Over the past couple of years it seems that studios have made the early months of the year a time to open modest fantasy films. You know, the ones that don't have exorbitant budgets like the Harry Potter films or The Chronicles of Narnia. 2007 saw Walden Media score a hit with Bridge to Terabithia, one that proved to be a very strong and effective film. Taking a cue from that success, Nickelodeon brought us The Spiderwick Chronicles, a film which saw similar box office success and was also a high quality release.
Now we have New Line seeking to continue this trend with Inkheart. Unfortunately, while the movie is definitely in the same genre, it is decidedly not of the same quality. It's not bad, but it is definitely a little disappointing.
Inkheart is based on a novel by Cornelia Funke and has been adapted to the big screen by writer David Lindsay-Abaire and director Iain Softley. I have not read the novel, but I have to believe the characters are a bit more fully rounded on the written page than they turned out on the big screen. As presented on film, Inkheart is a good story that speaks to the power of the written word and wants to encourage the discovery of the secrets contained with the covers of countless books. It also speaks to the strong pull and need for family. Sadly, somewhere in the adaptation process direction was lost and the path diverted away from character and toward plot. If all you want is a story, this is the movie for you.
Brendan Fraser is Mortimer Folchart, a book collector, fixer, hunter, you name it. He also possesses a special ability, something that few people have, and I have to believe fewer actually want. Mo (as he is called) is a Silvertongue. This means that whatever he reads aloud becomes reality. For example, read about the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz and they will spring from the pages and become manifest in the real world. To say this ability has caused some problems would be an understatement.
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Article comments
1 - Chris
Ok, here's what alot of people would like to hear. I am going to give both sides of my opinion.
First time viewers will love this movie. It has an excellent plot, is great for children, and adults will love it too. The language is clean although I think one curse word was in there somewhere. It is an amazing movie to watch with the kids. Everyone in the room will be captivated and wait for anticipation for the next scene.
Next off is my point of view. I have already read the book and I personally believe that this movie is a horrible rendition of the book. In fact, I personally hated the movie because I love the book so much. I bought this book when it came to North America because Cornelia Funke is my favorite author, and it has been my all time favorite book ever since. I have read this book at least 100 times, and Inkspell at least 50. I have not yet been able to retrieve Inkdeath yet but It will be the same way. Everything is wrong in this movie. Alot of scenes are in the incorrect places and so many things were taken out of the movie that I believe that if I hadn't read the book it could possibly have been hard to follow the story line. Maybe it's just going to be a movie that since I love the book so much I hate it the first time and will love it the second time, maybe not.
Thus saying, I believe you should watch this movie, no matter what age or genre you like. This movie has something for people of all type and character. If you are somebody like me that has read the book I recommend you watch the movie just for giggles. You may or may not like it more than me.
The acting in the movie was great and it is indeed a good movie, so I will give it a 10/10 from a viewers stand point and a 6/10 from the readers stand point.
If you haven't read the book, do so. I hope I have been a help to all of you. By the way, I am 16 years old. I know that matters to some people.