bit (definitely not helped by the random playing of a Demi Lovato song) was just awkward. I mean it was the bit everyone knew was coming going for the midnight walk to the gardens on the eve of her birthday. Clary trips Jace catches her the kiss (swoon! in the book at least) in the film. I almost had to shut my eyes, it felt so awkward like it wasn't supposed to happen, I almost felt like screaming stop at them. I wonder if they had filmed the sibling reveal bit before doing this scene and that was why it was so horribly awkward.
Don't even get me started on the portal and hair touching bit that was just downright stupid and embarrassing.
When Clary has figured out where the mortal cup is and goes to tell Jace I assume seeing him without a shirt is supposed to be sexy and heart stopping. It wasn't. I felt concerned for him and wanted to shove a good meal down his throat. Too skinny dude. It doesn't look healthy. (I know that's picky and he can't help it but please.)
The reveal that Jace and Clary were siblings was okay but I felt like Valentine telling Jace he was his father was almost like a reverse Star Wars. Instead of "Luke I am your father" it was "You are not my father" again sort of cheesy.
Another cheesy part, the slow motion bit as Clary draws the new rune that Isabelle has never seen before on her hand and freezes the demons. Takes too long why is it in slow motion. Also instead sliding past the demons so you don't touch them, why don't you oh I don't know kill them whilst they are frozen so they don't come after you again later??
And finally I refuse to believe that Clary being the untrained shadow hunter that she is could possibly be strong enough to kick her father (Valentine Morgenstern) one of the most powerful and deranged Shadow Hunters ever through the portal. If anything he would have been braced for an attack so should have easily caught her foot or only stumbled backwards a couple of steps, not full on launched backwards into the portal. It just wasn't believable at all.
It was then no surprise to find that a lot of people didn't enjoy it. That it only made just over $74,000,000 at the box office with a budget of $60,000,000. Which when you compare it to the success of Harry Potter, Twilight and The Hunger Games, is a pretty dismal showing. It's no surprise then that production of the sequel City of Ashes due to start filming soon has now been delayed. money talks in Hollywood, and this YA adaptation didn't make a lot of it.
In the end I give this film 4/10 and I'm being nice. 1 for the Institute reveal, 1 for the phone call/ demon attack, and 2 for Robert Sheehan and Jemima West. For me there were very few positive to take from this film. All my excitement and high expectations dashed, by a poor script and sub par acting.
That's all for today I hope you enjoyed this post and I shall see you all on Monday!
Don't forget to comment below and tell me what your opinion on this film was! I would love to hear from you!
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