City of Ember
SCORE: 86
Walden Media has been associated with some of the recent family friendly greats. City of Ember caught my eye, and I could tell there was some interesting symbolism when I first read about it. An entire city of people have been underground for over two hundred years. Blackouts are becoming more frequent, and they cling to the only source of light they have known. A small band embark upon a journey out of the darkness into the light. City of Ember takes some twists and turns I was not expecting. The storyline of leaving the darkness and going toward the light resonates well here at Family Friendly Gaming. City of Ember is also a discovering film, and some parts are like solving a mystery. Sadly a few mysteries (like why they had to go underground in the first place) are not fully explained.
There is a lot of decay darkness in City of Ember. They are living underground and their generator is slowly failing. There is light in the film, but not nearly enough. When the characters finally reach the surface, and see the sunlight it is quite a welcome, and magical experience. A welcome surprise in City of Ember is the characters dress appropriately.
The music in City of Ember fits the theme of the movie perfectly. The chase scenes have music that gets the blood flowing, and the ending of this movie is awe inspiring. I did not notice any offensive language, however a lot of concern for others is expressed. The younger characters do rebel against an authority figure, however that figure is corrupt and stealing from the rest of the people.
City of Ember is such an enjoyable movie that I have already watched it a couple of times. I would have liked some additional extras included. Hopefully the retail version will contain more than just some trailers (editor: Family Friendly Gaming reviewed a promotional version). Bill Murray's humor alone is worth watching City of Ember numerous times.
This DVD functions perfectly, and I could find no flaws with that. There is a definite intelligent design to the menu lay outs in City of Ember. Coming out of darkness into the light, and leaving behind superstitious beliefs is ones lesson I gleaned from this DVD. This movie sucks the viewer in, and does not let go.
I would love to see a sequel to City of Ember. Maybe have the
characters exploring the earth, and learn what happened to humanity a
couple hundred years prior. There are a couple of short scenes that
could scare younger viewers, so keep that in mind when you decide to
purchase City of Ember.
- Frank
Graphics: 80%
Sound: 88%
Replay/Extras: 82%
Gameplay: 91%
Family Friendly Factor: 90%
System: DVD
Publisher: City Interactive
Rating: 'PG' for Parental Guidance
{mild peril and some thematic elements}
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