Inkheart

Review by Anthony Morris

Does anyone even remember a time when Brendan Fraser was making films that weren't this kind of CGI-heavy rollicking kids adventure fare?

Gods and Monsters must be close to a decade old now and since then he's made a name for himself doing nothing but being the square-jawed hero taking on a bunch of CGI creatures time and time again. Sadly, Inkheart proves this cycle shows no sign of breaking: Fraser plays Mo Folchart, who happens to be a 'silvertounge' - a person who can pull characters and items out of books and into the real world simply by reading the story aloud. 

Bad news for Mo is, he discovered this talent while reading a medieval fantasy tale called Inkheart to his then baby daughter and not only was the character he brought out of the book an evil bandit (Andy Serkis), but his wife was sucked into the book (it seems that there's a kind of balance between book and the real world that must be maintained). 

Fast-forward 11 years and Mo's now driving around Europe with his 12 year-old daughter Meggie (Eliza Bennett) looking for a copy of Inkheart (they've become very rare for some reason) under cover of being a rare book dealer. A mysterious scar-faced stranger called Dustfinger (Paul Bettany) turns up making vague threats, and suddenly Mo's past comes crashing back into his life complete with storybook villains turned gun-toting thugs.

The opening scenes are full of the right mix of mystery and intrigue but things get less interesting as the plot chugs along despite the appearance of one of the 40 Thieves and Toto from The Wizard of Oz.  The plot no doubt works fine in the original novel but here it seems to travel in circles, while the idea of bringing books literally to life should be way more exciting (and done way more often) than it is here. Basically, everything feels less interesting that you'd expect it to be: go read a good book instead.

2.5 out of 5

Inkheart
Australian release: 2nd Apr, 2009
Official Site: Inkheart
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Kathy Bates, Jim Broadbent, Andy Serkis
Director: Iain Softley