The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

By John Mulderig, Catholic News Service

Director Harald Zwart’s derivative fantasy adventure The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is clearly aimed at a youthful, primarily feminine, audience of teens and tweens.

Given the inappropriate thematic territory into which this adaptation of the first in a series of bestsellers by Cassandra Clare strays, however — not to mention a higher volume of mayhem than is usual for the genre — many parents will find the film completely unsuitable for youngsters.

That’s not because the mythos behind the picture places its heroine — Brooklyn-reared teen Clarissa “Clary” Fray (Lily Collins) — anywhere other than on the side of goodness. Indeed, in the wake of her mother Jocelyn’s (Lena Headey) mysterious disappearance amid violent circumstances, Clary discovers that she is part of a race of half-human, half-angel warriors called Shadowhunters whose primary aim in life is to defeat demons.

So far so good, though the fact that this revelation comes about partly via a reading of tarot cards by Clary’s spooky downstairs neighbour Madame Dorothea (CCH Pounder) may not sit well with some. Nor is there much to object to in the overall trajectory of the quest that the confused but valiant Clary subsequently undertakes.

Aided by her strictly human best friend, Simon (Robert Sheehan), and by three newfound allies of her own kind — Jace (Jamie Campbell Bower), Isabelle (Jemima West) and Isabelle’s brother Alec (Kevin Zegers) — Clary sets off in pursuit of the Mortal Cup, a powerful Grail-like vessel that Jocelyn had been secretly guarding for years. For reasons too elaborate (or tenuous) to be detailed here, Clary hopes recovery of the Mortal Cup will lead to a reunion with Mom.

The search that ensues joins a Dan Brown-style hidden history premise to sets out of Harry Potter and a Twilight-like, eenie-meenie love dilemma pitting reliable but dull Simon against glamorous but touchy Jace in a struggle for Clary’s heart. All of which could easily be overlooked were it not for some of the milestones along the way.

Stopping in a church to pick up weapons for an incidental rumble against a pack of vampires, Jace informs Clary that all denominations, in fact all religions, are “sisters” in the Shadowhunters’ fight against darkness. So they could as easily have retrieved the necessary arms from a synagogue or a Buddhist temple.

But which of these creeds does Jace put faith in, Clary understandably wonders. His basic response: none.

Adult viewers could probably interpret the first part of that exchange as an acceptable recognition of the respect due to believers of every stripe. And sophisticated moviegoers realise that an individual character’s stance on matters of faith does not necessarily correspond to the message the narrative as a whole is intended to convey.

But the immature or poorly catechized could easily take far more damaging signals from the scene.

Also of concern are two plot developments that complicate Clary’s relationship with Jace. The first involves a male character whose disapproval of the pair’s strengthening ties turns out to be driven by his own romantic interest in Jace.

Earlier, the same character is shown to have won the admiring attention of New York’s most powerful warlock, Magnus Bane (Godfrey Gao). This doesn’t come as a complete shock, though, since Bane’s idea of a good time involves hosting decadent parties while sporting pantyhose.

A rather more serious stumbling block is placed in Jace and Clary’s path to bliss by the intimation that they may, in fact, be siblings. While the weight of the evidence seems to be against this queasy contention, the inclusion of such a possibility in a movie for young people seems startlingly ill-advised.

The film contains constant intense but mostly bloodless violence, a potentially confusing treatment of religion, occult and other mature themes, including homosexuality and incest, a transvestite character and at least one use of profanity.

 

The Way, Way Back

By Joseph McAleer, Catholic News Service

A potentially nostalgic summer vacation spent by the sea is tinged with family problems and teen angst in The Way, Way Back.

Co-directed by newcomers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash — who also wrote the clever screenplay— this coming-of-age comedy-drama provides a kind of what-not-to-do manual for prospective parents. It forcefully demonstrates the devastating effects of divorce on children as well as the damage caused by the absence of responsible adult care.

As summer break begins, 14-year-old Duncan (Liam James) is miserable, sitting by himself in the (way, way) back seat of an old-fashioned station wagon on the way to the coast. The retro car is the pride and joy of Duncan’s divorced mother Pam’s (Toni Collette) boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell).

Trent, also divorced, is a monster narcissist without regard for anyone but himself, let alone the lovesick Pam. Oblivious to Duncan’s feelings, he demands to know, “On a scale of 1 to 10, what do you think you are?”

After a while, Duncan reluctantly responds that he is a 6. “I think you’re a 3!” Trent insists. And the relationship goes downhill from there.

That’s par for the course as far as parenting is concerned in this film. The adults are all self-absorbed and clueless when it comes to the needs of their children, who accordingly grow up rootless and amoral.

The carload of passengers, which includes Trent’s obnoxious daughter Steph (Zoe Levin), decamps at Trent’s beach house. There Betty (Allison Janney), Trent’s busybody lush of a neighbour, oversees the social scene. As the adults party hearty, the kids are left to their own devices.

Duncan is out of his element, ridiculed by the cooler teens. He is pitied — then befriended — by Betty’s daughter Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb) who is repelled by her mother’s lifestyle. Together they display a degree of maturity light-years ahead of their feckless elders.

Finding a girl’s bike in the garage, Duncan takes flight. He lands at the Water Wizz fun park, managed by Owen (Sam Rockwell). A big kid himself, Owen is carefree and goofy. But he sees something of himself in Duncan’s insecurity, and decides to take him under his wing, becoming his mentor and friend.

Duncan finds a new family in the misfit employees at the rundown park, discovering the happiness and friendship so lacking at home. He gains confidence to stand up to Trent and his philandering ways, hoping to extricate his mother from a bad situation.

The Way, Way Back is to be commended for portraying the friendship between Owen and Duncan as natural and innocent, a surrogate father-son bond that is mutually beneficial. It is devoid of the sordid sexual content one half-expects from Hollywood these days.

The film contains an adulterous relationship, acceptability of divorce, implied non-marital sex, drug use, underage drinking and frequent crude and profane language.