Movie Review: MORTAL INSTRUMENTS

My Thoughts:

I haven't read the book so I can't compare the story in both media. I can tell you, however, that I found some of the characters in the movie are too stupid to live (TSTL). This discourages me from reading the book because I couldn't help wondering if they are even more of a TSTL in the book than they are in the movie. But not all characters are stupid. Take Magnus Bane for example, he seems to be one of the bad guys but he knows which side would keep him alive. So not all characters are TSTL. And then there's Jonathan Rhys Myers who plays the bad guy to perfection! Wonderful performance!! It seems that it's just the main characters who are stupid. WTF?!! And then as if that is not enough, the plot depends on some characters acting stupid to give the story a little bit more drama. Rather weak plot. However the world building and the CGI (computer generated imagery) which brought this fantastical world to vivid life is awesome!! The mixing of the CGI and the physical set and live actors is seamless! The flow of images looked smooth. The CGI team flippin' deserves a raise!

At the end of it, I enjoyed the movie. But I hope they would do a better job with the second movie, specially with the script and plot.

Empirical Evaluation:
Cinematography = 5
Script/Story Itself = 2
Ending = 3
World building = 4.5
Plot = 2
Acting = 3

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 cherries

Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones (2013)
Starring Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Kevin Zegers, Jemima West, Robert Sheehan, Godfrey Gao, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Directed by Harald Zwart.

Genre: urban fantasy YA

About Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones (2013):

Set in contemporary New York City, a seemingly ordinary teenager, Clary Fray (Lily Collins), discovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother (Lena Headey), Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures. Based on the worldwide best-selling book series. Written by Sony Pictures Entertainment

Source: Info in the About Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones (2013) was taken from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1538403/ on 24/08/2013.

Movie Trailer:

Movie Links:
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The book from which the movie was based from:

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Book 1 of the Mortal Instruments series
Genre: urban fantasy YA

About City of Bones:

Don’t miss The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, soon to be a major motion picture in theaters August 2013!

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

Source: Info in the About City of Bones was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/256683.City_of_Bones on 24/08/2013.

Review: THE HOST (2013)

My Thoughts:

I went to watch this movie on the week it came out at the cinema but didn't get to review it straight away, so this is now a retrospective review. For like, a month or so retrospective. I think Saoirse Ronan really did well with her portrayal of both Melanie Stryder and The Wanderer/Wanda. I think it was a brilliant performance indeed! The movie followed the book quite closely as far as I can remember the book. And I liked that in the movie. However the ending for some reason was more exciting in the book than it happened in the movie. And I didn't rate the plot a high score because as far as I can see there wasn't much of a plot really. The entire thick book and/or the movie was all about the coming of age of Wanda and that was it! An introduction to the world of Wanda. But how the story was told is what made all the difference and this was translated well into the movie from how Stephenie Meyer told it in the book. Or maybe I saw it that way because I already knew the story going into the movie. Either way, I really like the way the story was told in the movie. Or the way the story unfolded in the movie. I guess that also contributed in making the world building a really beautiful one too. Or it could be that the world building was just simply masterful and intricate. Or maybe I am just being biased seeing that I am already an old fan of the book. Another positive thing about the movie is it seems that in the movie, my idea of the book was given a visual representation, and I liked that seeing that I am a "visual-touchy-feely" kind of reader. So I enjoyed the movie and looking forward to reading the next book in The Host series. I hope that they will make a movie of it too and that they will do the same excellent job they did with this one!

Empirical Evaluation:
Cinematography = 4.5
Story itself = 4
Ending = 4
World building = 5
Attention to detail = 4.5
Acting = 4.5
Casting = 4.5
Plot = 3.5

Cherry Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


The Host (2013) Trailer:

About The Host (2013):

When an unseen enemy threatens mankind by taking over their bodies and erasing their memories, Melanie will risk everything to protect the people she cares most about, proving that love can conquer all in a dangerous new world.

Source: Info in the About The Host (2013) was taken from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1517260 on 21/04/2013.

Movie Link(s):
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The book from which the movie was adopted from:

The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Book 1 of The Host series
Genre: dystopian science fiction/fantasy

About The Host :

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human.

Source: Info in the About The Host was taken from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1656001.The_Host on 21/04/2013.