Movie Review ... The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones

 

Ever since Harry Potter cast his spell over movie box offices, film studios have fallen over themselves to find a successor.  Dozens of pretenders have attempted to claim the crown with only a few genuinely succeeding.  The key has been to make the established formula different.  Based on Cassandra Clare’s book series, ‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones’ gamely gives it a shot with a spell-binding display rivalling Potter’s wizardry antics.

Clary (Lily Collins) is a teenager living with Mum Jocelyn (Lena Heady).  Her life changes when she witnesses a murder at a nightclub with her friend Simon (Robert Sheehan).  Bewildered by what she’s seen she is further confused when she meets Jace (Jamie Campbell Bower).  Revealed to be a shadow-hunter – a soldier battling an ongoing demonic war – Jace reveals secrets from Clary’s past.  With the fate of the world in her hands, Clary must face the past in order to protect the future.

‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones’ faces a problem like many franchise-building films.  It has to effectively establish its world while telling a gripping tale – something it only moderately achieves.  This is notable as its thinly drawn characters become lost in a sea of exposition.   Confusion occasionally reigns although it has an agreeably darker edge over its safer counterparts.  Borrowing heavily from ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ the story revels in its awesome gothic trappings.

Whilst the action sequences are shot with suitable skill by director Harald Zwart, he has difficulty in breaking free of genre conventions.  ‘Mortal Instruments’ follows a predictable path ultimately making it a generic film.  It serves as a vehicle for further adventures denying it a true identity with too much information crammed in despite its long run-time.  The energetic performances help alleviate any disappointment and are consistently watch-able.

Not as a bad start as other similarly themed productions ‘The Mortal Instruments’ could have been better.  Its success or otherwise won’t stop other franchises from surfacing as yet other fantasy book series just wait to be perused by Hollywood’s eager money-men.

Movie Review Rating out of 10:  5

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

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