Hollywood knows where it makes its money when it comes to
theaters. That became apparent with the numbers raked up by the TWILIGHT
franchise. Since that series is finished it's time for a new one and what
better than another one based on a series of novels, THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS:
CITY OF BONES.
Clary Fray has been seeing things she can't explain. Signs
no one else can read and images of people being murdered that no one else sees.
After watching someone killed at a nearby club she returns home to find her
mother gone and their apartment trashed. Enter Jace, the killer she saw at the
club who explains to her what is going on and offers to help her find her
mother.
It appears that Clary is descended from a line of
Shadowhunters, a group of half human/half angel warriors that have battled evil
for generations. Not wanting her to be aware of certain secrets, Clary's mother
had a spell cast on her to hide images and knowledge so that no one could get
them from her. But with her mother captured Clary isn't sure who to side with
or who to trust.
Jace and the other Shadowhunters take Clary and her friend
Alec in to their secret stronghold. It is there that they begin to tell her
about who she is, who her mother was and just who is responsible for kidnapping
her and why. Years before Clary's mother was part of a group of Shadowhunters
who followed Valentine, a Shadowhunter who decided to use the method once
employed to start their kind in the hopes of taking over the world. Clary's
mother put a stop to that, stealing the sacred chalice that Valentine needs to
accomplish his goal.
As the story unfolds it provides plenty of background
material for those just coming into the series of stories but not in a way to
be boring. Instead we get glimpses of the past of Clary's mother and of Clary
herself, bits and pieces revealed to her and us at the same time. The story
moves forward and alliances develop as does a love interest between Clary and
Jace, much to the chagrin of Alec who has long been in love with Clary. Can you
say Team Edward and Team Jacob?
But honestly that would be short selling this movie (and my
guess the series of books on which it was based) which does offer something
different and, for me at least, a bit more fulfilling than sparkly vampires.
These Shadowhunters are fierce warriors willing to take on a room filled with
truly hideous vampires in an effort to protect Clary. Their weapons are old
school but don't let that fool you as they take on all comers with nary a drop
of their own blood spilled.
The special effects are done to perfection here but yes of
course they are CGI (Computer Generated Images) more often than not. At least
they've made the effort to make them seem real as opposed to poorly done CGI
(see any monster of the week effort on SyFy for an example of bad CGI). The
heroics are nicely done and by the end of the film you find yourself hoping
that more of the series will follow.
That may not happen as the movie's release didn't garner the
attention or numbers that the TWILIGHT crowd displayed. That might change as
the film head to DVD this week. It will give those who didn't see it in
theaters a chance to see what it was all about and to decide if they want more.
I for one am hoping that it happens. I found this movie to be enjoyable and
action filled, a horror story with some oomph. Let's hope enough other people
find the same thing so the series can continue.
Click here to order.
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