Let me first start off by saying that this was the most frustrating book-to-movie adaptation I've ever had the horror of experiencing. I mean, really. It was kind of ridiculous.
Wait. It's not what you think.
I've been a fan of the books for years. I knew about them for a while and then finally broke down and read them after seeing one too many Jace/Clary fanvids on YouTube. I finished the series in two days. Keep in mind this was back when it was still a trilogy.
That being said I was pretty adamant about seeing this movie at its midnight premiere. I'd been following the production of the film ever since it was announced so my patience for its reveal was close to bursting by the time the previews started surfacing. But here's the rub.
There. Were. No. Midnight. Showings.
None.
I spent at least an hour on the phone with every movie theater in my county and none of them had one single showing at midnight. This was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life. I've been going to midnight premieres since I was fourteen so being told that I couldn't was like telling the cookie monster he had to eat broccoli.
I haven't heard any official statement on why there weren't any midnight showings but needless to say I will be writing a very strongly worded letter to Sony sometime soon.
ANYWAY
Let's get to the review, shall we?
Honestly, this was one of the best book-to-screen adaptations I've seen in a while. The whole cast and crew did an incredible job bringing the story to life and as a fan going in with high expectations I was certainly one to impress. And boy did they deliver!
The acting was top-notch all around. I couldn't think of anyone else playing the characters now. Lily was awesome as Clary. Though she didn't have as much snark as I was hoping, she made up for it in general badassness so it evened itself out. Jamie was perfect as Jace. Seriously. I was part of the majority who was hesitant about his casting but he really brought Jace to life with his sarcastic, brooding, epic self. Bravo! And
Robert as Simon was just... I felt like I was reading the book all over again. He was the Simon I never knew I wanted. But boy was I glad he was there! He was easily my favorite. Hands-down. Isabelle and Alec were also perfect. Even though their presence was toned down a bit in favor of the Jace-Clary-Simon dynamic, they were still phenomenal whenever they were on screen.The only thing I didn't like about the cast was Magnus. I mean, Godfrey was pretty good... but he just wasn't as enthusiastic as he could have been. I warmed up to him towards the end when he had his moment with Alec (WHICH WAS JUST SAIDHKLAEWASX SO FREAKING CUTE AND AMAZING). He plays Magnus's soft side very well but I would love to see a more vamped-up and enthusiastic Magnus in the future films. The contrast in his personality when he was around Alec was one of the reasons I loved him so much in the books. Hopefully they'll work on this when they make City of Ashes.
The movie overall was almost dead-on to the book, keeping in some of its key moments and lines. That being said, there wasn't a whole lot of time to breathe. As a fan, I loved watching the scenes I had read come to life on screen. I was a kid in a candy store, let me tell you. But after the movie, some of the people I went with were experiencing a kind of whiplash. One that had them asking me questions to verify if what they got from the plot was correct or not. They loved the movie just as I did, don't get me wrong! They just had to confirm certain things that happened. It was a lot to wrap their heads around.The last thing I want to talk about is the ending. SERIOUS SPOILER ALERT AHEAD SO PLEASE DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT MAJOR SPOILAGE.
Towards the end is where the timeline of the book skewed a bit. They had the final battle at the Institute. Which was fine because I completely understand why they did it. The movie was already nearing two hours and adding another location and the journey to it would waste time that could be spent on other things. But with that came some changes. Valentine never captured Jace so their whole shebang was in the library. I really liked how we got to see Jace's reaction to being told the news that he was Valentine's son. But in the books he recognised him right away as his father, cementing the lie of his and Clary's relation. So that was a bit odd to me that he took more convincing.
But then, at the very end of the family battle royale, Valentine doesn't end up with the cup. I mean, WTF? Clary pushes him into the portal and freezes it, giving him the fake cup and keeping the one in the card for herself. I'm not necessarily mad at the change, I'm just curious as to how they're going to set up the next movie if Valentine doesn't have the upper hand. It shouldn't be too difficult so I hope they'll take it in stride and do it well.
Overall, I really did love the movie. Of course I had my knit-picky moments but they weren't enough to deter from me fangirling the entire time I was in the theatre. If you loved the book, you'll love, or at least like/enjoy, the movie. I guarantee it.
4.8/5 Would definitely recommend.
