The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
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Critics Consensus: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones borrows ingredients from seemingly every fantasy franchise of the last 30 years -- but can't seem to figure out what to do with them.
Critics Consensus: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones borrows ingredients from seemingly every fantasy franchise of the last 30 years -- but can't seem to figure out what to do with them.
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Movie Info
Lily Collins stars as a young girl whose life is upended when she realizes that she's part of a long line of demon-slayers in this Screen Gems adaptation of Cassandra Clare's first book in her series of best-selling novels. Lena Headey and Jonathan Rhys Meyers head up the rest of the starring cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi- Rating:
- PG-13 (for intense sequences of fantasy violence and action, and some suggestive content)
- Genre:
- Drama , Action & Adventure , Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Directed By:
- Harald Zwart
- Written By:
- Cassandra Clare , I. Marlene King , Jessica Postigo Paquette
- In Theaters:
- Aug 21, 2013 Wide
- On DVD:
- Dec 3, 2013
- US Box Office:
- $31.2M
Cast
-
Lily Collins
as Clary -
Robert Maillet
as Blackwell -
Kevin Durand
as Pangborn -
Lena Headey
as Jocelyn -
Jonathan Rhys Meyers
as Valentine -
Godfrey Gao
as Magnus Bane
Related News & Features
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2014 GLAAD Media Awards Winners
– Rotten Tomatoes
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Critic Reviews for The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
All Critics (115) | Top Critics (33) | Fresh (14) | Rotten (101) | DVD (1)
Every fantasy creature except zombies get a workout in this overstuffed spectacle about a teenage girl who discovers she has angelic blood in her veins.
"The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" plays like a "Scary Movie" parody.
This desperate Twilight wannabe hits more than its own share of clunky notes.
Every moviegoer will have his own breaking point, when "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" surpasses the mundane and enters the ridiculous.
Hollywood has more than enough high-caliber young adult lit to mine. Filmmakers should tap into richer human stories. We mere mortals would dearly appreciate it.
It desperately gathers clichés like a teen fantasy Frankenstein that doesn't realize its secret identity: parody.
'Author' Cassandra Clare assumes that you have never seen a film or read a book in your entire life. She steals plot details from Star Wars, Harry Potter and Twilight and assumes that no one will notice. I did.
Awful, expensive, over-long, unremittingly dull attempt to start a Twilight-like franchise... plans were already underway for the sequel before this was released. They might just want to wait to see if anybody's interested first.
If you can overlook the lack of originality, the film actually makes a good fist of making something fresh and appealing from its second-hand ingredients.
Way to give overwrought fan fiction a bad name. No amount of fairy dust can make this bewitching.
Traz uma série de elementos interessantes que acabam sendo sacrificados pela vontade da história de investir num romance mergulhado em pieguice e clichês.
In the end it comes off as rather inoffensively been-there, done-that--except for Jamie Campbell Bower, that is, who is strictly WTF.
Who cares about a life-or-death battle with evil spirits when there's angst-ridden teen relationship drama in the mix?
Murky confusing adaptation of Cassandra Clare's book. No franchise here.
What Harald Zwart's film lacks is the focus that might make this cluttered set-up more than the sum of its dour design, raging hormones, incessant skirmishes and wearying exposition.
There are some interesting ideas and concepts within this fantasy world but they don't come through clearly enough, despite the 130 minute duration.
At least you're not forced to stare at Kristen Stewart's sour mug for two hours.
A shallow and somewhat spiritless picture.
In the end, this 'City of Bones' is all gnawed-over scraps from other, better movies.
This is a premise that might work in the hands of more eager filmmakers, but here it is reduced to a collection of fragmented scenes designed to mystify and infuriate.
The action sequences never quite attain the level of thrilling, though Jonathan Rhys-Meyers boldly vamps it up as the (very tightly) leather-clad villain of the piece
Cluttered, kooky and completely bonkers
The 130-minute running time is 40 minutes too long - but then there's enough repetitive plot exposition and 'who-is- really-related-to-who?' nonsense to cure insomnia.
Even with a rich and dark premise as well as a cast of thespians with actual acting chops, the story and movie are sub-par, forgettable, and crushingly boring.
Not only have we seen this all before, but we were probably hoping to not see it again.
" ... any more generic and this supernatural teen-lit adaptation might as well have a plain unbleached-paper label and a title in comic sans."
Audience Reviews for The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
First of all, I haven't read the books, so I couldn't say if this is a good adaptation or not. Judging by the comments of those who have, I am going to say probably not.
I did manage to sit through the whole thing, but it wore it's welcome out by a good forty minutes.
Cast are fine, story had potential, but was silly. Then again it's not a favourite genre of mine to start with.
I have seen the Twilight movies and wasn't impressed past the first two. This just seemed cliched past those. Cheesy as all hell, but not romantic enough to get away with it. Really am getting fed up with these "fantasy" movies and books.
Super Reviewer
I happen to be a fan and own this series of books so I was a bit iffy on seeing the movie. As usual the movie doesn't play out as the book does but as it goes, that's normal. I think those who haven't read the book might not actually get everything that is happening and might be a bit confused and probably won't like it as much as those who have. It's always hard when a book or a series is being turned into movies because you just don't want to be disappointed. I was iffy about the actors and the director but in the end I actually really enjoyed it. I thought all of the actors did a great job and I only found one or two scenes to be a bit cheesy. But some cheese is to be expected in films like these. I hope the rest of the books get a chance to see the big screen. I would really like to see how the rest of the films turn out.
More
Super Reviewer
Great action but the acting isn't really on an "immortal" level, if you know what I mean. (I really don't know how Jonathan Rhys Meyers will be able to live with himself.) The story is difficult to follow, frankly, but the faults are made up for in mindless adventure fun.
MoreSuper Reviewer
I could not get Twilight out of my head while watching this...Forbidden love. Vampires. Werewolves. Teens. Come now. Enough already...
MoreSuper Reviewer
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Quotes
- Jocelyn:
- It's okay if you want to hang your head out the window.
- Luke:
- I'm a werewolf, not a golden retriever.
- Simon:
- The werewolves are here to save us. Never thought I'd say that.
- Jace:
- If you wanted me to take my clothes off, you should've just asked.
- Jace:
- But my heart says different.
- Clary:
- Have you fallen in love with the wrong person yet?
- Jace:
- Unfortunately, Lady of the Haven, my one true love remains myself.
- Clary:
- At least, you don't have to worry about rejection.
- Jace:
- Not necessarily. I turn myself down occasionally, just to keep it interesting.
- Jace:
- Let me guess you have a drawing emergency and wanted a nude model
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