It was all jitters and shivers for me (from mad excitement that is!) when I swiped my card to purchase IMAX movie tickets for The Mortal Instruments City of Bones at Cineplex Odeon (now AMC) in Mississauga, Canada. I was there to attend a childhood friend's wedding. Sheer good luck struck and time aligned itself so rightly that Friday afternoon when I called a college-time buddy, Ammara, to join me and my sister for the movie. Only IMAX was available for the time slot that Lady Luck had granted us. Woohoo! I was in a spending mood all of a sudden. I would not have spent $18.99 (CAD) for a movie ticket had it been a regular movie. But this was TMI after all, and Shadowhunting requires an IMAX screen.
There were mixed reviews that I had been reading and my fangirl biases were pretty strong (they still are) and I was ignoring the negatives. True, they have changed the book's storyline a lot to translate the YA series to a phenomenal screenplay. But, I liked it despite the confusion that the movie created for me in the 2 hours 10 minutes I spent in the theater, getting my senses stunned.
O'course, I had gotten into a bit of cosplay for the day. I was sporting a halter style lace dress (a close replica of Isabelle's Pandemonium scene dress), topped by a body fit black jacket with silver zippers angling the sides, Hot Topic's red and black corset-style sleeves, and studded boots. I was also carrying a studded black leather handbag, decorated with the official TMI CoB lanyard from Hot Topic. The angelic rune hung from it in all its grandeur.
The IMAX experience certainly brought everything to life. It felt like I was actually in Clary Fray's kitchen when her mother Jocelyn and Luke. It was a pleasure seeing Aidan Turner play a werewolf after seeing him as Kili the Dwarf in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The resemblance between Jocelyn and Clary is remarkable, really. There hairstyles were so wonderful I am going to try and do those myself. How I secretly wish I could dye my hair red like Clary's.
The introduction of Shadowhunters, particularly the appearance of Jace Wayland, and the demon slaughter at Pandemonium was brilliant. Isabelle's whip is such a classic weapon! I was hoping the Into the Lair soundtrack bit would play here, but it was for Hotel Dumort's fight scene.
Lilly Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower are beautiful, skilled performers on screen. It was brilliant how the two carried the story on their own. The scenes and conversations could have been more detailed. Jace Wayland's sarcasm dialogues needed to be in there a bit more. His expression was hilarious, people were giggling. Robert Sheehan played Simon so, so well. The scene where he commented on Jace Wayland to be a wannabe, blonde, Goth weirdo was peels of laughter! "For the record my hair is naturally blonde." said Jace, and I was cracking up. Also, the bit where he cracks open and confesses before Clary was pretty moving. The last I saw an actor cry like that on screen was Shane West in A Walk to Remember.
The Institute was majestic. I ignored my Harry Potter fanatic sister when she commented that the door locks resembled the ones that lock the Chamber of Secrets. Hodge's study made me instantly jealous! I want to dwell in a study like that, and unlike Hodge I would not complain. Had it not been for the man's treachery, I could totally be Hodge - sipping tea and needing to get out more.
Speaking of the demons *shudders* they were grotesque and perfect in their making! The Ravener demon was sickening. Madame Dorothea turning into Abbadon was insane! Her eyeballs rolling up was so sickening. O! I really wanted to see the conversation roll out between her and Jace the way it was in the book.
I am guessing the black demons made of fire that invaded the Institute were the Iblis demons, but I am not so sure. The book explains each demon and its characteristics - the movie doesn't.
The most anticipated scene for the world was the greenhouse where Jace and Clary share an emotional conversation and a kiss. Jace's tale telling went by pretty fast. Had I not read the book, I would not have gotten the same feels of the character's painful past. Fan folks are disappointed with the muscial score behind the kissing scene and how it was acted out - slightly different from the book. I couldn't find anything wrong with it.
