The Infernal Devices: The Clockwork Princess

The Infernal Devices: The Clockwork Princess  is a Steampunk Fantasy film released in 2021 based on the 2013 novel by Cassandra Clare. It was the ninth installment of the The Shadowhunters Chronicles film series and chronologically the third. It was originally planned for release on July 5, 2020 but was delayed due to the Covid 19 Pandemic. It was released on November 29, 2021. It was the highest grossing film of 2021. It received positive reviews from critics that praised its Acting, Direction, Cinematography, Screenplay, Chemistry and Pacing. It was nominated for four academy awards Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Picture and Best Actress for Emilia Jones. It won Best Actor for Emilia Jones and Best Direction for Sam Mendes. It was dedicated to Godfrey Gao who died in November 27, 2019, two years before the film was released.

Plot
Following the events of the previous film, The London Institute is training Cecily Herondale. Jem and Tessa are preparing for their wedding and Benedict Lightwood is dying from Demon Pox which causes him to turn on his children forcing them to kill him. Axel Mortmain blackmails the institute by controlling the Yin Fin drug, Jem is addicted to, in exchange for Tessa. Jem is taking double the amount of it so he can function during the wedding. The Institute refuses the offer and moves the wedding date earlier.

Jessamine undergoes several trials and questioning by the Clave but is released and taken back to the institute. The Magister attacks the institute to kidnap Tessa. Jessamine confronts the Magister and is stabbed by an Automaton. She tells will that Tessa will be taken to Cadair Idris. She instructs Will to try to get Tessa to choose him over Jem and begs them to keep her dolls in the institute before dying. Jem discovers will is also in love with Tessa and their parabatai bond breaks. The team, along with Sophie, Cecily, Gideon, Gabriel and several Silent Brothers agree to help them in one last stand against The Magister. They manage to create a Portal for quick travel with the help of Magnus Bane who joins their crusade.

Meanwhile in Cadair Idris, Axel Mortmain forces Tessa to shapeshift into his deceased father and access his memories so he can use them to fuse demonic energies with his Automatons. Axel reveals that he is responsible for Tessa's existence because he kidnapped her mother who was an unmarked Shadowhunter and had her raised under a false identity and since she had now marks she was able to give birth to a demon-nephilim hybrid who became Tessa. Will finds Tessa and helps her escape and makes love to her even though she's engaged to Jem.

Along with the crusader's against Axel Mortmain, Tessa helps the team fight an army of Automatons. She realizes that her Clockwork Angel Pendant contains an angel named Ithuriel who was imprisoned inside it to protect her. During the fight she witnesses Jem succumbing to the effects of the Yin Fin but she takes him to the Shadowhunters who agree to save him but will have to turn him into one of their own. They pronounce him, "Brother Zachariah." Tessa uses the Pendant to shapeshift into the angel Ithuriel and uses his power to attack the Automatons and eventually Axel Mortmain himself. She incinerates him with Heavenly Fire but slowly faints watching the Angel escape from the pendant.

Jem becomes a Silent Brother and promises to meet Tessa every year at the Blackfriars Bridge. Sophia drinks from the Mortal Cup to become a Shadowhunter and Gideon proposes to her. The Ghost of Jessamine haunts the institute and manipulates Will to propose to Tessa. Will takes advice from Magnus Bane to find his own happiness and he proposes to Tessa at a Christmas Party. They merry and have children although Tessa outlives Will because she's Immortal and becomes a librarian at the Spiral Labyrinth. Jem plays a violin to Will one last time before he passes away.

In a post-credit scene, Jem is purified and becomes human again due to the events of City of Heavenly Fire. Tessa and Jem travel the world together.

Cast

 * Emilia Jones as Tessa Gray
 * Daniel Padilla as Jem Carstairs
 * Asher Angel as Will Herondale
 * Amber Heard as Camille Belcourt
 * Godfrey Gao as Magnus Bane
 * Lucas Till as Henry Branwell
 * Ella Hunt as Charlotte Fairchild
 * Sophie Thatcher as Jessamine Lovelace
 * Hugh Jackman as Axel Mortmain
 * Elle Fanning as Sophie Collins
 * Luke Bracey as Ragnor Fell
 * Alex Pettyfer as Woolsey Scott
 * Adam Arkin as Benedict Lightwood
 * Anthony Hopkins as Aloysius Starkweather
 * Jason Drucker as Gabriel Lightwood
 * Samuel Parker as Gideon Lightwood
 * Sterling Jerins as Cecily Herondale

Critical Reception
The Infernal Devices: The Clockwork Prince received Positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 85% based on 420 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Dark, Complex and excelling in all aspects, The Infernal Devices: The Clockwork Princess, is a bigger and bolder installment of franchise." Metacritic gives the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 80 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, Sony opted to adapt The Dark Artifices will be released in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Adaptions for The Last Hours and Wicked Powers released afterwards with The Eldest Curses being released as spin-offs in between. The Eldest Curses: The Red Scrolls of Magic entered production in 2019 after the novel was published and was released to streaming services in 2020 before the release of The Clockwork Princess.