August 21 marked the day that the newest young-adult romance novel-turned-movie released. It, of course, has all the workings of a great teen fantasy movie: werewolves, vampires, demons and unique outfits. Placed in modern-day New York, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones follows Clary Fray, played by Lily Collins (“Mirror Mirror”), on her journey to realizing that there is more to the world than what we can see.
Some would liken it to the “Twilight” saga, but although its cast also includes Jamie Campbell Bower (“Twilight”, “Sweeney Todd”), it is definitely in a whole other category. With “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” over and the young adult world anxiously awaiting the next “Hunger Games” installment, City of Bones came just in time. It is a combination of the paranormal feel of “Twilight,” the fighting of “The Hunger Games” and the magic of “Harry Potter” with a few twists of its own. However, it one-ups these other series when it comes to love. Love triangles? Please, that is so last year. Try a love pentagon.
Imagine going to a club and witnessing a murder in the middle of the dance floor. A murder that no one, not even those dancing around it, could see –because you are the only one who can see the murders. Clary thinks she is going insane.
However, when Jace, the very attractive demon-killing Shadowhunter, tells her that there are all sorts of paranormal species living right under her nose, she’s pretty sure that he is the crazy one.
With the disappearance of her mother, though, she has no choice but to believe him. They team up with a group of friends and set out to save her. They soon find that Clary’s mother was taken by Valentine, an ex-Shadowhunter who wants to “purify” his race. A personal twist is added when Claire realizes that she is Valentine’s daughter.
If you haven’t read the books, written by Cassandra Claire, you can still enjoy the movie. If you have read the books, the movie sticks to them fairly well, but you might find yourself a bit disappointed at times. Like all adaptations, they skip things and change the story to fit their budget, but the casting was excellent. Even the actors who didn’t meet my vision of the characters managed to make the part their own.
They managed to cast people who are not only good actors but also look the part. Admittedly, the acting was a bit shaky in spots. When Clary begs Magnus to help her, it just sounds like she was reading off her script, not interpreting the words. The fight scenes, although fun to watch, were not exactly realistic. For example, you can’t keep fighting when you are being yanked down a banquet table by one of your arms and hiding behind a refrigerator door probably would not protect you from an explosion. Luckily, the directors made up for it with some impressive animation and gruesome demons.
Overall, City of Bones has room for improvement but fits in well with today’s paranormal romance craze. It keeps you interested all the way through and, although you may not want to preorder tickets for the next installment, you will probably rent or buy the DVD when it comes out.
