One reason the book was so interesting was because the whole time you were reading it, you were wondering where Ember was. It pissed me off a little when they just came out and told you at the beginning of the movie that Ember was underground. Oh yeah, and the giant bugs and moles ticked me off too :P
Thoughts anyone?
Completely agree! The underground fact (and couple of others...) could be reveled at the movie end (or nearly) but... About the giant bugs and mole? Still waiting the answer (can imagine what happens but again, but...)
Nice one, but George Lucas told same story much better (of course). Did you hear about "THX 1138" (1971)?
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DARN remakes!
Heard of it, never seen it. Wouldn't be surprised if they did better on that than this lol.
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I just watched the trailer for THX 1138 and it seemed more like the movie The Island (2005) and nothing like City of Ember in my opinion.
shareAgree. Didnt want to mean that THX 1138 is equal to City of Ember but both movies are about an underground city, characters in both movies didnt know about the earth surface, etc. The Island is a sad, dull and overall c&appy plagiarism of Parts The Clonus Proyect but you're completely right about that THX 1138 is more related to The Island than to City of Ember (but City of Ember is also related to THX 1138 in several ways...). Take care!
shareexcept that George Lucas ruined THX 1138 by adding, in 2005, CGI and other scenes not in the 1971 film
shareA man after my own heart!
Not ruined, completely destroy it! Im a fan of the original version, which I had seen through VHS/TV years ago until I bought the director cut version you're talking about... the coc%ucking machine makes me puke for example! Still have the dvd because the original theatrical version and the original student film! Take care pal!
I didn't understand the point of the giant insects & mole either. It wasn't in the book and didn't make sense!
sharefor real...it was a really pointless decision to put those in the movie...
shareI figured that the giant insects and moles were due to radiation from what I believe to be near total nuclear annihilation. Realistically, just making the bugs and rodents bigger would not happen, but clearly it is a story geared toward a younger audience.
All in all I thought it was an enjoyable movie and I loved the sets. It really brought the movie to life and made you feel enclosed with so little space to work with.
I didn't understand the point of the giant insects & mole either. It wasn't in the book and didn't make sense!
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Yes, it was very disappointing that they revealed it right away, that was a huge part of the book. If they had done the film with the underground plot twist in mind, the film would have been better in my opinion.
shareI agree
shareIt also affected how extraordinary the scene was at the end when they saw the sun rise. They thought that Ember was the only light in the world. They didn't even know it was underground. The movie intro should have Lina's voice over saying "This is our city. The City of Ember. It's the only light in the dark world. The Builders built it over 240 years ago but our city is in trouble. The Generator is failing. The power goes out at times." Maybe some more bet you get how vague it is toward where Ember is. Maybe show a far away shot of the City and slowly zoom in while she is saying that.
Half-Blood #18 and Son of Poseidon, Son of Adam, Gryffindor 7th year
I'm not complaining. these are my favorite books and I'm just glad they made a movie about it.
Flocke: Come with me, and I promise, I'll tell you everything.
In the book as it was from Lina's view, we didn't know were it was whether underground or something else. The hanging lights in the movie also amde it aware that they were underground.
Half-Blood #18 and Son of Poseidon, Son of Adam, Gryffindor 7th year
Yeah, I agree. They should have had Lina narrate the intro and say how the Builders built the city and how Ember is the only light in the dark world as they thought that the rest of the world was in darkness.
Half-Blood #18 and Son of Poseidon, Son of Adam, Gryffindor 7th year
I haven't read the book, but that twist seems great. I think it could be because of the trouble of transferring it to a movie. The hanging lights would have to be removed, since in a movie you can see it's on a cave wall. In a book it can just mention there's lights.
Of course, if they had found a way to do it with style, it would make the ending much better, seeing the sun rise.
In the book the only lights are from the houses and street lamps.
Half-Blood #18 and Son of Poseidon, Son of Adam, Gryffindor 7th year
it really is bizarre that they chose to tell you right from the start that it's underground, i never understood why.
it's as if the filmmakers didn't have faith in the strength of the story and felt they needed to give you 3 minutes of exposition to make sure you care about it. needless exposition seems to be a disease in hollywood these days.
Where else would it be if it wasn't underground? The only other place I can think of is a spaceship, which has been done fairly recently in Dark City.
Or do you mean that in the book you are led to believe they are above ground but there is no sun?
The lute is the coolest of all medieval stringed instruments.
Yeah more like the latter. Or on another planet or something maybe. I don't know, it's just fun not knowing where they are.
shareI think its down to the move from narrative picture painted in readers imagination to the visual storytelling of a movie. It is pretty hard to not be aware they are underground when all the tech seen around the city is old school. They cant be in another planet with that kind of tech, that leaves to earth. If they are above ground, weather has to accounted for, or at least a dome but that just cancels the point of a shelter as if would have been bombed to oblivion along the rest of humanity.
I like the intro because the main theme of the movie is how hope seems to be alive and works its way to the characters needed to free the to build a new world without the hatred that burnes the past one to the ground.
Its a start from scratch for a society built on the sacrifice of intelligent people on the flicker of the last beacon of light of mankind.
Love this movie.
About the giant bugs, I thought at firs the main reactor was nuclear for lasting 200+ years but that would require highly technical crew to mantain and high tech replacement parts. After its revealed its a water powerd plant. I think this animals super grew in the rich underground environment provided by the city, the mole ate through the city's food supply, and the moths prospered on the never ending light source.
Regatding the "giant" animals; I expected to find out toward the end of the story that they were "normal" sized and the people were somehow shrunken by the builders, thus making Ember a metaphorical "ship in a bottle". As for the "End of the world", 3 words spring to mind; when? why? how? Same thing with "the box"' getting lost, after it had been carefully guarded for so many generations. (Ooops!) Why not keep it with the "Book of the Builders"?
shareI see where you're coming from. The first time I watched this movie, I missed the first couple of minutes so I didn't know anything about the box. And the story still worked ok.
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