The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Starring: Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, & Robert Sheehan

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

For those of you who didn't read the book, City of Bones, this movie may seem a bit confusing to you. This film is kind of like a cliff notes version of the book. Certainly they had to cut things out of the nearly 500 page novel, but some key moments are simply touched upon with a line or two, making the movie a bit confusing at times. Clary Fray (Lily Collins) is a seemingly normal girl, who for some reason can't stop drawing a symbol. When she starts asking about the symbol, she is pulled into a world she never knew existed. As it turns out, Clary is keeping secrets, secrets she doesn't even know she has. It's those secrets that will eventually put her life, and the lives of everyone she knows, in danger. At first, the two main characters seem like they are completely different and won't have any chemistry at all, but as time goes on, they learn they're more alike than they think. Once their on the same page, the story really takes off. Lily Collins (Abduction, The Blind Side) really takes hold of her character and gives the film a strong female lead, that rivals Katniss Everdeen. Collins is paired with British heart-throb, Jamie Campbell Bower, who is a lot more than eye candy. I'd never seen Bower in anything, except bit parts in Twilight and Harry Potter, but the guy has some serious fighting skills. Bower is another one who at first doesn't seem to fit, but in the end really helps to make this film something special. To answer the big question about City of Bones, no, it is not as good as the book and you really shouldn't have expected it to be. The novel is massive and has entire parts that simply couldn't be transferred to the big screen. Some things were left out that shouldn't have been, while some of the more fast paced scenes were extended for the screen. All in all, I thought this movie was a pretty good representation of an excellent novel and a great film to include in your next movie night.