Despite mixed reviews and poor box office returns, Inkheart is a rousing and entertaining fantasy film with a nifty premise, and lots of cool special effects. Inkheart (much like the excellent Never-ending Story) celebrates the power of books and encourages younger viewers to read and explore new worlds. This is a noble cause and one that is worth celebrating. The movie itself may not be up to the level of Stardust (the best fantasy flick in many years) but its well worth seeking out.
Inkheart is about a book-binder named Moe (an engaging Brendan Fraser), who is searching for a book called Inkheart. He’s a “silvertongue” and when he reads aloud, someone from the real world is sucked into the story he is reading while at the same time, someone from the book comes out of the story and into our world. Fraser is looking to find his wife (who Moe believes is stuck in the book) and several characters from the novel Inkheart come to life and help along the way. Moe meets a fire juggler (a brooding and charismatic Paul Bettany) and along with his daughter must defeat an evil thug from the book. Capricorn (a menacing and sneering performance from Gollum himself, Andy Serkis) has fashioned his own castle in the real world and his burning copies of Inkheart, because he never wants to return to the book, preferring to take over our world. Helen Mirren adds some nice support as an eccentric and rich aunt.
Inkheart is a flip disc with a fullscreen and widescreen transfer on the DVD. It looks and sounds terrific. The only problem is the lack of compelling extras, but given the lackluster box office, this can hardly be seen as a surprise. There is a short featurette and a few trailers included on the DVD. Inkheart is a compelling and fast-paced ride for fantasy fans of all ages. It comes highly recommended, with the only caveat being a lack of extras on the DVD.
Grade: B+
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