Inkheart

Ever wish Narnia or Middle Earth were real? Or that you really could sit down to coffee with Jo March or Anne of Green Gables? What if anything you read came out of the book and into your world?

People with this gift exist in Inkheart. They're called Silvertongues, and some of them don't even know they have this ability, like Mo Folchart (Brendan Fraser). One night when he reads from a novel called Inkheart to his wife and three-year-old daughter, more than one villainous character suddenly appears out of the book, and his wife suddenly disappears into the book.

Mo has never read aloud again, and for nine years he's searched tirelessly for another rare copy of Inkheart in the hopes that somehow he can read his wife back out. His daughter Meggie (Eliza Bennett) is now twelve and travels Europe with her father, a bookbinder, from bookstore to bookstore. She doesn't know why her Mom abandoned them. She doesn't even know what her father's searching for. But she soon finds out when a strange man named Dustfinger confronts Mo, demanding to be read back into Inkheart. The adventure soon takes both of them into the wilds of Italy, and along the way they make friends and enemies, discovering more than they wish about themselves and the magic of Inkheart.

Based on a novel by Cornelia Funke, Inkheart is a wonderful tribute to the power of story and the love of reading. It's hard to see why its been lambasted by many critics, because all the elements of a great family-friendly film are here in full force. Its reverence for books shows kids that reading is magical and books are to be treasured. The fantasy adventure taps into a thriving market that's already been developed by Harry Potter and Narnia.

Inkheart features several noteworthy actors and actresses. Brendan Fraser is of course the quintessential action/adventure dude from the Mummy movies and Walden Media's Journey to the Center of the Earth. Helen Mirren as cranky and sarcastic Great-Aunt Elinor is brilliant (The movie's worth watching for her scenes alone.) Villain Capricorn is played by none other than the guy who brought us Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Jim Broadbent (The Professor in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe) as Fenoglio, the author of the novel Inkheart in the movie, is thoroughly convincing as a curmudgeon writer in awe that his characters have come to life before him. Hardly the cast of a flop.

Why aren't we hearing more about this movie? Sure, there are a few minor continuity guffaws that'll have you scratching your head, like one minute it's day in a scene, the next minute the sun is setting. But this is a forgivable offense and found in many box office hits.

Maybe Inkheart veers too far from the novel upon which its based. It's been said big changes were made. Could this really account for the lack of ticket sales? We might never know. But even if you've never read the book, there's much to enjoy in the movie. With a strong theme of familial love and enough humor to crack up the room, it's amazing Inkheart is being lost in the shuffle. Let's hope it's the sleeper that becomes a DVD hit.

--Reviewed by C.J. Darlington for TitleTrakk

Some have criticized "Inkheart" for sending the wrong message about reading, as if it was warning children that opening a book will lead to disastrous results. I saw it differently; to me, "Inkheart" sends a wonderful message about the imagination of writers and the power they have to create and/or destroy entire worlds. When the forces of evil become overpowering, the writer regains control with a few strokes of a pen (or, more modernly, a few clicks on a keyboard). Far be it from me to want to sound corny, but as a writer myself, I respond well to stories that are about stories. Based on the German novel by Cornelia Funke, "Inkheart" is creative and fun, a fantasy about fantasy becoming reality. It tells the story of Mortimer Folchart (Brendan Fraser), a father who possesses the ability to bring forth characters from books simply by reading aloud. But there's a catch: If someone from the story crosses over into our world, then someone from our world has to cross over into the story.

Such a thing happened to Mortimer's beloved wife, Risa, as he was reading from the pages of a novel called "Inkheart." Nine years later, he and his twelve-year-old daughter, Meggie (Eliza Bennett), continue to search the world for a copy of that book, which has long since gone out of print. If he can find one, he'll finally be able to read his wife out of the story. He and Meggie finally find one in a quaint bookshop in the middle of Italy. It's there that they run into Dustfinger (Paul Bettany), a juggler who has the ability to start fires with his own hands. As it turns out, he's a character from "Inkheart," and he's spent the last nine years following Mortimer with the hope that he can get him back into the story.

