WHY did I wait so long to see this movie? City of Ember is magnificent, glorious, majestic, electrifying, stupendous - at times, physically overwhelming, and above all, very Romantic!
While the story can be seen as dealing with some of the same themes and situations as Anthem, in that it takes place in a rigidly-controlled future society that its protagonists seek to escape from, City of Ember is nowhere near as intellectual, but it soars with the spirit of the rebellious youths who are determined from the beginning to undermine the social system which determines their future by the luck of the draw.
The film is very deliberately paced and atmospheric, propelled by soaring music, aided by a huge, richly detailed set built in the same place as the original Titanic, City of Ember is a puzzle that rewards those who can get into its mood: a triumph for the film's creators and its audience alike!