City of EmberMovie Reviews

Poster art for "City of Ember."

Gifts + Promos

The Vow Free Gift

Buy tickets & receive a FREE 3-Month Love Forecast from Astrology.com!

Fandango Bucks

Send your sweetheart the gift of movies this Valentine’s Day!

Journey Sweeps

Enter for a chance to win a trip for 2 to Nicaragua!

Interactive Oscar Ballot

Who's taking home the Oscar? Cast your vote & challenge your friends on Facebook!

Need Help?
So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 58 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
8 OK for kids 8+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    An impressive and imaginative fantasy. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post |

    It's not an entirely convincing trip, but it is the sort of satisfying movie you wished they would make more often. Read full review

  • 67
    Entertainment Weekly |

    The story, which follows two kids who try to save their burg from blackouts, isn't well-executed, losing itself to unclear mythology and sci-fi gibberish. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    At its best when sticking to a classic sci-fi-fantasy format. But when it tries to be a generic thrill ride, it loses its originality and peculiar charm. Read full review

  • 63
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    It's innocent and sometimes kind of charming. The sets are entertaining. There are parallels in appearance and theme to a low-rent "Dark City." Read full review

  • 50
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    Stalls at the intersection of fantasy and science fiction. Read full review

  • 50
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    You long for things to go bump in the night, but the movie muffles every risk in a blanket of bland. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    At only 95 minutes, the movie feels as though it had been shredded in the editing room. In Hollywood-speak, it has a weak second act. Read full review

  • 50
    Los Angeles Times |

    None of this means that the film is necessarily enjoyable to watch, however, which is often the problem when the rigors of inspired storytelling can't live up to an imaginatively designed filmic world. Read full review

  • 50
    Variety | Justin Chang

    A fabulously designed underground metropolis proves more involving than the teenagers running through its streets in City of Ember, a good-looking but no more than serviceable adaptation of Jeanne Duprau's 2003 novel. Read full review

View more reviews for City of Ember on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 8+ Fast-paced fantasy has lots of tense moments.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this fantasy based on the popular middle-grade novel of the same name doesn't have much to worry about in the way of sexual content, language, drinking, or strong violence. But its constant tension and often-dark mood -- it's about a decaying underground city founded to make sure humanity survived the end of the world -- make it too intense for the youngest viewers. The teenage main characters face challenges ranging from corrupt officials to a ravenous giant mole; they navigate these problems with persistence and resourcefulness.
  • Families can talk about why so many of the grown-ups in Ember were afraid or unwilling to accept what was happening to the city. Why were Lina and Doon different? Do you think that's a realistic reflection of the differences between adults and kids? Assuming the city's resources hadn't started failing, do you think Ember could have survived indefinitely? Is it possible to set up an ordered society? Families who've read the book can also discuss how the movie is similar and different. Which do you like better? Why?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: The young protagonists are resourceful, determined, curious, and independent -- which presents a stark contrast to the blithe denial or fearful acceptance of most of the grown-ups. Some adult characters are selfish and corrupt. Lina is a strong female character, but there's not too much diversity in Ember.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence and scariness: Several tense scenes involving a ravenous giant mole, which pursues the main characters very aggressively and is quite creepy and scary. It's implied that one supporting character dies violently (not shown); another, the only guardian of two children, passes away peacefully. Some chase scenes and brief scuffles between characters. The main characters are frequently in danger. A ride down a powerful river has lots of perilous moments.
  • sex false0 Sexy stuff: Not an issue
  • language false0 Language: One use of "sexy."
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

4.5

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

...tougher and stranger than most kid movies Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

Read more movie reviews at Movies.com

City of Ember Featured Trailers + Video Clips

Facebook Movie Fans

Fan Fandango on Facebook