Directed by:
Harald ZwartScreenplay:
Jessica PostigoCinematography:
Geir Hartly AndreassenCast:
Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Lena Headey, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Kevin Durand, Robert Sheehan, Jared Harris, Kevin Zegers, Aidan Turner, Jemima West (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
Fantasy adventure based on the bestselling series of novels by Cassandra Clare. Clary Fray (Lily Collins) is an ordinary teenage girl living in New York, but when her mother is attacked by a demon in her home Clary learns she is descended from a secret race of half-angel Shadowhunters who are fighting an ancient battle protecting the earth from evil forces. As Clary is then introduced to the world the Shadowhunters and other forces inhabit, she must grow to accept her new identity and work at saving her mother before it's too late. (eOne Films International)
(more)Reviews (2)
I have to say, the first hour or so was quite enjoyable and got me excited for what was to come. But then something suddenly went wrong, as if another director took over, and the story became incredibly predictable. The characters acted foolishly and illogically, and several important things were left unresolved, which suggests a sequel is coming despite the lackluster box office returns. However, I'm not too excited because, at least from a cinematic perspective, it's an overstuffed mess that could be defined as "Harry Potter meets a Gaiman imitator, and they both agree that Twilight and Star Wars are super cool."
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For how exemplary Lily Collins is as Clary, there's so much disappointment on the whole that it's downright tragic. Jamie Bower is clearly desperately bored in Jace's shoes, the creators forgot to tell the wild Jonathan Rhys Meyers that this was not just another episode of The Tudors, and my favorite Isabelle has turned into a snappy dominatrix. Jessica Postigo may have dutifully read the saga, but she wants to incorporate practically every supporting character with all their motivations into the script, even though in this format it would take up half the running time to explain the entire mythology. Luke and Hodge then merely fill the role of forgettable sidekicks instead of making a proper impact on the plot from time to time. The creators ultimately did not even get the chance to return to the Institute, so no further damage was done. I have a great fondness for the saga of the nephilim world in book form, at least as far as the original trilogy is concerned, so I don't want to delve too deep into this rating on principle, but considering how the outcome could have been, a 50% rating is quite a sad limit.
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