Today’s quick review: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. Teenager Clary Fray (Lily Collins) gets a crash course in the supernatural when Jace Wayland (Jamie Campbell Bower) tells her of her heritage as a Shadowhunter, a human imbued with angelic powers. Her newfound powers are put to the test when Valentine (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a renegade Shadowhunter, kidnaps her mother Jocelyn (Lena Headey) to retrieve an artifact she stole years ago.
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is an urban fantasy adventure and romance based on the books by Cassandra Clare. The Mortal Instruments follows a young woman as she’s introduced to a world of demons, vampires, and werewolves and the Shadowhunters who keep them in line. Fantasy action and a detailed world give The Mortal Instruments some appeal, but its mediocre characters and generic plot keep it from standing out from a crowded field.
The Mortal Instruments invests a lot of time into developing its world. The approach it takes is broad but shallow, covering a wide variety of fantasy concepts in passing. No single element is all that original, but taken together they give the film a comprehensive setting to explore. However, the movie’s lack of focus keeps it from developing any one aspect of its setting enough to carry the story, leaving the plot with weak tools to work with.
One of the movie’s main focuses is its romance. Clary finds herself drawn to Jace, an exotic and aloof Shadowhunter, even as Simon (Robert Sheehan), her dependable childhood friend, tries to win her heart. Like the setting, the romance is jumbled and unfocused, with extraneous details that distract from the core love triangle. The problem is compounded by thin characters who are developed just enough to fill the plot but not enough to make it compelling.
Beyond the particulars of its setting and romance, The Mortal Instruments is a typical action fantasy film with nothing special to offer. Its varied setting, decent special effects, and episodic plot let it pack in a fair amount of action, but the action itself is indistinguishable from other entries in the genre. The story follows a similar pattern: a competent execution on the teen fantasy formula that’s missing the spark needed to set it apart.
How much you get out of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones will depend on your taste. Fans of urban fantasy who enjoy the genre for its own sake will find The Mortal Instruments to be a fun but unexceptional popcorn watch. More exacting viewers will most likely run aground on its shallow characters, generic plot, and cluttered approach to storytelling. The Mortal Instruments falls short of its aspirations, but it does hold some value for the curious.
For a teen sci-fi adventure with a similar tone and even deeper flaws, try Jupiter Ascending. For one with a more original world but weaker fundamentsl, try Mortal Engines. For a more modest teen fantasy adaptation, try Seventh Son. For action-focused urban fantasy without the romance, try The Last Witch Hunter. For a more mature take on fantasy creatures in a modern setting, try the Underworld series.
5.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for fine action and a decent setting, held back by a lack of distinguishing characteristics.