Another City that should've been burned to the ground

For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights--underground. Built as a refuge for humanity and powered by a massive generator, this City will only sustain for 200 years. Now Ember is falling into darkness as the generator fails. Despite growing concern for the future of their beloved City, Ember's students find themselves confronting the next step in their lives. A rite of passage for all graduates, it is Assignment Day, the day on which the Mayor (Bill Murray) himself will stand before the graduating students as they choose, by lottery, how they will spend their lives working for their society.

Lina (Saoirse Ronan) , praying with all her might to be a messenger, is devastated to be assigned to the Pipeworks, the vast network of pipes underneath the City. Her classmate, Doon Harrow (Harry Treadaway), who wants more than nothing else to work in the Generator, panics when he pulls the messenger assignment. Doon offers to swap assignments with Lina. She is thrilled and grateful and eagerly changes jobs. Thus, an unlikely friendship is born. Lina finds herself zipping all over Ember, delivering important missives to even more important people, including the mayor himself. At home she cares for her aging and forgetful grandmother, and her baby sister Poppy. When an old metal box is discovered in their closet, Lina's grandmother (Liz Smith) is overjoyed. Completely sure that the contents of the box are of the utmost importance, she is completely bereft of any memory as to why. Lina manages to jimmy the lock open, and discovers some cryptic papers inside. Unable to piece the papers together, but sure that they are important, Lina resolves to decipher their meaning and enlists Doon's help. As blackouts in the City become more frequent, Lina and Doon realize that the information inside that box could lead to the salvation of their City and their fellow citizens. Now racing against the clock, the two follow the clues, cleverly maneuvering around corrupt politicians and unsavory characters hoping to keep them from their goal: restoring the light in the City of Ember.

You would think that all this along with the knowledge that it was produced by Tom Hanks would be enough to hold my attention....sorry, but no. This one just wasn't worth it. Another city underground and "Wow, we are underground. What's up there?" movie. Enough. Bill Murray wasn't even on screen enough to keep me interested and I like Bill Murray. That was an hour and 39 minutes of my life that I'll NEVER get back. I DON'T recommend this one, but don't worry it won't be in the theatres for much longer. It will be gone and forgotten. My first 1 on my "Go See" scale in a very long time.