The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones Review

Director: Harald Zwart.

Cast: Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Sheehan, Lena Headey, Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

Running Time: 130 minutes.

Certificate: 12A.

Synopsis: After Clary Fray’s (Lily Collins) mother (Lena Headey) disappears, she discovers she’s descended from a long line of supernatural warriors who protect the world from demons. She soon finds and joins forces with others like her mother, before setting out to find the truth about her past and the whereabouts of her missing mum.

Based on the first in a series of six books written by Cassandra Clare, THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES introduces us to Clary Fray, a young girl who is blossoming into a woman, whilst finding out the world isn’t really as it seems. Every myth, fable and legend she was told as a child, as well as the characters therein, are real, but until now her mother had protected her from it. So, when her mother is abducted, Clary decides to answer the call to adventure and go in search of her.

The inevitable mawkish pandering to vulnerable adolescent girls, although prominent in the film at times, is kept to an acceptable level for the most part, when compared to the likes of THE TWILIGHT SAGA. However, there are still strikingly similar characters and story arcs, including Clary’s love triangle dilemma. Essentially, the two main men in her life want a piece of Clary, which does become tiresome pretty rapidly. The one aspect of it that does differ, and is perhaps what saves it from being complete dross, is the introduction of humour to the mix. Unlike TWILIGHT, TMI:COB at least pokes fun at itself, the genre it inhabits, and the clichéd characters it contains, through its use of dialogue.

With no outstanding performances, although none which are detestable either, TMI:COB relies heavily on its witty dialogue (which was a highly praised aspect of the novels, too) and impressive visual effects. Although the pacing and balancing of the plot is also carried out with polished efficiency, the story is essentially just a mishmash of generic conventions from other teen fiction, STAR WARS, and classical narrative structure, making for a fairly predictable journey and overall outcome.

If you’ve never seen a fantasy or science fiction film before, then TMI:COB has got the potential to thoroughly captivate, but if you’re even slightly knowledgable when it comes to the world of legends and mythological beasts, then all you’ll find is retrodden ground. There is an underpinning of wry humour which keeps it alive and electric at times, but it fails to pack a serious punch where it counts.

THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES is released in UK and US cinemas on Wednesday 21st August.