From Page to Screen- "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones"

"It's after dark in New York City, and Clary Fray is seeing things. The best looking guy in the nightclub just stabbed a boy to death- but the victim has vanished into thin air. Her mother has disappeared, and a hideous monster is lurking in her apartment. With her life spiralling into darkness, Clary realises that she has stumbled into an invisible war between ancient demonic forces and the secretive Shadowhunters- a war in which she has a fateful role to play..."

This blurb was the first thing that made me fall in love with the 'Mortal Instruments' series, which one of my amazing friends told me I had to read. 

As a fan, I was thrilled when I first heard that they were to be made into movies, and I absolutely loved the movie of the 'City of Bones,' and I'm sure many fans across the globe were very much pleased with the finished product. Despite (shockingly) being a 12% rotten tomato and considered a bit of a flop, the experience I had when watching it for the first time on the big screen was so wonderful: the atmosphere in the audience completed this viewing of my favourite book adaption. As the lights dimmed, everyone cheered- and I'm not exaggerating. People were laughing at even the subtlest of jokes, cheering at the greenhouse scene with Clary and Jace, and when the credits were rolling and the lights came back on, everyone applauded with so much enthusiasm. This never happens at the cinema, but this was how much the film that has been considered as a "shallow and somewhat spiritless picture" was appreciated.

Of course, changes were made in the film, for example the emphasis on the rune:

which I though was an effective decision, as it has now become recognised as the logo of the 'Mortal Instruments' series, but also contributed to the storyline.
One of my personal critiques about the movie's changes was the explanation of the twist that impacts the relationship of the protagonist and the love interest. I don't want to spoil the plot of this twist for those who haven't read or seen the movie, but I think the movie could have executed it better and leave the audience in ignorance about the truth with Clary and Jace, like in the book. When I finished the first book, I was like "OH MY GOODNESS! OH NO!" whereas in the movie, we are told the truth so it doesn't leave us having a slight panic, desperate to see if there is a mistake. But other than that, I was so pleased with how the book came to life.

The actors were well cast, Lily Collins playing a convincing Clary. I don't know about you, but when reading, I always imagine I'm the protagonist and if I don't find them engaging, I usually stop reading (which rarely happens). I really enjoyed stepping into the shoes of Clary, and Lily Collins was able to step into her shoes and finding them the perfect fit. (I know that is a really corny thing to say, but sometimes they need to be said) She was able to show the vulnerability and innocence of Clary's character, as well as the fiery and intelligent side to her. The wonderful thing about Cassandra Clare's protagonist is that she does have these very contrasting sides that compliment each other and also make it possible to believe her to be a an actual person. Clary is an ordinary girl, and when being thrown into the world of Shadowhunters, she shows curiosity and being scared- she's not afraid to say she is afraid, but that just demonstrates her strength.

Jace is a loveable character. His dry humour and his arrogance just makes the reader fall for him alongside Clary. Jamie Campbell Bower played a slightly different Jace to what I always imagined when reading, the actor being much more dry in his execution of lines, however I thought it worked very well. The performance wasn't forced, which made Jace appear so natural and witty, and his accent  made Jace even more charming.
The only problem for me was that I couldn't stop looking at Robert Sheehan, who played Clary's best friend, Simon. He is a fantastic actor (who I loved in the British series 'Misfits') and his Simon was exquisite. The awkward personality of Simon that is so adorable in the book, was present on the screen, and even though I may be bias because of my crush on Robert Sheehan, I can't think of anyone better for the role.

I'm one of those people who loves studying the characters and storyline and seem to forget to mention the effects, which I thought were amazing; my favourite being towards the end when Clary uses a rune to cause the bad guys to freeze in motion, also when they enter the vampire lair. I don't really know cinema and camera terminology, but the city scape clips made me want to go to New York city, unfortunately not on the flying motorbike like in the book, but the views were incredible.

The soundtrack was also a good mixture of genres, from techno, creating a dangerous and artificial atmosphere with 'Into the Lair' by Zedd, to the melodic and soulful music of Ariana Grande and Nathan Sykes's 'Almost is never enough,' contrasting so greatly and them being the first two songs on the official album. The album contains so many great artists, which would be enjoyed by so many because- as I said before- of the eclectic selection: alternative, pop, metal... Listening to the album, I was thinking which songs really stood out to me and really suite the story, and it came down to two: 'Heart by Heart' by Demi Lovato and 'When the Darkness Comes' by Colbie Caillat, which are really lovely songs. Music, I think, is crucial in a movie, as it is a medium to convey the story; it sets the feelings of the characters and the situation they are in, which books don't have, so I am really happy with the soundtrack.

Even though reviews have been pretty poor for the movie, the filmmakers are going ahead with making the second: 'City of Ashes,' which I, along with the hundreds (if not thousands) of fans will be very excited about, as well as waiting for the last book in series which is to be released in mid 2014.