Some time between now and Armageddon, someone will decide to do away with our sophisticated telecommunication network and replace it with human messengers who will verbally deliver messages, much like a schoolyard game of broken telephone.

Based on Jeanne Duprau’s best-selling novel of the same name, City of Ember paints a bleak picture for the future of humanity. It foretells a catastrophe of a magnitude that will wipe out the entire human race and plunge the earth into eternal darkness.

To ensure the survival of mankind, builders put together a subterranean sanctum that will allow a segment of the human population to escape the calamity unharmed. For 200 years, the inhabitants of Ember go about their daily routine under the light of ceiling lamps, which are powered by a massive electric generator.

Now that the generator is failing, the city is in a state of despair. It’s up to Lina Mayfleet (Atonement’s Saoirse Ronan) and Doon Harrow (Harry Treadaway) to uncover the mystery behind the blackouts and food shortages before Ember falls into eternal darkness.

The movie sees director Gil Kenan of Monster House making a shaky transition from animation to live-action filmmaking. For a movie set in the future, the costumes and setting are jarringly backwards.

Characters wear patchwork clothing that look haphazardly pieced together and live in slum-like conditions.

Perhaps if City of Ember had been animated, the audience might be more forgiving towards the conceptual flaws of the tale. However, as it is, you can’t help but question the logic of living underground for 2 whole centuries with mutant beetles and killer moles, without ever entertaining the possibility of life outside the crumbling metropolis.

Also, the CGI sequence of the characters’ climatic escape from Ember sticks out like a sore thumb in the otherwise well put-together film. It’s as if Kenan shoved the characters into an amusement park flume ride and filmed them from the helm. You almost expect a flash to go off in the background for that cheesy souvenir shot.

While the movie falls short in terms of direction and logic, it makes up for it with its brilliant cast and exquisite set design.

Bill Murray plays the role of the portly Mayor Cole most convincingly, despite it being a sidestep away from his usual comedic parts. His address to the inhabitants of Ember oozes with charisma and captures the epitome of a true leader, albeit a corrupt one.

Nevertheless, the star of the show is inarguably Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan. She shines as the plucky heroine, a role that can easily be interpreted as overly dependent, or worse, borderline annoying.

The set design is also something to look forward to.

Production designer Martin Laing managed to transform an old shipbuilding facility into a world that is both ornate and imaginative. From the creaky floorboards, to the weathered stonewalls, Laing captures 2 centuries of wear and tear perfectly in his intrinsic detailing. You will find yourself longing to step into the screen just so you can explore every nook and cranny.

Despite its creative potential, the film is rather disappointing on the whole. You are most likely to leave the cinema with more questions than you have when you entered. Perhaps only to a 12-year-old for whom living in an underground dwelling for 200 years is credible, City of Ember will be a suitable escape into another dimension.

UrbanWire gives City of Ember 2 out of 5 stars.

Movie details

Release date: Nov 27
Language: English
Rating: PG/Frightening Scenes
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Starring: Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, Saoirse Ronan
Directed by: Gil Kenan

(Pictures courtesy of Shaw Movies)