Here enters Mortimer's aunt, Elinor Loredan (Helen Mirren), a snooty bookworm who dresses like Norma Desmond and lives in an isolated sprawling palazzo. She, Mortimer, and Meggie are kidnapped by the henchmen of the evil Capricorn (Andy Serkis), the villain of "Inkheart." His dastardly plot: Have Mortimer read aloud from "Inkheart" to summon The Shadow, a frightening monstrosity made from smoke and ashes. Capricorn's attempts to bring forth other literary creations have been unsuccessful; his reader, who has the same power as Mortimer, has a terrible stutter. The result is half-materialized creatures, unfinished lines of text written across their bodies. With the help of the author of "Inkheart" (Jim Broadbent), one of the Forty Thieves (Rafi Gavron), and a mute scullery maid (Sienna Guillory), Mortimer and Meggie set forth on a quest to restore everything to the way it's supposed to be.

The magic of this movie comes not from the digital effects or the elaborate settings, although both are quite impressive. It comes from the clever plot, the wonderful use of imagination, and characterization. This isn't to suggest that the characters are any more than fairy tale archetypes; heroes, villains, damsels in distress, wise elders, and comedy relief all contribute to the story in one form or another. Still, there's a complexity to certain characters that makes them more engaging. Take, for example, Dustfinger--he's a decent enough person at heart, but his circumstances often times lead him down a desperate, sometimes cowardly path. His only motivation is to return within the pages of "Inkheart" to be with his family (his wife, Roxanne, is seen only in brief glimpses and is played by Bettany's real-life wife, Jennifer Connelly). And the fact that he's afraid to meet the book's author made perfect sense; Dustfinger has never read "Inkheart" all the way through because he doesn't want to know his fate. When Meggie asks him why, he responds, "Do you know how your story ends?"

I also appreciated the references made to well-known works of fiction, most notably L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," which plays a very important role midway through the film, when the good guys attempt to escape from Capricorn's castle. I love the idea that a written fantasy could be freed from the page and used as a weapon against the forces of evil. It makes for a level of excitement I rarely feel. What's even more exciting is the fact that the exact same forces of evil can also use the written word as a weapon; at that point, survival depends on being able to expand on the author's original vision. To say more would give too much away, but rest assured that anyone able to appreciate the act of writing will find the ending of "Inkheart" very satisfying.

I will not go so far as to say that it's an original story. I will say, however, that it works with what it has got very well. It's always a pleasure to see a film that appreciates the art of storytelling, which I personally feel is one of the greatest gifts we as people can share with one another. I have so much respect for writers; they create entire worlds and inhabit them with characters that are not always relatable, but are usually fascinating just the same. Not all will agree, but I feel that "Inkheart" is a film that celebrates the author and the worlds he or she creates. It's a pure delight from beginning to end, fun, exciting, and magical--exactly what I wanted to see.

Have you ever become so immersed in a book that it seemed to come to life?

Suppose it really did. That premise underlies this enchanted fantasy story. I have to admit, the movie's basic passion for the written word spoke to something inside me. So did the libraries of whispering books, which brought to life something that had only been metaphorically real for me before, and so did the girl with her own zeal for reading and aspirations toward writing. On top of that, I was somewhat tickled to see the best of today's movie making effect-meisters putting so much effort into this tribute to the low tech pleasure of reading.

Given that magical beginning, the story might have become more - but drew me along anyway. The characters never wholly engaged me, though. Even Helen Mirren couldn't quite give her character the drive I might have hoped for. In truth, I was happy to see the effects kick in toward the second half of the movie, to give me visually what the plot wasn't offering.

