City of Ember asks a simple question: what happens when a city runs out of light? The answer is not pretty, and the film spends most of its 95 minutes trying to make it feel otherwise. Based on Jeanne DuPrau’s novel, directed by Gil Kenan, and scripted by Caroline Thompson, the movie follows two teenagers, Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow, who must unravel a centuries-old mystery before the generator fails and the city goes dark forever.
It sounds like a classic adventure setup. The execution falls short of that promise.
Trailer, via Kris Van den Bosch.
The City of Ember and Its Generator
Ember is a sealed, self-sufficient community built to survive some unnamed global disaster. The film never explains what that disaster was, which is a strange choice. Instead, it focuses on the generator, a machine that powers the great lamps that keep the city illuminated. When the generator starts failing, the lights begin to flicker, and the people of Ember start to panic.
The premise is strong. A city that can’t see its own streets is terrifying. But the film doesn’t build that terror effectively. The lights dimming is treated as a problem to solve, not a looming dread.
Lina and Doon
Lina Mayfleet is played by Saoirse Ronan, and Doon Harrow is played by Harry Treadaway. Both are descendants of the city’s original builders, and both are assigned jobs they don’t want. Doon is given the role of Messenger, while Lina gets Pipeworks Laborer. They swap assignments behind Mayor Cole’s back, and the film spends a good portion of its runtime showing them working in the tunnels beneath the city.
Ronan brings a curious energy to Lina, and Treadaway gives Doon a quiet determination. Their chemistry is the strongest element in the film. They argue, they hide, they explore, and they trust each other in ways the script sometimes doesn’t earn. Their scenes together are the film’s best moments.
Mayor Cole and the Secret Vault
Bill Murray plays Mayor Cole, and he’s the reason anyone watches this movie. Cole is a corrupt official who has been hoarding food in a secret vault while the rest of the city starves. Murray plays him with a sneer that’s almost fun to watch. He’s the villain, but he’s also a cartoonish one, a man who cares only for himself and doesn’t seem to understand why anyone would object.
The problem isn’t Murray’s performance. It’s the writing around it. Cole’s actions are cruel, but the film treats them as a puzzle rather than a tragedy. The people of Ember suffer, but we rarely see them suffer. We see the lights flicker, we see the shelves empty, but the human cost is abstract.
The Box and the Instructions
The central mystery of City of Ember is a small metal box. It was sealed 200 years ago, and it was supposed to open when the city needed to escape. When it finally opens, it contains instructions and directions for leaving the city through the Pipeworks. Lina finds the box, and she and Doon work together to decode its contents.
This is where the film stumbles. The instructions are vague, and the film treats them as if they’re obvious. There’s a giant star-nosed mole blocking their path, and the film handles that encounter poorly. It’s a moment that should be tense, but it’s rushed and silly.
Sul and the Elderly Technician
Martin Landau plays Sul, the elderly technician who helps Lina and Doon navigate the Pipeworks. His scenes are the film’s most grounded. He’s a man who knows the city’s secrets, and he’s willing to share them. Landau brings a warmth to the role that the rest of the cast lacks.
Tim Robbins plays Loris Harrow, Doon’s father, and Mary Kay Place plays Mrs. Murdo. Neither gets much to do. The supporting cast is full of talented actors doing serviceable work. None of it elevates the film.
The Escape and the Ending
The climax of City of Ember is a chase through the dark tunnels. Lina and Doon, accompanied by Lina’s baby sister Poppy, use the instructions to find the way out. The ending is abrupt. The film doesn’t linger on the escape, and it doesn’t show the world outside Ember. The credits roll before the audience can fully process what happened.
That’s a missed opportunity. The film sets up a world beyond Ember, but it never delivers on it. The final image is a lamp flickering in the distance, and then nothing. It’s a hollow ending to a hollow story.
Comparing the Source Material
| Element | Novel (2003) | Film (2008) |
|---|---|---|
| Global catastrophe explained | Yes, described in detail | No, left unexplained |
| Mayor Cole’s corruption | Central to both stories | More cartoonish in the film |
| The box’s instructions | Detailed and specific | Vague and under-explained |
| The ending | Shows the world outside Ember | Cuts off before reaching it |
The novel is a richer text. It explains the disaster that created Ember, and it gives the characters a clearer sense of purpose. The film strips away context and depth, reducing everything to a chase through the dark.
The Verdict
City of Ember is a film with a good idea and a bad execution. The premise is strong, but the script wastes it. The performances are competent, but the direction is weak. The film never commits to its own darkness, and that’s the fatal flaw.
It’s a film that wants to be a thriller, a romance, and a fantasy all at once. It succeeds at none of them. The chase through the tunnels is exciting in theory, but the pacing is uneven. Some scenes drag, and others rush past too quickly. The film never finds its rhythm.
The film is a box-office bomb, grossing $17.9 million against a budget of $55 million. That failure is not surprising. The movie doesn’t give audiences a reason to care about the characters or the world. It’s a hollow adventure, and the audience responded accordingly.
The tagline promises escape, but the film never delivers it. It’s a story about people trapped in a dying city, and it can’t even let them leave.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
