Harald Zwart
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It’s the same simple “Rocky” knock-off, with a couple of extra subplots thrown in – and the pre-teen equivalent of violence-porn.
The simplistic but undeniably effective 1984 film The Karate Kid massaged the classic David-and-Goliath underdog theme with the outcast wish-fulfillment of any kid who's ever wanted to best a bully; not by coincidence was it directed by the Rocky-meister, John G. Avildsen.
The lineage of the film is distinguished; the 1984 version was directed by John Avildsen , director of " Rocky ."
Granted, the same pretty much held true the first time around as director John G. Avildsen was simply retreading his own "Rocky" underdog storyline as mixed with the old Charles Atlas "98-pound weakling beats up the bullies" fantasy.
What “The Karate Kid” is honest about, though, is in giving its audience exactly what it’s buying tickets for — a middle-school, martial-arts “Rocky,” with a plucky underdog finally winning big.
It worked so well that director John G. “Rocky” Avildsen helmed two sequels (although the final installment barely blipped the box office charts).
The Karate Kid (1984)
Directed by John G. Avildsen
influenced The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013), The Karate Kid (2010)
Director Harald Zwart (2010's " The Karate Kid ") and first-time screenwriter Jessica Postigo go on for what seem like days trying to explain the story and what is going on, and yet viewers who have not read the book will still walk away no more clear about the reasons Valentine wants this holy cup, why it is important, and what he hopes to achieve.
Her mum ( Game of Thrones star Lena Headey) has done a tidy job of concealing the truth about Clary's bloodline, right up until the moment - early on in the film - when those biker dudes come crashing into their apartment and leave her dead, dying, dormant or trapped in another dimension - director Harald Zwart (The Karate Kid) isn't big on the details.
Instead of frontloading City of Bones with one of those expositional voice-overs that explains the movie’s universe to the audience, director Harold Zwart (The Karate Kid remake) and screenwriter Jessica Postigo allow us to gradually discover it through Clary’s eyes.
Which we have with Harald ("The Karate Kid") Zwart's version of the first book, "City of Bones."
First time screenwriter Jessica Postigo has crammed a huge cast of characters and tons of mythology into her adaptation of Cassandra Clare's series starter (the second is already in production), and director Harald Zwart's (2010's "The Karate Kid") thrown it all on screen with some impressive visual effects and teen swoony romance, but at 130 minutes running time, the film felt like it would never end.
There's simply so much to explore, or at least introduce, that even though director Harald Zwart ("The Karate Kid" remake) and screenwriter Jessica Postigo Paquette ("Tarzan 3D") fail to bring much imagination to the table, they keep the action flowing at a steady pace.
Star Wars (1977)
Directed by George Lucas
influenced The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
Themes Plot
Demons, angels, werewolves, oh my! Playing much like bad fan fiction from an immature, lovelorn teenage girl who's seen " Twilight ," " Beastly ," "Star Wars," and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" too many times, "The Mortal Instrument: City of Bones" is interminable gobbledygook.
On the adult side of the equation, Headey is a fiercely watchable presence in her too-brief moments; CCH Pounder and “Mad Men’s” Jared Harris enliven the proceedings as vaguely sinister characters operating on the story’s periphery; and Jonathan Rhys Meyers momentarily jolts the film awake as a louche Shadowhunter who expands the film’s stew of pop-cultural influences to include “Star Wars.”
Take the central love triangle from "Twilight," the quest of "Harry Potter" by way of the Holy Grail then add a dash of "Sleeping Beauty" and some familial mythology from "Star Wars" and you've got "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones."
With its blend of romance, action, magic and bits and pieces of supernatural hoo-ha imported from other sources – the Potterverse and “Twilight,” most obviously, but also “Star Wars,” “Avatar,” “Lord of the Rings” and the “Blade” and “Underworld” series – this initial “Mortal Instruments” picture has the vibe of a straight-to-video release from the mid-‘90s, except with a $60 million budget and considerable special-effects expertise.
The 1984 original , in which Noriyuki "Pat" Morita coaches bullied teenager Ralph Macchio to victory in a karate championship, may have seemed like a standard-issue inspirational sports picture at the time, but (as with another box-office hit of the same year, The Terminator) a generation of remove reveals what a well-crafted movie it actually was.
Thieves Like Us (1974)
Directed by Robert Altman
influenced The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
Plot
Plot: In this picturesque Texas crime saga reminiscent of such '70s classics as Badlands and Thieves Like Us, an outlaw (Affleck) runs away from prison to reunite with his crime partner wife (Mara) and see his daughter for the first time.
There’s good work too from Ian McShane (memorably slimy), Martin Donovan (seriously in danger of being typecast in absent-minded professor roles) and The Mummy’s Arnold Vosloo as McShane’s henchman.
But it was inspired casting to give The Mummy a part as Brinkman’s scarred and shaven henchman.
That terrorist is played by Arnold Vosloo ("The Mummy"), just one of the adults having fun playing second fiddle to the kids.
