Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, the latest film from director Harald Zwart was a jumbled mess of a movie. I don't know if the book read this badly, but the film was almost incomprehensible. This movie was all over the place as well as possessing HUGE plot holes. Because of that I'm giving Mortal Instruments: City of Bones a bucket of Killer Korn.












You know what I hate, as a movie lover and New Yorker? I hate it when a film is shot in Canada and then passed off like it's New York. Don't shoot a movie in a different country and try to pass it off as someplace in America, especially my city. That would be akin to me shooting a movie in Central Park and trying to pass it off as the French countryside. Especially don't shoot the subway system of another country and claim it's New York's. The subway system here is in a league of it's own, with it's own truly identifying characteristics. Now someone who sees this film in say Topeka, Kansas won't know the difference, and I get that, it's still a bad move. I also get that I am not the demographic for this movie as the heroine is a young white girl who figures out she has powers she never knew she possessed before. There really is NO diversity in this film to speak of and everyone of color is a demon. What does THAT tell you? The cliches and stereotypes abundant to the point that it makes it hard to take this flick seriously.

There really is no point in dragging this review out, or pointing out the cast members and the roles they played. If you read the book authored by Cassandra Clare, and you are a fan of said book, then see the movie. You will probably be able to figure out with ease what the hell is going on and the huge plot holes may not be so huge. If you haven't read the book then by all means skip this movie. I highly doubt you will enjoy it even after you get some sort of grasp as to what is going on. The one thing I will give Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is the score by Atli Orvarsson. It's absolutely lovely and moving, the rest of this film is so utterly forgettable that it's almost laughable. Skip it and I'll see you at the theater!