When the lights go out in the city, forever

FINALLY here comes a movie packed with nail-biting adventure, mystery and an absorbing storyline, yet without kungfu kicks, guns, car chase, special effects, Inca tombs, flying demons or cartoony humour.

City of Ember is the last underground refuge for the human race. Lights shine in the city, powered by a massive generator. But outside the built-up area, the light ends, and darkness takes over.

It’s now more than 200 years later, and the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. The frequent blackouts are terrifying and when they happen, people come to a halt in the middle of the street or stand stock still in their houses, afraid to move in the utter darkness. It is a reminder of something they preferred not to think about: that some day the lights of the city might go out and never come back on.

The pipes carrying water to the city are leaking and corroding, but there are no new parts. The supply of food – mostly canned and packaged stuff from long ago, and a small amount of vegetables grown in greenhouses – is also running out.

But life goes on for most people; they appear worried but feel that as individuals, there is little they can do. There is a corrupt mayor who, with the help of the storekeeper, is secretly hoarding food in a hideaway bunker. He goes to the bunker to gorge himself on the food, knowing that if the city collapsed, he can still survive for a long while with his hoard.

Only two teenagers, Lina and Doon, are determined to find a solution to save the inhabitants. When Lina finds a metal box with part of an ancient message, she is sure it holds a secret that will show a way out of the city. She and Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember permanently, and everyone is trapped in the darkness.

Things fall apart when technology is forgotten

The underground city is presented in all its shabby, realistic details. It glows with a sepia tint, the look of a gently decaying town, with narrow streets, flimsy walls and windows that have not been wiped for years. You are drawn into the general apathy of a people who do not know even the basic skills of plumbing and electricity. Everything is slowly falling apart.

They exist only as consumers of the leftovers that their forefathers have installed and provided, without understanding that society must constantly repair, renew and innovate, if it is to avoid total collapse. Even their clothes are dusty and threadbare.

Lina works as a messenger, running and zipping her way through the streets and alleys to deliver messages via word of mouth. Doon works with the pipes, patching leaks with rags. The two are full of energy, in contrast with the rest of the people around them. They stumble upon the bunker room where the mayor is sound asleep after a heavy meal. Realising the awful truth, Lina goes to inform the other officials, but is instead arrested. She escapes, and together with Doon, they manage to keep one step ahead of their pursuers, while desperately trying to piece together the missing parts of the message in order to obtain the complete instructions on how to leave the city.
The movie pulls you into the lives of these two young people. You find yourself feeling as anxious as they are. Each time they solve a difficulty – opening the door to the generator room, or finding the boats that will carry them along the underground river – there is a frustrating set of new problems to confront.

The two kids finally come to the last exit – they climb a series of steps out of the cavern to the surface of the Earth. You want to shout and rejoice with them but you cannot, because up there, you see only darkness everywhere. You are as disappointed as Lina and Doon.

The story is just about to end, but really, it is not over, yet…

Background

The movie is based on a young adult novel by Jeanne DuPrau. The cast comprises Bill Murray as the mayor, Saoirse Ronan as Lina, and Harry Treadaway as Doon. Filming was finished in October 2007 and the film was released on October 10, 2008. Jeanne DuPrau wrote three other books – two sequels and a prequel.

I watched the movie because I thought it would be another mindless entertainment stuff like Indiana Jones, Harry Potter or Tomb Raider. Instead, what I got was a thinking adult’s movie in the guise of a children’s story.

The narrative is well-paced and tightly-woven, and the teenagers’ acting is very good. Most important, there is no cheating, like in James Bond or Harry Potter where no matter how difficult the situation, the hero has a bag of tricks and always manages to out-run, outgun or out-magic his opponents. Now I'm going to order the book at Amazon.

By the way, check out the movie Web site, and play its enjoyable connect-the-pipes game.

Saoirse Ronan as the quick-witted and fleet-footed Lina