Book to Movie Review: The Mortal Instruments, City of Bones

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Review: I recently went to see City of Bones in theaters and while the over-saturation of media blitz beforehand made me a little uneasy, any reservations I had were almost immediately put to rest. In short, I really really really liked this movie (dare I say love?). The acting is what you would expect, it seemed like everyone was giving there best and also having a little fun. The pacing was a little sub par and slow at many points, but redeemed itself with special effects and hitting all the important points from the books. The casting I thought was perfect, especially the widely popular Magnus Bane. A lot of people are saying that Jamie Campbell Bower (who plays Jace) is not right for the role. Personally? I am so very relieved that they made Jace more likable (see, not so pig-headed). Sure, they could have cast someone who was, well, more muscular but teen heartthrobs lately are lanky so I can get where the casting team was coming from. Overall, this is a movie MADE for fans of the book. There are quite a few Easter eggs for readers, although it described enough for those unfamiliar with the series to enjoy themselves too.


Read the Book Beforehand?: Advised. I'm almost always a fan of reading the book beforehand, but I didn't get a chance to before seeing this movie. Like I said, this movie is made primary with fans of the books in mind so it's a good idea. I had to go bad home and re-read this book to remember everything, because while I didn't feel like they had left anything out I still felt a little lost.


Theater or DVD: I say both! If you are a fan of the books, whether slight or full-blown it really is a fun little movie. I don't buy DVDs often, but I'm really excited to see the bonus content of this film.