Certificate: 12
Running Time: 130 mins
Starring: Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Robert Sheehan
Director: Harold Zwart,
Based on the successful novel by Cassandra Clare, The Mortal Instruments is a mediocre film aimed at young adults. No surprises here with the same theme most films aimed at this audience seem to go for, a coming of age- who am I and where do I belong? The main protagonist being a teenage girl ‘Clary’ played by the actress Lily Collins. The narrative concept was something you would expect for a fantasy, adventure film with groups of supernatural characters being introduced from werewolves to shadow hunters, to demons and the odd mortal looking confused throughout. Clary is introduced to the shadow hunters- whose powers are produced from tattoos they draw on their bodies, called runes- as her mother is kidnapped by her evil biological father, finding a blonde hair, blue eyed love interest played by Jamie Campbell Bower, finding out why her mother was taken and how to stop her father. All while not realising that her best friend Simon – Robert Sheehan has always loved her…
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc4CiTvQ-YE
The film seemed to stick with usual conventions and stereotypes until we meet the character Alec played by Kevin Zegers who turns out to be gay and in love with the protagonists love interest without being type cast, I thought he played a very realistic, gay shadow hunter, who if it wasn’t pointed out would not be an obvious gay character.
The film does seem to falter near the end of the film as Clary’s father is introduced trying to summon demons for his control. Until this point the acting could have been passable but when a great actor like Jonathan Rhys Meyers enters a scene, he seems to steal the show with his talent. Even in the interviews with the main characters they talked about him ‘upping their game’ throughout filming describing him as the most intense actor.
Overall an OK watch if there’s nothing much on but the cinematography left something to be desired and the acting could have been better. The character development, well, never happened and the storyline asked more questions than it ultimately answered.
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