Ronan next played the daughter of an impoverished psychic (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones) in the supernatural thriller "Death Defying Acts" (2007) and starred as Lina Mayfleet, a heroic teenager who must save the inhabitants of an underground city named Ember in the fantasy film "City of Ember" (2008). Both films received a mixed critical reception and failed at the box office. In a review for the latter, the critic Stephen Holden took note of how Ronan's talents were wasted in it.