City of Ember

"Escape is the only option"

2008 1h 35m EN

😐

6.4

MID

🥫

53%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 1,963🥫53%Rotten Tomatoes●58Metacritic★6.4IMDB · 72,183

AdventureFamilyFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights. But Ember's once powerful generator is failing and the great lamps that illuminate the city are starting to flicker. Now, two teenagers, in a race against time, must search Ember for clues that will unlock the ancient mystery of the city's existence, before the the lights go out forever.

“Escape is the only option”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Saoirse Ronan
Lina Mayfleet
Harry Treadaway
Doon Harrow
Bill Murray
Mayor Cole
David Ryall
Chief Builder
Tim Robbins
Loris Harrow
Mackenzie Crook
Looper
Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Clary
Mary Kay Place
Mrs. Murdo

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gil Kenan
Writers: Caroline Thompson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $55M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 32% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Gil Kenan, shot by Xavier Grobet. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Andrew Lockington. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Zach Staenberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Saoirse Ronan and Harry Treadaway and Bill Murray carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Escape is the only option".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gil Kenan directs. Xavier Grobet behind the camera. Andrew Lockington scores. Zach Staenberg cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $55M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Earned back only 32% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 18 years ago.
4Directed by Gil Kenan, shot by Xavier Grobet. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Andrew Lockington. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Zach Staenberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Saoirse Ronan and Harry Treadaway and Bill Murray carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Escape is the only option".
9IMDB entry: tt0970411 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "underground world", "dystopia", "mayor", "post-apocalyptic future".
11Released under 15 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Xavier Grobet
Original score: Andrew Lockington
Editing: Zach Staenberg
Production design: Martin Laing
Costume design: Ruth Myers
Makeup / hair: Cheryl Hill
VFX supervisor: Vincent Cirelli
Stunt coordinator: Joe Condren
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $55,000,000
Box office: $17,869,048
Return: 32% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: City of Ember (2008)
Rotten Tomatoes: 53% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 58/100
IMDB rating: 6.4/10 · 72,183 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

6 nominations total

Also by

Gil Kenan

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-02-20
★ 7/10
With the future of the planet in grave danger, some far-sighted builders decide that it’s best for humanity to build a subterranean city into which they can retreat. It’s got to be something self-sustaining as they are going to be down there for a couple of centuries. They do provide exit instructions, but over time they get lost and so nobody knows that maybe it’s time to resurface. Now, though, the engineering is starting to give up the ghost and that means power and food are becoming rationed. The mayor (Bill Murray) is hopelessly out of his depth/obsessed with his own position and the chief electrician “Sul” (Martin Landau) is running out of ideas so it falls to the unlikely pairing of youngsters “Lina” (Saoirse Ronan) and “Doon” (Harry Treadaway) to rekindle the population’s appetite to get some fresh air. Luckily, she has a box left to her by her grandmother and as their jobs involve them clambering around the city’s gubbins, they can begin to explore in earnest. This isn’t something they can advertise - the mayor and his thugs will not brook any disenchantment in their city, even if the lights are all about to go out. Now having to fight a rearguard action too, can they discover a way out - and even if they do, is there anything left? I liked the creative style of this film and the fantasy is well explored and unravelled by the engaging partnership of Treadaway and Ronan amidst a city of colourful visual effects. Murray hams up nicely and there’s just the hint of menace from the Dickensianly monikered “Barton Snode” (Toby Jones) to keep the adventure moving along quickly for a ninety minutes of passages, pipe works and grand scale machinery. If you’re looking for complex psychology here then don’t bother, it’s all simply presented family fayre with a cast that look like they are enjoying telling us a story that looks great and vibrates when it’s meant to.

Production companies