Wednesday movies: Fatal flaws doom 'Mortal Instruments'

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If J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer held a rummage sale, what you'd get would resemble "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones."

The movie, based on the first of Cassandra Clare's five books (with a sixth coming next year), opens today in theaters nationwide.

It's a well-worn formula: Take a human who learns she's actually magical, put her in a love triangle, throw in some vampires and werewolves, and pepper with special effects.

The human, Clary, is played by Lily Collins, who was Snow White in "Mirror, Mirror." The cast also includes "Twilight" alum Jamie Campbell Bower, and Jared Harris — whose role is rather similar to Dumbledore, which his father Richard played in the first two "Harry Potter" films.