I confess, I haven't read the book. It seems to have a loyal following, and loyal readers often express disappointment in how their favored scenes and characters appear on the screen. I had the luxury of judging the movie on its own merits, so I generally enjoyed it. Although a bit much for skittish small children, it's a kid-friendly fantasy - and one that works against the view that reading is for nerds.

-- wiredweird, reviewing the theatrical release

I was surprised to see so many positive reviews for this movie. From a description of the plot line, it would seem like this movie would be full of fantastic creatures and an adventurous story. Instead, the story is painfully one dimensional and loaded with inconsistencies and fallacies. I will not give a plot summary here as others have done that better than I could.

Thumbs Up
* Makeup and costumes were excellent.
* I read another review that criticized the special effects, but I thought they were great.
* The stylization is consistent and creates an interesting mood.

Thumbs Down
* A story loaded with holes and inconsistencies
* I wasn't attached to the characters. I thought the little girl was irritating and Brendan Frazer's actions were so erratic and nonsensical that he never truly caught my interest. Their story never really drew me in as an audience member.

Inconsistencies
* Brendan Frazer's character claimed he never read the girl any stories, yet she knows quite a few characters from literature.
* Why does the girl have a British accent? She's been raised by an American father.
* In the middle of the movie, the characters decide to go to the author's house to see if he has an additional copy.... really?... they didn't think of this in the 9 years they've been searching??
* Brendan Frazer's distrust of dustfingers in the beginning of the movie doesn't make any sense. There is no disincentive to teaming up.
* The characters realize that whatever the people with the "gift" read comes to life so they decide to read things that they want to happen. I have a hard time believing they wouldn't have come to that conclusion a little earlier.
* Lighting the castle on fire in the end was completely unnecessary
* They make it a point to drive to the Great Aunt's house. In fact, the Brendan Frazer character said "we NEED to get there". Yet there was absolutely no purpose in them going there. Great Aunt was really no help and there was absolutely no need to go there.

I don't believe this movie will necessarily motivate/not-motivate children to read. Even if the net effect of this movie were positive, there are other "pro reading" movies that do the same thing significantly better.

Inkheart was quite a surprise for me. I was not sure from the movie title if the film would be worth watching, but after watching it, I have to say it's one of the best fantasy films I've seen in quite awhile! The acting is superb, the story line is marvelous, and the creativity present in the story development was wonderful. There's plenty of action, some very interesting twists, and a great outcome. I felt good after watching this film, and excited to share it with friends. It kept me guessing every step of the way. Awesome film ... one I will watch again and again!

The premise of "Inkheart" is intriguing: certain persons have a special gift -- when they read aloud, they bring characters of fiction into the real world. The downside: for every fictional character who comes into the real world, a real human being is taken into the fictional world.
Mo Folchart (Brendan Fraser), a book buyer and restorer, has this ability, and is stalked by a mysterious figure as he and daughter Meggie (Eliza Hope Bennett) browse through an open-air book market. The stranger is Dustfinger (Paul Bettany), a fictional character Mo brought into the real world years earlier who longs to return to his family in the pages of "Inkheart," a now rare, out-of-print book. When Dustfinger appeared in our world, Mo's wife, Resa (Sienna Guillory), disappeared into the book's world.
The plot is essentially a quest in which assorted characters combine forces, meet others along the way, and dedicate themselves to a mutually beneficial goal. Of course, as with all quests, this won't be easy. There's a group of fictional folks, under the leadership of Capricorn (Andy Serkis), who've made a very nice life for themselves in the real world, taken up residence in a hillside castle, and have no intention of returning to their fictional world.
Brendan Fraser seems to be the go-to guy for movie fantasies (think "The Mummy" franchise and last summer's "Journey to the Center of the Earth"). He has always seemed to me a grown-up with boy-like wonderment. What he lacks in acting chops, he makes up for in earnestness, knowing that at any second this fantasy can degenerate into camp.
This does actually happen with the character of Elinor Lordan (Helen Mirren), Mo's aunt, an eccentric, turban-wearing book collector who speaks her mind with little regard for others' feelings. Initially, the character is used to move the plot along. She disappears for a long time and reappears in the movie's final third, speeding up the mountainside on a motorbike and later riding a unicorn into a sanitized battle pitting the forces of good against evil. It's difficult to accept the sophisticated Ms. Mirren as this exaggerated caricature.
Bettany, who is best remembered as the imaginary friend of John Nash in "A Beautiful Mind," conveys appropriate menace in the film's early scenes, but also a wistfulness -- even a sadness -- because of his entrapment in a world that's not his own.
Bennett plays Meggie not as a starry-eyed innocent but as a mature, intelligent young woman. Her Meggie is not just along for the ride. She participates in decision making, is in the midst of the action rather than on the sidelines, and exhibits many qualities of the movie heroine. She helps shore up the proceedings with her down-to-earth, focused performance.
Even with the fantasy element, the movie limps along, predictable all the way. We've seen cinema fantasies that are far more effective. "The Wizard of Oz" still enchants viewers after all these years (there's an interesting homage to that classic in "Inkheart," incidentally). "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" was the movie without equal for a whole generation. More recently, the "Harry Potter" movies have shown how a solid script, engaging characters, and state-of-the-art special effects can combine to produce genuinely thrilling fantasy adventures.
Rated PG, "Inkheart" builds to an anticipated climax, but loses dramatic steam before the final credits roll.

