Ember is a film with a spec fic premise -- Ember is an underground city, built so people could survive a nuclear disaster on the planetary surface, and now the power generator is failing, and the inhabitants need to return to the surface. The city planners had, of course, left instructions on how to do this, but these have been "lost" along the way. Introduce our two main characters, two teenagers who are just both beginning their careers in the workforce. Let them make some discoveries, and send them on a chase for the missing information.
This certainly feels like a children's film, not just because the protagonists are so young, but because it lacks sophistication. That's not a criticism, just an observation. Personally, I would've preferred more sophistication, but then the film would've been less suited to its target audience. There were a couple of things that happened a bit too easily along the way, but it was a rollicking good ride for most of the film, and atmospheric as well. A good one for the kids.
4 comments:
I was toying with buying the book for my 11 year old earlier this week, part of my desperate quest to get him to read something other than Star Wars books. But he turned his nose up at it and said he had lots of books at home that he hadn't read (very true!) so we gave it a miss. Maybe he'd be more interested if he'd seen the film.
Until recently, my daughter read only Star Wars books as well. She's now 16 and has graduated to Dr Who and Twilight and the occasional Jane Austen. I was quite happy for her to read only Star Wars because any reading is good reading -- and reading for enjoyment will help fuel a lifelong love of reading. When she was twelve, she didn't read at all, so I'm really happy with her progress.
Is your son reading the "adult" versions or the kids ones? If the kids, then you might try him on the adult ones. If the adult, then I wouldn't worry too much. I know it's nice to have variety, but kids often don't worry about that.
At least there are lots of books in the series and a number of different authors, each with their own style!
So far he's only reading the kids ones, and even then only the Boba Fett series and he reads and re-reads those DK visual guide type books (again, just the Star Wars ones!). His preference is for comics and graphic novels of which we have a fairly substantial collection. In graphic novel form he's read Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Joss Whedon and Frank Miller among others. At least he's reading something!
Indeed, and if he's loving it he's on the right track! You could always try him on some of the adult Star Wars novels for a little more of a challenge. But he's reading a few different authors anyway -- and different forms. My daughter's just reading her school texts, and I was happy to see a Philip K. Dick book among them, so hopefully she'll enjoy that. And a Sam Shepherd play, though she's more familiar with him as an actor than as a playwright. So that will be a challenge for her, no doubt.
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