Review: The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones

                             I'd Say These 'Instruments' Hardly Play An Adequate Musical Sound

                     We are living in an age where film adaptations of young adult book franchises reign supreme, for the most part with films like The Hunger Games, Twilight, and of course Harry Potter. However, there are those that seem destined to join their ranks like Beautiful Creatures, and the result sadly wasn't the desired outcome. But with The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, if the sequel weren't to come around, I wouldn't really miss it.

                      Story:
                    The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones follows a New York City girl named Clary Fray (Lily Collins) whose mother Jocelyn (Lena Headey) has been kidnapped. She then realizes that her mother was a Shadowhunter, or a hunter of demons, and that she is part Shadowhunter. Eventually, along with her best friend Simon (Robert Sheehan), she is thrust into the world of the supernatural and with the aid of a Shadowhunter named Jace (Jamie Campbell Bower).

                  What I Liked About It:
                 I will say that I did think the special effects were pretty cool and some of the creature effects as well. There is even one scene which reveals the idea of Johann Sebastian Bach being a Shadowhunter. I thought that was pretty cool. Other than that, there really isn't much I can add.

                 What I Didn't Like About It:
                First off, I will say that the whole idea of an ordinary teen who realizes he or she is not so ordinary or is thrust into a magical or supernatural world has been done before many times. Not only that, but The Mortal Instruments hardly focuses on any central themes, unlike films like The Hunger Games, Divergent, Beautiful Creatures, and Harry Potter. Sure, it may focus on a girl who slowly becomes a fierce heroine, but even that has been done before. So, the film doesn't really have its own identity. The Shadowhunters even refer to humans as "Mundanes", like how humans in Harry Potter are referred to as "Muggles".

                Another thing that bugged me was how there are certain plot points that go almost nowhere. I worry that I would spoil the film, so I'll only discuss one just to be safe. Throughout the film, Clary constantly sees this ancient symbol that hardly ever really explain. I would hope that they do in the sequel if it happens to get made.

                 Consensus:
                Overall, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is a visual spectacle that is still rather forgettable. I certainly wouldn't recommend this to everyone, but if you want to see a film based off a YA book, I would say watch The Hunger Games, Divergent, Harry Potter, or even Beautiful Creatures, which isn't even getting a sequel. To me, that is quite sad because I thought that was more deserving of a sequel than this film. At least the first two films I just mentioned are becoming or have become franchises. Anyways, you're better off watching any of those four.

Grade: C-