Chronicles of a Book Nerd: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones the Movie

8/23/2013

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones the Movie

So let me start by saying that I am not a movie critic, but I was so excited to see this movie that I just had to share my thoughts. I will admit that while I was super excited, I was also nervous as I always am when they make one of my favorite books into a movie. I'm always afraid that they will change too much or that they won't cast the right people and the image that I created in my head won't be what I see on the screen. The movie always falls short in some way, which I think is inevitable when you translate a book onto the screen. Reading is such an incredibly intimate thing. When you read a book, it's your imagination that is creating the images in your head and because we don't all see things the same way, it is natural for some disappointments.

I was worried about how they would handle the whole "brother thing" in the movie. It is such a pivotal plot point (how's that for alliteration!) in the book that it can't really be ignored, but I was worried about how people who hadn't read the books would respond to it. Americans are notorious for loving and demanding happily-ever-afters in our movies, and I worried that people would be turned off by this aspect of the film. I mean, I found myself trying to justify insest while I was reading the books! I feel that they handled it well in the movie, but it's the one thing that really bothered me.

In the book you have no idea that Jace isn't really Clary's brother. In fact, you don't find out until book three that he isn't, but in the meantime you are subjected to this torment of emotion because you believe it's true just like Jace and Clary. These two characters love each other, but can't be together because the obstacle keeping them apart is largely insurmountable, and it rips your heart to pieces to watch them both suffer.Part of this element is missing from the film because it is made clear to the audience that while Jace and Clary think that they are siblings, it is not in fact true. I can understand why they made this change, but for me it removes some of the angst. However, I do feel that Jamie Campbell Bower and Lily Collins are strong enough actors to pull off the emotion.

Overall, I was very pleased with the film. The cast was fantastic, the sets were amazing, there was plenty of action, and I liked the comedic element to the film. It was darker than I thought it would be and I think this added a new layer of drama which I loved. I heard that the sequel is already in the works and I'm excited to see what's next. If you are a fan of the franchise, I don't think that you will be disappointed by this film. It was very faithful to the books, which probably had a lot to do with the fact that Cassandra Clare was so involved with the project and had a director that was mindful of and respectful to the fanbase. Now I just have to find someone to go see it with me again :)

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This collection of GIFs perfectly sums up my City of Bones experience....
(borrowed from http://www.buzzfeed.com/simonschuster/13-gifs-that-perfectly-describe-watching-the-morta-cpw7)