Magnus Bane! Godfrey Gao played it perfectly. My sister and Ammara cracked up when the funky warlock walked into his house party - trouser-less. The eye makeup was to die for. It is compulsory to mention Alec here, played by Kevin Zegers. The actor is so skilled! His looks are as refined as his acting. Ammara was of the opinion that he, instead of Jamie, would have been a better Jace. Umm - 1% of me agrees I guess. Jamie and Kevin's bromance is very popular and they have been goofing around on their Twitters and Instagrams. As Parabatai, they are a perfect battle duo.
The Hotel Dumort battle was the point where major storyline changes happen. Simon was suspended in human form from the ceiling and not as a rat that he had transformed into. I am guessing that was done to give Sheehan more screen time. Alec and Isabelle were fighting alongside Jace and Clary which did not happen - the two were alone with Simon in rat form. There was no conversation between Jace and Raphael's vampire clan. I was SO disappointed they cut out the flying vampire bike scene of Jace and Clary's escape from the hotel roof. That could have been the highlight of the movie! The battle itself; however, was great! Isabelle's whip has got to be my ultimate favorite. Jemima West has got to be Lara Kroft of the new age. Alec's battle moves were planned so wonderfully swift.
A major plot twist has been incorporated in the climax and at the end. Valentine carried Jace and the Mortal Cup with him, through the portal, to Idris - the Shadowhunter Country. Clary's mother remained Valentine's hostage in Idris. In the movie; however, Valentine was kicked into the portal by a very aggressive Clary and she tricked him into taking the Cup's replica and not the Cup itself. Her mother was discovered hidden in the Institute by Simon and Isabelle. I was not disappointed with the changes, but I am shaking with curiosity as to how would they roll out in the sequel - The City of Ashes.
Valentine was played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and very awesomely indeed. I had some complains when he was cast because readers are accustomed to a blonde Valentine with long hair similar to Jace's. I believe that similarity has been disregarded in the movie. Alrighty then. The dialogue between Clary and Valentine was added, I liked that bit.
Jamie is doing a swell job with the heartbreak expression. I have seen him play a romantic in Sweeney Todd, a sinister vampire lord in Twilight, a majestic king Arthur in Camelot, but this is outstanding. They've gone a bit overboard with making him diet all the way to becoming skinny, but his Shadowhunter pride reflects in all glory throughout the movie.
City of Ashes ... I am waiting!
There were mixed reviews that I had been reading and my fangirl biases were pretty strong (they still are) and I was ignoring the negatives. True, they have changed the book's storyline a lot to translate the YA series to a phenomenal screenplay. But, I liked it despite the confusion that the movie created for me in the 2 hours 10 minutes I spent in the theater, getting my senses stunned.
O'course, I had gotten into a bit of cosplay for the day. I was sporting a halter style lace dress (a close replica of Isabelle's Pandemonium scene dress), topped by a body fit black jacket with silver zippers angling the sides, Hot Topic's red and black corset-style sleeves, and studded boots. I was also carrying a studded black leather handbag, decorated with the official TMI CoB lanyard from Hot Topic. The angelic rune hung from it in all its grandeur.
The IMAX experience certainly brought everything to life. It felt like I was actually in Clary Fray's kitchen when her mother Jocelyn and Luke. It was a pleasure seeing Aidan Turner play a werewolf after seeing him as Kili the Dwarf in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The resemblance between Jocelyn and Clary is remarkable, really. There hairstyles were so wonderful I am going to try and do those myself. How I secretly wish I could dye my hair red like Clary's.
The introduction of Shadowhunters, particularly the appearance of Jace Wayland, and the demon slaughter at Pandemonium was brilliant. Isabelle's whip is such a classic weapon! I was hoping the Into the Lair soundtrack bit would play here, but it was for Hotel Dumort's fight scene.
