The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Review

Justina and I saw The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones on August 21, 2013!! I absolutely loved this!! This was a pretty faithful adaptation of the book, and I liked that. I feel this is one of the best book series currently available. I am fascinated by the fantasy genre, and I like how supernatural worlds are mixed throughout the series. The book flows really well, and I think the movie did an amazing job capturing key scenes. I thought the casting for this movie was excellent. There is a world hidden within our own, and that is what the main character Clary Fray will experience as she is a descendant from a line of Shadowhunters. What this means is they battle demons and protect the mundane (human) world from suffering. They are half-angel. I find the main plot to be exciting. I think Lily Collins did an incredible job as Clary. She perfectly balanced the confusion and naivety of her new role with powers she never knew she had while also maintaining what makes up the core personality traits of the normal teenage girl. Her physical look worked very well, and is what I envisioned when I read this. Collins is a great young actress. She must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters when her mother goes missing. With this group, she will experience new sights, new battles, new family, and a world that is bigger than that of the mundanes. She'll discover how important her powers are concerning the Mortal Cup, demons...and even that next door neighbor she thought she knew her whole life(this scene with CCH Pounder is crucial to the plot, and was presented the best way it possibly could-great visuals at work). Jamie Campbell Bower was perfect casting for Jace Wayland. He captured the mystery, look, and attitude of the character well. I felt the chemistry between Lily & Jamie was natural. I liked the battle sequences as they were filled with amazing visuals, especially the showdowns in the Hotel Dumont with the Downworlder vampires, the Pandemonium club (where Clary first witnesses the existence of Jace), and the climactic battle with Valentine Morgenstern. It is just really incredible watching the colors, fighting styles, and unique weaponry at work in these scenes. As I watched the movie unfold, I kept remembering the particular chapter in the book it came from. It really was a faitful adaptation overall. I also felt that the casting for the chief antagonist in Valentine was phenomenal. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers has a villainous look, and was very believable in his role as a powerful being that wants absolute control over their entire world. There are many ineresting twists in the plot, and they were included in the movie which is important in shaping the series. I also felt that Robert Sheehan, Jemima West, and Kevin Zegers all perfectly captured the Simon, Isabelle, and Alec characters. I like Isabelle and her fighting style with her silver whip and attitude make her an awesome Shadowhunter. Sheehan is exactly what Simon should be like as the concerned best friend of Clary that also is interested in being more than friends with her. Zegers captured the physical look of Alec and the feelings for Jace really well. Each character was great on screen, because the casting choices were spot on. In order to make the characters believable, the cast has to make them that way. Clary Fray is one of my favorite characters in literature, and Collins made her a favorite on screen character, and I commend her for doing the role justice. The incredible cast breathing life into these larger than life characters, amazing battle scenes, faithful adaptation to the book, and exciting plot make this an easy 5/5 for me. I really enjoyed this!!