Mortimer "Mo" Folchart (Brendan Fraser) makes his living as a repairer of old books. He and his daughter Meggie (Eliza Bennett) travel all over Europe stopping in antiquated bookshops. And in each one, Mo searches the entire collection for one book in particular, Inkheart.

Mo finally finds a copy, but just after he does, he is confronted by Dustfinger (Paul Bettany), one of the characters from the novel. Mo manages to run away, and he and Meggie flee to great aunt Elinor's (Helen Mirren) in Italy. But they aren't safe there. Dustfinger appears again, says he is working with Capricorn (Andy Serkis) now, and kidnaps the three of them.

Only when the group reaches Capricorn's castle does Mo explain what is happening. Seems he is a Silvertongue and has the ability to read characters into and out of books. Dustfinger and Capricorn are characters in Inkheart, but Mo wants to find a copy for a very personal reason. What do the characters want? Can Mo and his family escape?

The previews for this movie made it seem like I would love it. Heck, as a reader, the premise of characters traveling between a novel and the real world appeals to me. But the movie just seemed off to me.

And it's mainly a matter of expectations. I expected lots of references to characters from famous novels. There are some, but the main focus is on the characters from the book in question. I expected a fast paced action story. Yes, there were action scenes, but there were also long passages between them where the story moved forward rather slowly.

I did find myself getting lost in the story. The acting was top notch, and the special effects were jaw dropping. Heck, even the cinematography held impressive shots of lakes and castles.

A word of warning to parents. There are some frightening creatures and intense action sequences, including the climax. You might want to preview it before your let your young kids watch it, especially those who frighten easily.

I half expected to rush out and read the books after I caught this in the theater, and that still hasn't happened. If you watch the film, you'll enjoy it, but there's not reason to rush out to do so.

Oh, Brendan Fraser. How does one actor make so many movies that almost work but don't? He's been in a few brilliant films, a few god-awful ones, but the majority of them fall into an ever-widening pool of narrow misses.

"Inkheart" is another one of those. It's frustratingly close. You want to go up to the screen and nudge it a bit so it crosses the line. It's a fantasy-- a genre where logic is only slightly required. If this story had made a wee bit more sense, it would've hit the fantasy-acceptable mark. If the dialogue had more crackle and the characters had more contrast, it would've worked. It looks beautiful. The effects are good. There are clever moments. It's well cast with actors known to be entertaining and who are spot-on for their parts. It could've been a lovely, enjoyable family film if it had been given any amount of extra thought.

