Synopsis
For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights. But Ember's once powerful generator is failing and the great lamps that illuminate the city are starting to flicker. Now, two teenagers, in a race against time, must search Ember for clues that will unlock the ancient mystery of the city's existence, before the the lights go out forever.
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Cast
- Saoirse RonanLina Mayfleet
- Harry TreadawayDoon Harrow
- Bill MurrayMayor Cole
- David RyallChief Builder
- Tim RobbinsLoris Harrow
- Mackenzie CrookLooper
- Marianne Jean-BaptisteClary
- Mary Kay PlaceMrs. Murdo
- Toby JonesBarton Snode
- Lucinda DryzekLizzie Bisco
Recommendations
- 75
Chicago Tribune
If older kids and adults seek out this picture, which 20th Century Fox and Walden Media clearly aren't sure how to sell, they may well find themselves drawn into a subterranean world of considerable imagination. - 75
ReelViews
City of Ember has almost anything one could want from a science fiction-based family adventure film: likeable characters, an imaginative setting, and a fast pace. - 75
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
It scores few points for originality, but it's a fuzzier, less pretentious and more enjoyable movie. - 75
The A.V. Club
Ember is seldom riveting, but it's consistently compelling, and its uncompromising literal and metaphorical darkness renders its climax enormously satisfying. - 70
Washington Post
It's not an entirely convincing trip, but it is the sort of satisfying movie you wished they would make more often. - 63
Chicago Sun-Times
It's innocent and sometimes kind of charming. The sets are entertaining. There are parallels in appearance and theme to a low-rent "Dark City." - 63
Philadelphia Inquirer
All the running, the hiding, the escaping (from giant moles, from giant Murray) are decidedly less exciting, and compelling, than City of Ember wants to be. - 60
Empire
With Ember's hydro-electro-punk charms, Kenan's convinced us he's one of Hollywood's most exciting (and excited!) visualists. But on the evidence of this, his storytelling skills still need honing.
