Fantasy falls short

The big-screen adaptation of Jeanne Duprau's children's book The City of Ember stalls at the intersection of fantasy and science fiction, where young people must navigate a weird and perplexing other world.

While director Gil Kenan and writer Caroline Thompson's work leans towards fantasy, their film leaves gaping holes in the science fiction. City of Ember might enjoy a modest success with young people.

Dark life

The story begins at the end — of the world. But what caused the end of the world is never mentioned.

The rulers of society send what is left of humanity to an underground city built to last two centuries, after which it will be safe to come up for air.

One box, set to open in 200 years, will explain everything to survivors, including how to escape from this City of Ember.

It falls to two high-school grads, Doon (Harry Treadaway) and Lina (Saoirse Ronan), to challenge the order.

Doon realises the generator powering everything is falling to bits. He longs to get his hands on it but society demands that he perform a job assigned to him by lottery.

Lina's ancestor, a previous mayor, died before he could pass on the crucial tell-all box. Now she discovers it and starts to plumb its secrets, including crumbling instructions on how to escape Ember.

The city set resembles a corner of Dickensian London in permanent twilight.

Communication devices no longer exist, so messengers such as Lina tear around streets. People's clothes look like they belong to a community theatre production.

And there are bugs and rodents large enough to ensure a couple of PG-rated scares.

There is little here to quicken the pulse. The villains seem almost harmless while the blackouts, bursting pipes and the escape a foregone conclusion.

A little relief

Treadaway and Oscar nominee Ronan bring verve to underwritten parts while the elders overact terribly.

And Martin Landau, as a narcoleptic pipeworks boss, sleeps throughout the movie. Adult moviegoers may envy him.