Review of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013) by Jessica H — 20 Jun 2014

Good:

1. This movie adaptation of the best-selling novel by Cassandra Clare was fast-paced and exciting, throwing disaster after disaster at the audience.

2. Magnus Bane was so handsome, sexy, hot and dreamy in eyeliner! I absolutely love him!

Not So Good:

1. However, the breakneck pace was also the reason why the characters did not leave much of an impression of me. For the characters of Clary and Jace, at least they had many scenes so it's wasn't that bad for them. But for the other characters like Isabella, Alec and Magnus, they only appeared for a few scenes each! I hope that the directors and producers will rectify this in the next movie.

2. This movie was too much of a fan movie. It lacked so much needed explanation. My friend, who's not a reader of the series, summed this movie up in one word- confusing. Not only did this movie lack needed application, it also just threw scene after scene at the audience without linking them together.

3. I'm not sure but I think Godfrey Gao's part was dubbed by someone else because Magnus Bane's voice sounded so different from Godfrey Gao's. In the novels, Magnus Bane was supposed to have a slight accent. So why did they dub Godfrey Gao?

4. The ending of this movie was so lousy. It ended like a sequel was not expected. It did not end at a cliffhanger or with a resolution. To me, it felt like the movie ended for the sake of ending it.

Conclusion:

All in all, this was a fan movie. I like it because I am a fan of the series. However, if you've never read and books and and are interested in watching the movie, I would recommend that you read the book before going.