City of Ember is a movie distributed by 20th Century Fox in 2008. I like this movie neither because the actor, nor the story of the movie, what I like the movie’s idea. But the most of the idea is come from a novel, the novel is called the same name as the movie, it’s written by Jeanne DuPrau in 2003.
The story of the City of Ember is very simple. It told a story when the earth’s surface can’t live anymore, because pollution. So future’s people build a city under the ground, they call it “The city of Ember”. Some “builders” think that after 200 years pollution will disappear. So they made a box, and put a paper write on explain of how to leave the city of Ember in to the box they made. 200 years later, a girl called Lina Mayfleet found the box, and see the paper in the box. So Lina, her friend Doon, and her little sister Poppy follow indication of the builders, and leave the city of Ember.
There are many idea in the City of Ember, whether the book or the movie. Every time I watch it I’ll found a new idea, that’s what I like. The movie’s main idea a little bit like a dystopian story. On the surface society of the “Ember” is full of peace, hope, and free. But it just what we see outside, there are many problems in side, such as the scarcity of the power, the only generator in the city begin to stop running. (The “builders” might anticipate this, so 200 years later, the people need to leave the city.) The mayor lies to all the people of “Ember”. Let them think one day the “builders” will return to save the people. And let them think food shortages, so the mayor can smuggle eat all the food the city left. This is why the city of Ember should not choose the absolutism. Even it’s a dystopian story, at the end of the movie gave a hope, Lina, Doon, Poppy leave the city of Ember.
City of Ember’s movie had other 2 point I quite like. First the music in the movie, there are many music in the movie I like. Second is the actor’s acting is very good, Special the Lina’s actress. But the Box office of the City of Ember is very low. The budget of the City of Ember is 55 million dollars and the Box office only 17 million dollars, it’s far below the budget. Because the writer of the movie made a big mistake, she should write the first book and second book of the Book of Ember series in one movie. Then the movie will more complex, and more interesting.