Pride and Prejudice (1940)
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
influenced The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
Plot
Plot: A Jane Austen obsessive (Russell) hoping to meet her own Mr. Darcy spends her life savings on a stay at an English resort devoted to fans of the author of Pride and Prejudice.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
Directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui
influenced The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
Plot
There’s nothing here that hasn’t been seen before — Clare having swiped big hunks of plot from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Twilight” along with a certain well-known shocking revelation from the “Star Wars” saga — but everything chugs along briskly and reasonably entertainingly until running off the rails a bit with a wildly overcomplicated finale.
Blind Side and Mirror Mirror star Lily Collins is overqualified for her role, bringing real gravitas and emotion to a performance that is ultimately doomed by the movie around it.
There were two sequels with Macchio and then "The Next Karate Kid" starring future Oscar-winner Hilary Swank.
And like Rocky Balboa, the Karate Kid came back for round after round, culminating with a girl Karate Kid (Hilary Swank!) in the fourth and final film, The Next Karate Kid (1994).
(Did you forget 1994?s “The Next Karate Kid” with, believe it or not, Hilary Swank?)
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
influenced by Agent Cody Banks (2003)
Plot
Whether it’s “Alex Rider,” “Agent Cody Banks” or “Spy Kids,” plenty have tried to adapt the 007 shtick to younger characters, with demonstrably dopey results.
It was the premise for not only the aforementioned " Alex Rider ," but also 2000's " Charlie's Angels ," 2003's " Agent Cody Banks ," and just about every superhero and sports movie in existence.
Weird Science (1985)
Directed by John Hughes
influenced The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
Visuals
It hopes you won’t complain so long as werewolves and warlocks are fighting demonic dogs and goth-rock villains who look like the dudes who trashed Ilan Mitchell-Smith’s house near the end of Weird Science.
The Abyss (1989)
Directed by James Cameron
influenced The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
Visuals
Visual effects range from passable to surprisingly undistinguished?it's a sad state of affairs when 2013 water CGI doesn't even approach the skill of the similar effects work in 1989's "The Abyss"?rarely, if ever, strong enough to seamlessly blend with the live-action surroundings.
Like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" before her, this should have been a story of female empowerment.
Demons, angels, werewolves, oh my! Playing much like bad fan fiction from an immature, lovelorn teenage girl who's seen " Twilight ," " Beastly ," "Star Wars," and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" too many times, "The Mortal Instrument: City of Bones" is interminable gobbledygook.
If only he had been in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV series, Bower would be smack dab at the intersection of the Venn diagram graphing City Of Bones’ major influences.
It’s a lot like a mediocre episode of ‘‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer.’’
The Thing (1982)
Directed by John Carpenter
influenced The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
Visuals
Her mom is abducted, their apartment is left in disarray, and she’s attacked by a dog that’s seen John Carpenter’s The Thing one too many times.
Twilight (2008)
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke
influenced The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
Themes
She’s always in the fray but typically in need of being rescued by Jace, stirring passions between them that can never (Clare having learned well from “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer) be consummated.
In the aftermath of the dominant Twilight and Harry Potter sagas, The Mortal Instruments makes its move to take the YA cinema audience – a demographic that eluded Beautiful Creatures and Stephenie Meyer’s own The Host .
The 2007 release of Cassandra Clare’s first novel came at the height of Twilight-book mania, and at the waning end of the other YA phenomenon that preceded it, one whose DNA is also easily traced to The Mortal Instruments: Harry Potter.
For Star Wars fans, there’s also a long-lost father (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who has gone over to the dark side; and for Twilight adepts, there’s a PG-13 love triangle and a generous helping of vampires and werewolves (known as Downworlders).
But "City of Bones" is even more conflicted about serving up sex-less sex for tweens than the "Twilight" films are.
(Only these offhand gags remind a viewer that the authors of the film’s story, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, wrote not just Agent Cody Banks and That Darn Cat, but also Ed Wood .)
The Goosebumps screenplay by Darren Lemke (Shrek Forever After, Jack the Giant Slayer) – with Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (Ed Wood, Agent Cody Banks) credited for the screen story – borrows story and character elements from many a previous film, especially 1990s kid adventure movies like Hocus Pocus and Jumanji.
Battle Royale (2000)
Directed by Kinji Fukasaku
influenced The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
Plot
Ms. Meyer’s works have already stained the Cineplex while Ms. Collins’ Battle Royale rip-off is in its second big screen installment.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Directed by Edgar Wright
influenced The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
Wright, along with cohorts Frost and Pegg, try to give the apocalyptic disaster flick the same irreverent treatment that they previously pulled off with horror (Shaun of the Dead) and cop action (Hot Fuzz).
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
influenced The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
Plot
The plot, such as it is: Lily Collins, as Clary, discovers she’s able to see things that normal people aren’t, a bit like Haley Joel Osment in “The Sixth Sense,” only she’s seeing demons and Shadowhunters instead of dead people.