The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones  is an Urban Fantasy film released in 2013 based on the 2007 novel by Cassandra Clare. Unlike its prime universe counterpart, it has better cinematography due to hiring Tony Pierce-Roberts and was a box office success starting The Shadowhunters Chronicles film series. It received mixed reviews from critics that praised its Acting, Direction and Character Development but criticized its Plot, Script and derivative nature.

Plot
New York City teenager Clary Fray begins seeing and drawing a strange symbol, worrying her mother Jocelyn Fray and family friend, Luke Garroway. At a crowded nightclub with friend, Simon Lewis, only Clary witnesses Jace Wayland and his accomplices killing a man. The next day, two men, Emil Pangborn and Samuel Blackwell, arrive at the Fray apartment searching for a cup. Jocelyn calls Clary, frantically telling her to stay away and to warn Luke about someone named Valentine; she then drinks a potion putting her in a deep sleep. Returning home, Clary finds her mother missing and is attacked by a dog-like creature. Jace, a "Shadowhunter", appears and kills it, explaining that it, like the "man" killed at the nightclub, was a demon in another form.

With help from the Frays' neighbor, Madame Dorothea, a witch, Jace deduces that Pangborn and Blackwell seek a lost artifact called the Mortal Cup. Jace and Clary, along with Simon, go to Luke's antique store. Pangborn and Blackwell are forcibly interrogating Luke who, to protect Clary and Jocelyn, falsely claims he cares nothing about the Frays and only wants the Mortal Cup. The trio escapes to the Shadowhunter Institute, a hidden cathedral-like building, where Jace treats Clary, who was stung by the demon. She and Simon meet two other Shadowhunters, siblings Alec and Isabelle Lightwood, and Shadowhunter leader, Hodge. Clary learns that Shadowhunters, invisible to mortals, are half-human, half-angel demon slayers. Clary has inherited her Shadowhunter mother's powers, including drawing temporary magical runes on the skin. The Mortal Cup is one of three Mortal Instruments given to the first Shadowhunter by the Angel Raziel. Shadowhunters are either descended from other Shadowhunters or made by drinking from the cup. Hodge explains that Valentine Morgenstern, an ex-Shadowhunter who betrayed the order, now seeks the Cup to control both Shadowhunters and demons.

Jace takes Clary to the City of Bones, a sanctuary beneath a cemetery. When the Silent Brothers attempt to unlock Clary's blocked memories, they uncover a connection to Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn. At Bane's nightclub, he tells Clary that Jocelyn had him block knowledge of the Shadowhunter world from Clary's mind. Simon drinks a potion that turns him into a rat so Vampires kidnap him thinking he's one of their own. Jace, Alec, Isabelle, and Clary trail them to their hideout. They find Simon and fight off the vampires and escape. Clary shares a romantic evening with Jace, ending in a kiss. When Simon jealously confronts Clary about it, she downplays the incident, angering Jace. Simon confesses he loves Clary, though she does not reciprocate his feelings.

Clary realizes the Mortal Cup is hidden inside one of Madame Dorothea's tarot cards that her mother painted as a gift. The group goes to Dorothea's apartment, but a demon has replaced her. Simon and Jace kill it, but Alec is lethally stung. Clary retrieves the Mortal Cup card, and they return to the institute. Hodge summons Magnus Bane to heal Alec. Clary removes the Mortal Cup from the card and gives it to Hodge, who betrays them by summoning Valentine Morgenstern through a portal and giving him the Cup. When Valentine reveals he is Clary's father, she refuses to join him. She puts the cup back into the card, then escapes through the portal that transports her to Luke's store. Luke, revealed to be the werewolf who helped fight the vampires, confirms that Valentine is her father. Clary escapes though the portal and finds Luke who reveals Clary had an older brother named Jonathan, who died as a toddler. and his werewolf pack go to the Institute with Clary to battle Valentine after he summons demons through a roof opening. Simon finds Jocelyn, still unconscious, at the Institute, and he and Isabelle close the roof opening with help from a repentant Hodge.

Clary and Jace fight Valentine, who lies by claiming Jace is his son and tries to manipulate them to join in and travel to the Shadowhunters home country Idris. Clary gives Valentine the Mortal Cup but as he tries to escape through the portal Jace and Clary freeze it behind him. However, Valentine shatters and destroys the portal. Jocelyn is rescued but remains unresponsive at the hospital. Clary uses her new-found powers to repair the apartment. Jace arrives, confessing he needs her and disbelieves they are siblings and will uncover the truth. Realizing she belongs in the Shadowhunter world, Clary returns to the Institute with Jace.

Cast

 * Lily Collins as Clary
 * Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace
 * Robert Sheehan as Simon
 * Kevin Zegers as Alec
 * Lena Headey as Jocelyn
 * Kevin Durand as Pangborn
 * Aidan Turner as Luke
 * Jemima West as Isabelle
 * Godfrey Gao as Magnus Bane
 * C. C. H. Pounder as Dorothea
 * Jared Harris as Hodge
 * Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Valentine

Critical Reception
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones received Mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 53% based on 200 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is a well made cinematic gem despite it's flawed plot and some derivative aspects." Metacritic gives the film a score of 40 out of 100, based on 70 critics, indicating "generally favorable views". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore were more receptive to the film, giving it a CinemaScore grade of "A-".

Sequels
Following its success, Screen Gems greenlit the development of adaptions of the second and third books, City of Ashes and City of Glass. released in 2014 and 2015.