The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Release Date: August 21 Oscar Prospects: Bad Are you tired of the endless glut of super serious adaptations of epic fantasy young adult novels? Yes, well I got some bad news for you, because the hydra continues to sprout more heads and the onslaught continues on. Thanks a lot Harry Potter and Twilight. The newest entry in this pretentious, shallow genre is The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. Sony Pictures latest attempt to cash in on the trendy YA fantasy trend adapts the first book in a six-part series (or potentially more if the film is successful, as they will almost inevitably spread one or more of the books over two movies). The synopsis of the film is about an ordinary teenage girl (of course) growing up in contemporary New York City who discovers she is the descendant in a long line of Shadowhunters (boring!), a half-angel, half-human species who protect the world from insidious demons. When her mother goes missing, the girl must descend to the subterranean mirror city of New York, called Downwolrd, in order to save the world from demons, devils, warlocks, and of course, vampires and werewolves. If this isn't the definition of derivative, I don't know what is, but despite the trendiness of the genre as of late, there may be some signs of cracks in the walls of Jericho. In particular, a potential series launcher earlier this year, Beautiful Creatures, fell flat on its face, as then did the Stephanie Meyers adaptation The Host, so there is hope for the beginning decline of this vapid genre. The fact the film is being thrown out to the wolves of late August, and had basically no recognizable name talent, makes me think Sony's expectations aren't all that high either. Despite their financial success, the Academy has been mostly immune to the charms (or lack there of) the genre has seemingly bewitched the (adolescent) masses with. While the Harry Potter series did manage a few nominations here and there (particularly in Art Direction, which was not undeserved), series like Twilight and The Hunger Games have come away with nada. Seeing that The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is set in modern day New York, although I guess a good chunk of it takes place in the doppelganger city of "Downworld", I don't anticipate the film pulling a Harry Potter and getting an Art Direction nomination, so you can chalk this up for exactly zero nominations. Potential nominations: None