2010 08 05 City of Ember 2008 Blu-ray 1080p x264 DD51-MySiLU

In the midst of an unspecified catastrophe which is destroying human civilisation, an underground city is created to shelter a group of survivors. The "Builders" of the underground "City of Ember" place secret instructions to future generations in a small box timed to open in 200 years. The box is entrusted to the mayor of the underground complex. Each mayor, in turn, passes the box on to his or her successor. Over time, the significance of the box is forgotten, and with 47 years remaining on the time-lock, the succession is broken when the mayor holding the box dies suddenly, before revealing the importance of the box to anyone. Not realizing the importance of the box, the mayor's family places it in a junk-filled closet. The time-lock opens the box at the allotted time, but the event goes unnoticed.
The City of Ember is built into a vast underground cavern and is filled with conventionally sized buildings and houses. Far above the tops of the buildings are banks of floodlights that light the city during the day and provide light for the greenhouses. The lights are powered by a massive generator. Now it is year 241 and Ember threatens to fall into darkness as the generator begins to fail. Blackouts are occurring with increasing frequency and last longer each time. The reserves of canned goods and light bulbs are becoming depleted. Much of the knowledge about how to use and repair the systems necessary for the city's survival has also slowly been lost over succeeding generations.
At a rite of passage for all graduating students called Assignment Day, Mayor Cole (Bill Murray) stands before the students as they choose, by lottery, what their occupations will be. Lina (Saoirse Ronan), a teenage girl who dreams of becoming a messenger, is assigned to be a "Pipeworks Laborer" working under the technician Sul (Martin Landau). Doon (Harry Treadaway), the son of Loris 'Barrow' Harrow (Tim Robbins), is assigned "Messenger." The two swap occupations despite the fact that it is prohibited. Lina goes home to find her dying grandmother searching for something in the closet which turns out to be the lost metal box. Unable to piece the torn papers inside the box together, Lina nevertheless resolves to decipher their meaning and enlists Doon's help. As blackouts become more frequent, Lina and Doon realize that the information inside the box could lead to the salvation of Ember. Racing against time, the two teens follow the clues and eventually come into conflict with Mayor Cole and other corrupt politicians.
During their flight, it turns out that their parents had once joined in an attempt to make their way beyond Ember, an attempt which ended when Lina's father drowned after their tunneler hit a pressurized underground river. The pair realizes the document is a set of instructions on how to escape the city, and they search for the hidden exit. They also discover that Mayor Cole has been hoarding canned food in a secret vault in the utilities area. When they report the theft, they are arrested and the mayor forces Lina to hand over the box. Since she refuses, he orders his henchmen to snatch it from her, but fails and Lina runs. Now fugitives from the mayor's police, the pair puts their escape plan into action. They fetch Poppy (Amy Quinn and Catherine Quinn), Lina's 4 year old sister, and escape with the help of Sul. They follow the instructions, which leads them to a series of water channels and an subterranean river.
In the end they reach the surface where they see and feel the natural air and sky for the first time. At first, they despair, because it is dark and they assume that they have not escaped, but they do not realize it is night time. In the morning, as the sun rises, they gaze in amazement at the glowing sun and blue sky. They then tie a message of their discovery to a rock and drop it back down to the city, where it is found by Loris.