City of Ember

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City of Ember

PG

2008

1h 35m

Kids & Family

Fantasy

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

53%

Tomatometer

129 Reviews

46%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

For generations a massive generator has sustained the needs of the underground city of Ember. But the generator was built to last only 200 years, and as its lights start to flicker and fade, it remains to two youths, Lina Mayfleet (Saoirse Ronan) and Doon Harrow (Harry Treadaway), to follow a cryptic series of clues that will restore light to the place.

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Critics Consensus

City of Ember is visually arresting, and boasts a superb cast, but is sadly lacking in both action and adventure.

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Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

Dec 12, 2008

3/5

Murray playing the glutton doesn't exactly fit the bill and for all the architectural care that's gone into Ember's creation, the secret at its heart is no mystery to us, the audience.

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David Stratton

The Australian

Dec 12, 2008

3.5/5

Murray is always good to have around, and so are Tim Robbins, who plays Doon's defeated father, and Martin Landau as one of the drones who tries to keep the city in working order. The young actors are excellent.

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Claudia Puig

USA Today

Oct 10, 2008

2.5/4

Even if it occasionally goes off course, City of Ember provides audiences with a thought-provoking and family-friendly adventure.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Mar 20, 2024

2/4

The story’s science fiction foundation becomes nothing more than your run-of-the-mill adventure yarn, abandoning its thought-provoking ideas for something much less satisfying.

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Linda Cook

AWFJ.org

Oct 5, 2021

This enchanting science-fiction story has a female protagonist who's so courageous and smart you'll wish she were your daughter...

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Nov 28, 2020

7/10

It's difficult not to become immersed in the fun of uncovering clues and discovering secrets in a society and landscape with few caps on creativity.

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Noah S

@NoahS11042 6 days ago

Overall, a pretty good movie! Definitely worth watching whether you’ve read the books or not :)

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 12, 2026

This was just an okay movie!

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Kyle M

@RT77296778 Aug 19, 2026

May have gone down as another YA cinematic flop that unfortunately prevented any subsequential adaptations, the viewing experience itself sums this up as an underrated, substantially imbalanced, subtly adventurous marvel too ambitiously enveloped for its engaging vision bolstered by solid performances. (B)

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Gavy K

@Glitchycat May 15, 2026

I have seen the movie and read the book, there were some parts that were not in the book but overall it was great!

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Jan 30, 2026

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Jerod S

@jeroduptown Dec 21, 2025

Ember burns brighter than we expected - especially with the cast they had lined up. But - there wasn't as much excitement and adventure until they escaped at the very end.

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Gil Kenan

Director

Saoirse Ronan

Lina Mayfleet

Harry Treadaway

Doon Harrow

Bill Murray

Mayor Cole

Tim Robbins

Loris

Martin Landau

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Synopsis

For generations a massive generator has sustained the needs of the underground city of Ember. But the generator was built to last only 200 years, and as its lights start to flicker and fade, it remains to two youths, Lina Mayfleet (Saoirse Ronan) and Doon Harrow (Harry Treadaway), to follow a cryptic series of clues that will restore light to the place.

Director: Gil Kenan
Producer: Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks
Screenwriter: Caroline Thompson
Production Co: Playtone Productions, Walden Media
Rating: PG (Some Thematic Elements|Mild Peril)
Genre: Kids & Family, Fantasy, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 10, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.9M
Runtime: 1h 35m

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