The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

PG-13

Released Aug 21, 2013

2 hr. 10 min.

Fantasy

Action

Adventure

List

13%

127 Reviews

Tomatometer

58%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In New York City, a seemingly ordinary teenager named Clary Fray (Lily Collins) learns that she is descended from a line of Shadowhunters -- half-angel warriors who protect humanity from evil forces. After her mother (Lena Headey) disappears, Clary joins forces with a group of Shadowhunters and enters Downworld, an alternate realm filled with demons, vampires and a host of other creatures. Clary and her companions must find and protect an ancient cup that holds the key to her mother's future.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Jan 02

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

Critics Consensus

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones borrows ingredients from seemingly every fantasy franchise of the last 30 years -- but can't seem to figure out what to do with them.

Read Critics Reviews

Allie C

As a teen who loves watches movies I don't know why this movie is rated so low, one of my favourite it is the movie I always come back to, I only wish the sequel was finished as we were all left on such a cliff hanger.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/24

Full Review

Jason T

Fast paced and imaginative world to get lost in. From runes and glamor to accords and instruments. This story will have you hooked and wanting more.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/29/24

Full Review

Danae D

I absolutely love this movie!!!! I hope they come out with a other movie of this because I want jace and clary to find out that their really not siblings and they come finally be together and neither both jace and clary DON'T DIE!!!! So they can have their happily ever after please!!!!!! bring back this movie series!!!!! Please!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/29/24

Full Review

Dinos K

Have you ever seen Hunger Games, Twilight, Maze Runner, Divergent and stuff like that? Then you have already seen this movie

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/17/24

Full Review

Eva P

This is by far THE best fantasy after "Harry Potter" and "Twilight". I know many people think that it is messy and everywhere, but if you look at movies such as "The school for good and evil" the same 'random info + messyness' happends, and yet they are getting another one filmed. Besides, the books were a HUGE hit. I remeber years back, at my school the waiting list for any of "The Mortal Instruments" books would be over one page long, it was so chaotic that you were only allowed to borrow it for one week. And when I (and many of my school mates) were old enough to be allowed to watch pg13, we all watched the movie, not once, not twice, but we keep on coming back to it when ever we feel like it. At one point, we started to speak in quotes from this movie. It was ourcomfort. Ahh, the good old days. "It flounders around trying to figure out what it should be, and never really settles on anything." - Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz If you ask me, I'd say this IS the point of the movie. The main character Clar is legit trying to figure out what she should be. It is not supposed to settle on anything yet because Clar is not settled, far from it. If it does, the story would feel so "know it all and undromatic" and I'm sure that wouldn've ruined it. It seems like they ceased the rest of the series due to a lack of "box office blablabla". I personally does not belive it. A x2.5would count as break even, and 30x2.5<90, the numbers are speaking here. I mean even if that doesn't convence you, did you not see the amount of people at the fan meets and the premieres in different countries were of a huge and enthusiastic crowd? If you look at any vidoes related to this movie, the amount of comments that wants them to bring it back would take up 90% of the comment section no kidding. I know, there is a TV show version, but trust me, The City is not the same without THE perfect Jake and Clar. ps: This is not a must see. this is someting you should always watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/06/24

Full Review

George A

The start follows the book rather faithfully but even then some of the scenes strayed from the books especially near the end where it mixed bits from the first 3 books and it turned out rather confusion and other than the actors the script just felt flat and the action scenes useless or badly choreographed it tried to do to much but at the same time is a fun movie on its own but don't read if your expecting a movie that pays the book justice.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/28/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Harald Zwart

Director

Lily Collins

Clary Fray

Jamie Campbell Bower

Jace Wayland

Robert Sheehan

Simon Lewis

Kevin Zegers

Alec Lightwood

Lena Headey

Jocelyn Fray

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

The Mortal Instruments: Official Clip - You Aren't My Dad

2:50

The Mortal Instruments: Official Clip - Demonic Psychic

2:38

The Mortal Instruments: Official Clip - Fighting for the Card

1:28

The Mortal Instruments: Official Clip - I'm In Love With You

2:46

The Mortal Instruments: Official Clip - Flamethrower vs. Demons

1:57

The Mortal Instruments: Official Clip - Anti-Demon Rune

3:07

The Mortal Instruments: Official Clip - Vampire Attack

3:52

The Mortal Instruments: Official Clip - A Kiss in the Rain

3:25

The Mortal Instruments: Official Clip - Jace's Secret

2:17

The Mortal Instruments: Official Clip - Demon Dog

2:23

View more videos

67%

75%

Thor: The Dark World

12%

34%

Seventh Son

TRAILER

for Seventh Son

36%

58%

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

TRAILER

for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

49%

52%

Snow White and the Huntsman

20%

45%

The Huntsman: Winter's War

TRAILER

for The Huntsman: Winter's War

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

2014 GLAAD Media Awards Winners

Parental Guidance: On DVD The Wolverine, Smurfs 2 and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Parental Guidance: Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

View more photos

Perri Nemiroff

Shockya.com

'The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones' might reduce plans for the sequel to ashes.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 24, 2013

Full Review

Louis Black

Austin Chronicle

Not only have we seen this all before, but we were probably hoping to not see it again.

Rated: 1.5/5

Aug 23, 2013

Full Review

Donald Clarke

Irish Times

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is such a pathetic mess you end up feeling a little sorry for the poor mite.

Rated: 1/5

Aug 23, 2013

Full Review

Amanda the Jedi

Amanda the Jedi (Youtube)

The one thing this movie managed to do was capture the visual style I felt the book conveyed but otherwise we were left with something that neither fans, critics or general audiences were particularly impressed by

Jul 4, 2021

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

This is one incredibly mixed-up, poorly planned, annoyingly-plotted mess.

Rated: 2/10

Dec 3, 2020

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Screenwriter Jessica Postigo serves up a script that feels like a working draft.

Rated: 1.5/4.0

Sep 17, 2020

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

In New York City, a seemingly ordinary teenager named Clary Fray (Lily Collins) learns that she is descended from a line of Shadowhunters -- half-angel warriors who protect humanity from evil forces. After her mother (Lena Headey) disappears, Clary joins forces with a group of Shadowhunters and enters Downworld, an alternate realm filled with demons, vampires and a host of other creatures. Clary and her companions must find and protect an ancient cup that holds the key to her mother's future.

Director: Harald Zwart
Executive Producer: Robert Shaye, Michael Lynne, Martin Moszkowicz, Dylan Sellers
Screenwriter: Jessica Postigo
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co: Constantin Film International, Unique Features
Rating: PG-13 (Intense Fantasy Violence|Intense Action|Some Suggestive Content)
Genre: Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 21, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 18, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $31.2M
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, Datasat

Most Popular at Home Now