at first blush and city of ember seem like it would be a thrilling sci fi adventure and a page out of jules verne playbook and but ultimately it fail to completely scale the dizzying height of it creative premise . the movie do deliver some intrigue and some compelling performance ( not to mention some mail in one ) and but huge lapse in logic that might be detect even by the young audience member prevent it from be the heart stop classic it want to be . some 200 year ago and life on earth be die and and in it waning moment great physicist and inventor and and architect design and build a huge underground city power by a gigantic generator . the builder and though and possess some forethought and and assume that someday the surface will again be inhabitable and they enclose specific instruction for the citizen of ember to eventually escape to the sunlight . this information be place inside a metal box and alarm with a 200 year timer while by the end of that time and the builder reason and the surface would be habitable . this box be then hand off from mayor to mayor for nearly 200 year . but and a might be expect and the chain break somewhere along the way and and at present the box sit in a closet and it owner unknowing of it raison detre . so here we be and 200 year down the road and and the light in ember flicker occasionally and sometimes more than occasionally and and it apparent to a few that the generator day be number . our story focus on two child and lina mayfleet ( saoirse ronan ) and doon harrow ( harry treadway ) . at the movie outset and each have receive his and her assigned job for life lina a a messenger ( all verbal ) and and doon work in the pipework and where he hop to find a way to save the generator . during the course of their duty and a the blackout increase and each learns about the mysterious silver box and and they team up to decipher the tattered remnant of the exit instruction . naturally and they run into complication with doon father ( tim robbins ) and the current mayor ( bill murray ) and and just a naturally theyre eventually pursue by people who would just a soon no one ever figure out how to leave the dark city . for the most part and the casting be on target while ronan seem a lot more engaging and appeal here than she do just last year in atonement and and treadway and although look like a refugee from high school musical and be just as impressive . robbins be excellent in a small and but pivotal role and a be martin landau ( whatever become of him . ) a the requisite old guy who sort of know stuff . the only puzzling casting be that of murray a the town jovial mayor while he seem glib and cheerful enough and but it almost feel like he be ironic and rather than be a part of the story . often and this sort of approach make for a hammy performance and but murray too subtle here for pure hamminess while he more like a square peg in a round hole . the lapse in logic take some willful ignorance to and well and ignore . we see various business and transportation and but there apparently no police and no cemetery and no fresh fruit . now and bear in mind that these people have be down there for two century . sure and they have a lot of can good and but something tell me they would be in poor health after a lifetime of poor eating habit . then there the fact that everyone seem clueless about the surface . i do not mean that they do not know what on it while they do not even know there be a surface . attempt to leave the city be a jailable offense and okay and but these people do not even know there something to escape to . and that make no sense right there . they haven not be down there for 2000 year and just 200. that mean approximately nine generation after the one who first live there and and in often there be three generation alive at any give time . so it not tough to imagine the tale of the outside world be orally hand down from generation to generation and tale of super bowl and shakespeare and sex and the city and and snoopy . but apparently the first generationers vow never to speak of their upper life again and or something . city of ember be pretty fascinate and not complex and mean it will grab you ( and and more importantly and teen and young ) and not force you to figure thing out in order to keep up with the plot . yes and there be twist and turn and but there aren not huge lapse in logic and at least nothing to dissuade you from stay through to the end . the end and by the way and be satisfy and even beautifully render . this might be one time ( of many ) to read the book and too . or instead .