Lilly Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower are beautiful, skilled performers on screen. It was brilliant how the two carried the story on their own. The scenes and conversations could have been more detailed. Jace Wayland's sarcasm dialogues needed to be in there a bit more. His expression was hilarious, people were giggling. Robert Sheehan played Simon so, so well. The scene where he commented on Jace Wayland to be a wannabe, blonde, Goth weirdo was peels of laughter! "For the record my hair is naturally blonde." said Jace, and I was cracking up. Also, the bit where he cracks open and confesses before Clary was pretty moving. The last I saw an actor cry like that on screen was Shane West in A Walk to Remember.
The Institute was majestic. I ignored my Harry Potter fanatic sister when she commented that the door locks resembled the ones that lock the Chamber of Secrets. Hodge's study made me instantly jealous! I want to dwell in a study like that, and unlike Hodge I would not complain. Had it not been for the man's treachery, I could totally be Hodge - sipping tea and needing to get out more.
Speaking of the demons *shudders* they were grotesque and perfect in their making! The Ravener demon was sickening. Madame Dorothea turning into Abbadon was insane! Her eyeballs rolling up was so sickening. O! I really wanted to see the conversation roll out between her and Jace the way it was in the book.
I am guessing the black demons made of fire that invaded the Institute were the Iblis demons, but I am not so sure. The book explains each demon and its characteristics - the movie doesn't.
The most anticipated scene for the world was the greenhouse where Jace and Clary share an emotional conversation and a kiss. Jace's tale telling went by pretty fast. Had I not read the book, I would not have gotten the same feels of the character's painful past. Fan folks are disappointed with the muscial score behind the kissing scene and how it was acted out - slightly different from the book. I couldn't find anything wrong with it.
Magnus Bane! Godfrey Gao played it perfectly. My sister and Ammara cracked up when the funky warlock walked into his house party - trouser-less. The eye makeup was to die for. It is compulsory to mention Alec here, played by Kevin Zegers. The actor is so skilled! His looks are as refined as his acting. Ammara was of the opinion that he, instead of Jamie, would have been a better Jace. Umm - 1% of me agrees I guess. Jamie and Kevin's bromance is very popular and they have been goofing around on their Twitters and Instagrams. As Parabatai, they are a perfect battle duo.
The Hotel Dumort battle was the point where major storyline changes happen. Simon was suspended in human form from the ceiling and not as a rat that he had transformed into. I am guessing that was done to give Sheehan more screen time. Alec and Isabelle were fighting alongside Jace and Clary which did not happen - the two were alone with Simon in rat form. There was no conversation between Jace and Raphael's vampire clan. I was SO disappointed they cut out the flying vampire bike scene of Jace and Clary's escape from the hotel roof. That could have been the highlight of the movie! The battle itself; however, was great! Isabelle's whip has got to be my ultimate favorite. Jemima West has got to be Lara Kroft of the new age. Alec's battle moves were planned so wonderfully swift.
A major plot twist has been incorporated in the climax and at the end. Valentine carried Jace and the Mortal Cup with him, through the portal, to Idris - the Shadowhunter Country. Clary's mother remained Valentine's hostage in Idris. In the movie; however, Valentine was kicked into the portal by a very aggressive Clary and she tricked him into taking the Cup's replica and not the Cup itself. Her mother was discovered hidden in the Institute by Simon and Isabelle. I was not disappointed with the changes, but I am shaking with curiosity as to how would they roll out in the sequel - The City of Ashes.
Valentine was played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and very awesomely indeed. I had some complains when he was cast because readers are accustomed to a blonde Valentine with long hair similar to Jace's. I believe that similarity has been disregarded in the movie. Alrighty then. The dialogue between Clary and Valentine was added, I liked that bit.
Jamie is doing a swell job with the heartbreak expression. I have seen him play a romantic in Sweeney Todd, a sinister vampire lord in Twilight, a majestic king Arthur in Camelot, but this is outstanding. They've gone a bit overboard with making him diet all the way to becoming skinny, but his Shadowhunter pride reflects in all glory throughout the movie.
City of Ashes ... I am waiting!
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