The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Image
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Metascore
33

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 35 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 168 Ratings

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  • Starring: , , , ,
  • Summary: Clary Fray, a seemingly ordinary teenager, discovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother, Clary joins forces with a group of Shadowhunters who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York City called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures. [Sony Pictures]… Expand
  • Director: Harald Zwart
  • Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Fantasy, Romance
  • Rating: PG-13
  • Runtime: 130 min
  • More Details and Credits »

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 35
  3. Negative: 16 out of 35
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Chris Nashawaty
    Aug 21, 2013
    67
    Make no mistake, there will be a sequel. Clary may not wind up having the same pop-culture impact as Bella and Katniss, but like it or not, this won't be the last time you hear from her.
  2. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Stephanie Merry
    Aug 20, 2013
    50
    There are elements worth celebrating. The movie is thankfully less self-serious than the mopey “Twilight” films. The Mortal Instruments revels in its own camp. But there is plenty of room for improvement. The action flick is overly long, complicated and, even by teen romance standards, cringe-worthy in its cheesiness.
  3. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: R. Kurt Osenlund
    Aug 21, 2013
    50
    The movie blasts by for a while as an odd and busy slice of highly watchable garbage.
  4. Arizona Republic
    Reviewed by: Bill Goodykoontz
    Aug 20, 2013
    40
    There’s so much bouncing around in tone and story that this film never really finds its footing. It flounders around trying to figure out what it should be, and never really settles on anything.
  5. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Louis Black
    Aug 28, 2013
    30
    Not only have we seen this all before, but we were probably hoping to not see it again.
  6. RogerEbert.com
    Reviewed by: Simon Abrams
    Aug 23, 2013
    25
    These kids have to contrive magical pretexts just to lay hands on each other, and boy, are their excuses rotten.
  7. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Matt Patches
    Aug 20, 2013
    20
    If only the fantasy surrounding her made a lick of sense. Here, the Muggle types are known as the “Mundane.” An apt label for a wanna-be franchise with plenty of sheen and nothing to say.

See all 35 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 49
  3. Negative: 12 out of 49
  1. laismalek
    Aug 23, 2013
    10
    It's fun, full of action and the effects look awesome. The young actors are as amazing as the older one, and we have the always amazing Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jared Harris, Lena Headey and CCH Pounder in it!… Expand
  2. Lunabelle
    Aug 29, 2013
    10
    You critics don't know what you are talking about. Lets get one thing straight, Twilight does not rule any other supernatural movie franchise. So stop comparing it to The Mortal Instruments etc. Twilight was a love story. TMI is much more than that. As far as I can see if you don't love sci-fi, action, romance, comedy, fantasy in one novel and movie. It's not for you. But don't bash it because it didn't meet your needs. TMI will always have it's book fans and they will grow from fans of the movie and be supported. Shadow Hunters are not going anywhere. Oh and to the person who said that Cassie stole ideas from other novels/movies. Why are you not bashing every vampire, werewolf, witch etc. film/tv show or book made? Those ideas were ledgends already here before you were born. So no one stole any 'idea'. I love the books and the movie. x… Expand
  3. Pattz25
    Aug 21, 2013
    10
    A great book-to-movie adaptation of an already much-loved book series. The cast is amazing and so is the plot which has no more than a few changes to it compared to the book.… Expand
  4. Paula97
    Sep 3, 2013
    9
    I was satisfied with the adaptation, as a fan of the books I had my hopes a little up. I liked it very much and I am looking forward for a sequel, though I am hoping they improve one thing or more. I was a little disappointed by some of the cast performances, specially Magnus Bane.
    So, again, I really liked this movie, and I really hope they continue the series, and if they do, I hope they make the next movies better.

    P.S. Please forgive my english.    … Expand
  5. jikky
    Aug 21, 2013
    7
    I'm rating this based purely on how much I liked the movie. If I focused on plot gaps or script awkwardness, my rating would be much lower. However, I watched this (yes, I actually watched it it, unlike, I suspect, the writers of earlier user reviews) purely for kicks. The kick of a hot young cast, with hot older supporting actors, battling it up fantasy-style in New York. The CGI was impeccable, the action fun, and the script mostly not cringe-inducing. That is more than can be said for your typical YA movie. All in all I got what I came for-- fun.… Expand
  6. man
    Oct 5, 2013
    4
    Predictable and highly unoriginal, this movie sadly proves that Hollywood is slowly running bone dry on ideas for the fantasy genre. It basically takes elements from Harry Potter, Twilight, etc and throws them into a blender, creating one sloppy and cheesy movie. The dialogue is highly laughable and cliche, and acting mediocre. And while it was only a tiny bit fun while it lasted thanks to some of the mildly amusing eye candy effects, unfortunately, it couldn't make up for the rest of this mess. In other words, skip it!… Expand
  7. imthenoob
    Oct 15, 2013
    0
    Biggest flaw of the film Terrible script. It explained nothing, You seriously did not learn the characters until a good 20 minutes into it. It was so difficult to follow because you had no idea what was going on. Completely ruined the film. Even then, The acting is so-so and it was supported by poor actions scenes. How do people like this trash?… Expand

See all 49 User Reviews

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