Inkheart
The popular book about the printed word coming to life finds itself coming to life
Tags: Inkheart Categories: DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Jul 2nd, 2009
My oldest son loved the book, so I was rather eager to watch Inkheart when it appeared for review. I had heard good things about the story and characters, and Brendan Fraser almost always turns in a solid performance. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I found the movie lacking in any sort of “magic” that one might expect from a story about a man who reads aloud and things leap off the page.
The idea is that whatever Mo reads comes to life – literally. If he reads about Clifford, the Big Red Dog out loud, then the neighborhood is going to get a visitor that it simply can’t handle. If he reads about Robin Hood, suddenly the character will appear in the room. There is a twist, unfortunately, one that has cost him dearly.
After a very brief introduction, we start the movie proper as Mo and his daughter Meggie are in a small village in Europe and encounter one of the characters that Mo has inadvertently brought to life years earlier. This is only one of the complications in Mo’s life as it seems that he is on some sort of quest and can’t be bothered with this intrusion, and even a bit fearful of it.
There’s a great supporting cast including Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent, but even their presence can’t seem to elevate the film above an ordinary fantasy. Sometimes books seem like they would make a great movie with the imagery they evoke, but sometimes it is the images the reader creates that are the best. It should be noted that the film doesn’t seem to capture the magic of the novel, but not because of the cast or special effects. I can’t even find anything wrong with the script or direction. Perhaps this is one of those books that was best left in print only.
Fans of the book may enjoy the film as a visual reference, but don’t expect the same sense of wonder as when it was first read.
The Blu-ray edition of the film comes with a few special features. First up is a selection of deleted scenes, some of which are worth watching, some of which aren’t, none of which help the film overall. We get a featurette on “how writers write” with a focus on Inkheart’s author and the story here, as well as a featurette where the actress who plays Meggie reads from the book. We also get a story made up by the cast and crew. Also included is a DVD version of the film which only includes the special feature focusing on the passage from the book that didn’t make it into the film.
I wanted to like Inkheart, but found myself wishing that it had more magic or sense of wonder. Younger audiences may enjoy it if they have not read the book as a way to be introduced to the story.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
| + Fun story | 5.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
| - Lacks "magic" | |
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Fans of the book may find this of interest as a visual reference, but it likely won't win any fans over. | |
[ Post the first comment | View related posts ]
Tags: Inkheart
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Jul 2nd, 2009 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
