Unlike other fantasy books turned into movies and later into a whole franchise, Jeanne DuPrau's 2003 fantasy novel, "The City of Ember" brings out to much more than spells, curses and flying brooms, thus viewers of all ages may indulge into a little fantastic journey while watching the cinema version of the novel, translated into images by English director Gil Kenan.

The movie works up with a long-living myth of underground cities, adding up a bit of political intrigue as well as an apocalyptic vision of a future not far away. At some points, it seems like a weird crossing between “Prison Break,” “The Fifth Element” and Jules Verne’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” except it goes backwards, from under the surface and up to the light.

“Ember” is an underground city built as an escape from a major cataclysm that presumably wiped out everything from the face of the Earth. It is relatively well organized, much like a sort of underground rollercoaster ride in a London-themed amusement park. It has shops, diners, even a Macy’s and most importantly, it even has a fake starry sky, gently illuminated by the city’s generator.

Everything is in its place, except for a minor detail. The engineers who built the box under the ground have only supplied Ember with enough energy and resources to last 200 years, as they estimated that these two centuries will be just enough for the planet to be once again a place to live for the thousands of people in the underground.

It’s the year 241 and the newer generations have started to forget their dream of going back to the surface. They have even lost the precious instructions that led the way out, as they were kept in a box and passed over from mayor to mayor.

Long story short: a couple of adventurous kids, who think outside the box and don’t find the light bulbs posing as stars as interesting as what they imagine the real sky to be, go on a mission to find the lost documents and save their world from extinction.

Doon Harrow (Harry Treadaway), the only son of an eccentric inventor (Tim Robbins), and his school mate Lina Mayfleet (Saoirse Ronan) also have to fight a corrupt and not so bright mayor, played by Bill Murray, a leader who pretty much organizes the people like they were toy soldiers, with all their lives carefully planned ahead.

Everything is hopefully about to change and times when people don’t sing hymns to the generator underground, but much rather to that big one in the sky, are not far as the two youngsters set on their quest for the truth.