The movie tells the story of a man who finds out too late that when he reads aloud, it brings parts of the books he reads into the real world while it randomly sends real people into the book being read. When he reads the little-known children's book "Inkheart" to his wife, menacing characters fall out and his wife disappears. To have any chance of getting her back, he must have a copy of the rare book, so he packs up his young daughter and they spend years going from old bookstore to old bookstore rummaging through stacks of neglected volumes but not finding the one book he needs.

Fraser's bookbinder Mo is a likable good guy, the sort of character that's become Fraser's mainstay. Mo is a loving dad who's frightened by his unwanted ability and whose only quest is to read his wife home. It's a sweet, solid performance as Fraser plays straight man to some class-A scene-stealers. They are:

Helen Mirren-- no explanation required. She doesn't work at upstaging anyone, it just happens. Here she's the wealthy aunt of Mo's missing wife. Despite her flamboyant style, she has hermitted herself away with the collection of books she treasures, preferring to read adventures, not live them.

Jim Broadbent-- no explanation required here, either. He has one of those faces. He has one of those voices. He plays "Inkheart's" author and it's entertaining to see how much glee he gets from meeting the characters he created, even the horrible ones.

Paul Bettany-- He can't not be noticed. He's an actor who has an edgy energy about him--sort of like a younger Peter O'Toole. Twice his supporting characters have diverted attention from Russell Crowe-- as the lively college roommate in "A Beautiful Mind" and as the ship's doctor and naturalist in "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World." Except for looking at Heath Ledger, the only joy to be had in the mess that is "A Knight's Tale" is Bettany's Chaucer. He stole the movie, or at least as much of it as he wanted. In Inkheart, his juggler Dustfinger is referred to as scary, but he's more scoundrel than villain as he attempts to right the wrong that's been done to him.

Rafi Gavron-- As a teen thief who is thankfully of no consequence to the plot of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," he's adorable and adds a welcome lightness to his scenes. He's the future of scene stealing, earning some preliminary chops here among the pros.

Needless to say, when these actors are on screen together in any combination, you don't know where to look. It's mind-bending to try to understand how anyone could make a marginal movie with this cast.

In addition to the above, Eliza Bennett plays daughter Meggie. It's not a role that requires a lot, but she does a good job of not overplaying what could have been a whiny part. Poor Andy Serkis is stuck playing the same ego-maniacally evil villain we've seen over and over. There's no imagination to his character or to his cliché band of goons. They're not even a particularly scary lot, and the lack of anyone or anything truly frightening contributes largely to making the story tepid.

"Inkheart" has a fun, unofficial running game, a sort of "Name that Tune" where you try to recognize classic children's literature based on a character or a telltale prop. Watch it with your kids, and if they can't tell you what comes from where, move away from the TV and read them a book.

This movie was kind of a disappointment really. The characters were weak and sort of dumb. It lacked the depth that the book has. One of my biggest annoyances is that Basta is supposed to be scary, but he's sort of a dork. That was one of the things about the book. The characters were incredibly and even unnecessarily evil and the movie just didn't pull that off. Also, by changing the story around Resa they turned Dustfinger into a selfish coward. Granted, he was selfish, but he wasn't that bad. Also, the reading was too controlled. It should have been unpredictable. Well, I could go on for a while, but I won't bore you. There were just so many things that turned the story from good to mediocre.

In it's defense, the story wasn't terrible, just not what I was expecting. The acting was good as well as the special effects and I do think they did a pretty good job with Capricorn's character. If I had seen it without reading the book I might have liked it, but I can't be sure because I did read the book and I know what it should have been like.

My advice is: Read the book.

Although I didn't really like the book, I actually enjoyed the movie. I was expecting the same far too long escape and recapture scenes between Mo and Capricorn, many of which were still there but significantly shortened. There were plenty of changes to the movie, especially at the end, but overall, I think they were an improvement to the original story. My favorite aspects, however, were the camera effects and the soundtrack.

-Lindsey Miller, www.lindseyslibrary.com