City of Ember (2008) PG - 3½ Stars

Pretty good movie about a city living deep below the ground, who's generator is falling apart and after 200 years, no one knows how to fix it. I liked the imagination of the writer for exploring underground for a change, rather than always into space or at some futuristic time of the planet.

Over 200 years ago, the City of Ember was built deep in the earth, by engineers trying to protect it's people, the "Emberites," from any possible destruction that could fall to and infect earth. The city is run upon one gi-normous generator which Mayor Cole (Bill Murray) keeps behind locked walls. But the city is falling apart as the generator is failing as the lights continually indicate and two teenagers Lina (Saoirse Ronan) and Doon (Harry Treadaway), think they may have found the answer to fixing the problem. They have found pieces to what looks like an instruction manual, left by the original builders. In order to solve the puzzle, they must try and put back together all of the pieces and unlock the secrets the city has to offer. And in doing so, they find a way out of the darkness, above to sunshine. But Mayor Cole wants to leave the city he rules, exactly the way it is and tries to foil their attempts to to gain access to the generator.

Fox Walden
Director: Gil Kenan
Writer: Caroline Thompson
Producers: Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, Steven Shareshian

I viewed 2/09