In ink or on screen, Inkheart delivers

February 16, 2009 • written by Eric Halvorson, Staff Writer  
Filed under Entertainment

        There are some who find reality beyond the paper and ink in books.  There are those among us who read and see a soul so much deeper than what a book is – who can see the heart behind the ink.  In the world of “Inkheart,” there are Silvertongues who can use their very voices to lift the realities of the written word into our own world. 

        The movie “Inkheart” is a screen portrayal of the namesake book by German fantasy author Cornelia Funke.  “Inkheart” opens with a flashback to Mo, a well-known bookbinder, his wife Resa, and baby daughter Maggie.  As Mo reads to his wife and child a strange flicker distracts him.  It is not long before characters from the fantasy book he is reading appear in the room around them, and he realizes that Resa is, in turn, gone. 

        As the flashback ends, the story picks up with Mo travelling Europe with his daughter while repairing books, and secretly looking for a particular one: “Inkheart.”  Maggie loves books just as much as her father, and enjoys travelling with him to excellent sources of undiscovered tales.  However, on one such trip, her father is tracked down by an old acquaintance named Dustfinger, who warns that Capricorn knows where Mo lives, and he must not return.

        Capricorn is the villain Mo himself read out of “Inkheart” so many years ago, and Dustfinger is a court Minstrel and fire eater who was pulled through as well.  Fleeing from Dustfinger and Capricorn alike, Mo takes Maggie to his old aunt Elinor’s home. 

        Elinor is a grumpy old bookworm with a valuable library of books, which is unfortunately destroyed when Capricorn finds them there.  The unique premise of this story drives a decently compelling plot through the countryside of Europe as the battle with Capricorn unfolds. 

        What could have strengthened this film would have been more introduction.  Easing the audience into the setting and premise a bit more would have allowed more character acquaintance before picking up with the action.  As it stands, everything is a bit hard to accept as it unfolds, because the audience hasn’t connected with the film yet. 

        I was also disappointed that the climax, which was perfectly satisfying for its length, was not longer.  The final events were as powerful and well-portrayed as they should have been, but there was room to expound on them, and come closer to the grandeur achieved in the book.

         Though I don’t see this film being award-worthy on any level it still delivered, and the characters were effectively portrayed.  Mo is played decently by Brendan Fraser, with Maggie played by the little known Eliza Bennett, whose British accent is strangely out of place next to Fraser’s strait American. 

        The standout in actors here is Helen Mirren, playing the old aunt Elinor.  She is especially funny when she is talking to herself on the way to saving her family, after going separate ways for a while in the film.  Sadly, she is underused, despite a relatively strong character and humor element.  For Capricorn, the creepy-eyed Andy Serkis portrays a decent villain.  You may recognize the creepy eyes as looking a bit Gollum-esque, which is fitting for the actor who voiced Gollum for the “Lord of the Rings” films.

        If you are also a fan of Harry Potter, “Inkheart” is a reminder that there are movie makers in Hollywood who actually read the book their movie is based on.  You won’t be able to page through the book while watching the movie, but you will recognize it as the same story.

        One noticeable difference is the level of fantasy, such as with Dustfinger, who magically creates and controls fire in the film, but uses arcane methods in the book.  The characters themselves are well-preserved, but I was disappointed in the amount of humor the movie used, considering the book was able to make me laugh considerably more, though it’s not a comedy.

        The soul of this story is decently translated to film, which satisfies the readers with its adaptation, while entertaining those new to the story with a film that doesn’t rely on the book to understand it.  If you like fantasy, see this film.  You will be entertained, possibly even a few times.