Film My Thoughts on The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Film

I seriously can't type this fast enough. This movie was freakin' amazing! Fans of Harry Potter rejoice, as its equal has been found. Seriously. I can imagine myself fangirlig over this as much as I ever did HP, going to all the TMI movies, etc.

I've been a fan of this book series for years, and honestly... I went into it a little skeptical. But not only did this movie meet my expectations, it surpassed them. It. Kept. Every. Major. Plot. Point. And. More! Right now, book readers across the world are rejoicing with me for this sentence. When does that ever happen, right? But not only that, but the two major changes they did make to the movie, I thought were a good overall choice to fit in with it, and bring audiences up to speed. This. Is. One. Of. The. Best. Book. To. Screen. Adaptations. That. I. Have. EVER. Seen!

This movie- I can't get over it. I can't stop thinking about it! It did everything right, and I can't wait to go see it again! It just IS TMI, you know? You get the same feelings you get from reading it, the actors are phenomenal and really embody the characters, and the characters are written so well!

That's another thing about this movie: the characters were written spectacularly! I've been drawn to tears many times by Clary's plight, but this movie made it real, painful, and bold. AS IT SHOULD BE. First and foremost, this is a story about characters and who they are, what drives them, and how they deal with everything that happens to them, and really...what else can you ask for at the end of the day? Characters make a movie and if you don't have good ones, no matter how great your plot is, it'll inevitably be lackluster.

And the girl power! Clary, Izzy, Jocelyn: you three rock! If I were ever in a fight, I would want you all on my team. ALL of the girls in this movie are BA, and I think that's quite an accomplishment, seeing as how Jocelyn's unconscious for most of the movie. XD

The fight scenes: Rest assured everyone, that this movie is NOT and will never be another Twilight. The fight scenes were just great. Honestly, though I've read all of the books in the TMI series (and much more than once), I never understood just how intense and dark some of these things got. But man, do I have a new outlook on it all now! They were choreographed well, the Shadowhunters looked like they knew what they were doing, but were also fighting for their lives, Jace was as reckless as ever, and Clary was not a damsel (thank the heavens, because some of us were worrying about that, from the way the trailer was cut together), but rather a true heroine, and-

Man, is this movie dark. And though it is darker than the books, I'm actually okay with it. Otherwise, I think Clary's journey would have been discredited. And honestly, the life of a Nephilim IS terrifying, and I'm glad they showed that here. That's not to say there's no humor, though. There are a TON of great lines from the book (via Jace and Simon's wit), and the movie does a good job balancing it all out. And doesn't take itself as seriously as the Twilight movies did, sadly (when the books never did, and were more light and funny).

Also, about the romance: Yes, there are hints of it in this, but try and name one story where there isn't any. At the end of the day, this is just a side plot, and everything else far outweighs the shipping. And when there is hints of romance in the movie, it's done well and concisely.

And Jace and Clary... sparks will fly. Wow. For once, a book to movie adaptation is behind the right ship!(coughTheHarryPotterMoviesShippedHarry/HermioneAndTheTwiMoviesShippedJacob/Bellacough) 'Dat greenhouse scene is... Just listen to this song, and you'll imagine what I mean www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8av_4….

And oh boy, am I glad they made the characters older for the movie. Jace and Clary's makeout scene is already somewhat steamy, and I can only imagine how it will be in later books, like CoFA, CoLS, and even that one segment of CoG... Plus, it just makes sense for them to be older, since we never saw the at school in the books at all. LOL.

Another thing: Simon and Clary was done so well. At the heart of it, these two are best friends no matter what, and will always be there for each other. Yes, Simon has feelings for Clary, but they want what's best for each other, and it isn't just about the love triangle for them. Their interactions were so pure and genuine, and honestly, it was one of my favorite aspects of the film. They did such a good job with the two of them, and I could really see them geeking out about anime if the movie had allowed it.

If I have to pick one complaint about this movie, it would have to be SPOILER...

When Valentine was beating Jace to a pulp, and almost killed him. I can overlook the other ways they portrayed Valentine, but that right there: No. Just no. It's completely OOC, as Valentine truly loves his son. Remember how he reacted to a certain part in CoG? Yeah. I couldn't imagine the Valentine in the movie reacting that way. At All. I get why they did this, but I do hope they dial it back in future installments. Valentine is supposed to be trying to get Jace to join him, not kill him. And, you know, Jace is supposed to actually love his father, and therefore be conflicted about his allegiances. Anyway...

SPOILER DONE

Anyway, with all of that, I think I'll leave my ridiculously long review as is. And all of the people who have worked on this movie: Just thank you. You have done a beautiful job, I can't wait to see City of Ashes (opening night!), and thanks for giving me something new to obsess over again (I needed that, after finishing the GoT books). You really have painted a beautiful world, that I truly believe everyone should embrace and see. Thank you. And, yes. If there were ever any doubts before, people, without a doubt: Jaime is out Jace

Eagerly awaiting the release of The City of Ashes movie, and The City of Heavenly Fire book.

-Shanna

P.S. What was you guys' thoughts and favorite part? Mine has to be when Jace and Clary get into that fight after their first kiss, as it's so them. They're a very on-again-off-again couple, and I actually love that about them. Plus, I always liked Jace's lines like, "In the future, Clarissa, it might be wise to mention that you already have a man in your bed to avoid such tedious situations," and Clary's, "Stop acting like nothing hurts you!" line. Anyway...

 

I hate to bump, but I just saw this thread.
I'm surprised you liked it so much. I was extremely disappointed by this movie. I've read all of the books (except for Infernal Devices. First one is on my Kindle, but it doesn't want to show for some reason) and have even invested in a few issues of the comic book adaptation (surprise surprise). The movie seemed like it was made for the "Twilight-the-forbidden-romance-is-all-we-really-want" crowd. They put some of the best characters on the back burner (seriously, what did Alec do the entire movie? He got jealous and he went into a coma. Bane flirted with Alec and then revealed the invasion. Isabel didn't get to kick enough ass). Most of acting wasn't bad, though. The action scenes were great (oh god, when Valentine made that pentagram out of weapons, I almost shat myself). But the story of the movie took a backseat to the romance of it (though when Jace and Clary finally kissed, that scene was amazing). I would have picked a few different...actors, but that's just a personal preference (I imagined Alec taller and skinnier and Bane bulkier, but I guess their version of it made more sense. Valentine looked...not at all how he did in my head). The best thing the movie did for itself was the weapons cache in every church and Bach being a Shadowhunter composer.
My biggest complaint, though, has to be...THE CITY OF BONES. The movie was called City of Bones, it was based on the book "City of Bones," and the actual City of Bones in the movie looked more like the Basement of Bones.
I'm not saying I don't support the movie anymore, but I don't think I was ever disappointed as much by a movie adaptation than this one. I don't think it did too well, either. I heard City of Ashes is now hitting production trouble because of the negative reaction to City of Bones. Good news, though, Sigourney Weaver is cast in the second movie (my money's on the Inquisitor).