It is funny
that one book that remains a subtle subplot of Inkheart would be the
infamous Wizard of Oz and how many of the themes in that book mirror this
movie. Becoming friends with strangers, battling a collective evil, correcting
wrongs, and a journey to find your way back home are similar in both stories.
Saved from a book bonfire at Aunt Elinor’s house, The Wizard of Oz
actually saves them when Brandon Frasier’s character reads aloud and literally
creates a Category 5 tornado. By the end of the movie, with some of the other
characters released from their cells and joining their quest, it felt like
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure with all the icons from history following
them. 
Finally,
the plot of the movie was simple and believable—if you are a 13 year old girl or
can relate to one. All of the characters have a sensibility about them that had
it been written for 13 year old boys,
when
someone dies you see it. The scariness factor was down to a ghoulish level with
more startles than actual scares. There was a Minotaur that came charging, but
he was on a chain like a dog. The best parts of the movie, outside of the CGIs
would be the scenery. It will make you want to take a hot air balloon, picnic,
and a camera. 
Mortimer "Mo" Folchart (Brendan Fraser) and his 12-year-old daughter, Meggie (Eliza Hope Bennett), share a passion for books. What they also share is an extraordinary gift for bringing characters from books to life when they read aloud. But there is a danger: when a character is brought to life from a book, a real person disappears into its pages. On one of their trips to a secondhand book shop, Mo hears voices he hasn't heard for years, and when he locates the book they're coming from, it sends a shiver up his spine. It's Inkheart, a book filled with illustrations of medieval castles and strange creatures--a book he's been searching for since Meggie was three years old, when her mother, Resa (Sienna Guillory), vanished into its mystical world. But Mo's plan to use the book to find and rescue Resa is thwarted when Capricorn (Andy Serkis), the evil villain of Inkheart, kidnaps Meggie and, discovering she has inherited her father's gift, demands that she bring his most powerful ally to life--the Shadow. Determined to rescue his daughter and send the fictional characters back where they belong, Mo assembles a small group of friends and family--some from the real world, some from the pages of books--and embarks on a daring and perilous journey to set things right. |
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Inkheart Reviewed by Stephen R. Lang |
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Inkheart tells the magical story of how powerful the written word is and when spoken by the right person, can bring these lands and peoples to life. One night nine years ago a father reads from a medieval fantasy book that eventually brings three characters into our world and sadly banishing his wife to theirs. After years of searching for the exact book that created everything, Mo Folchart has found his wife and must battle the evil forces he previously unleashed. Inkheart is a Harry Potter-esque movie geared towards teenage girls and bibliophiles that find solace within the pages of a good book. Anyone that likes to “escape” into one of these stories will find it amazing, enthralling, and highly entertaining without being “too scary” or “too gross.” While no blood is shed, there is the underlying secret power Mo (Brendan Fraser) has that his daughter (Eliza Bennett) soon learns she has too, that of a Silvertongue. This movie is ideal for large families and groups because it has something for everyone, a Dad that most parents now grew up with being a superhero and still good looking, a daughter that is smart and has a heart of gold, and one of the best reasons why Gays should see it—Helen Marrin! She is the Aunt most gay boys want that has a villa with a lake in the Italian Alps. Eccentric and possessive of her books, Helen gives Elinor Loredan life, chutzpah, and courage to do what is right for her family. Did I forget to mention her turban wraps? Fierce. The other enjoyable extra is Dustfinger, played by Paul Bettany, who was sucked into this world nine years ago and who only wants to go home to his wife, played by Jennifer Connelly. Dustfinger is a fire eater and entertainer by trade, and while bored waiting for someone, joined some street artisans and performed shirtless!
If you come away with one thing from this movie it would be that the written word is a powerful thing. Be careful what you do with it.
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Based
on the
best-selling
book by
Cornelia
Funke, "