Inkheart (2008)

Director:

Iain Softley

Writers (WGA):

David Lindsay-Abaire (screenplay)
Cornelia Funke (novel)

Release Date:

23 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

Every story ever written is just waiting to become real.

Plot:

A young girl discovers her father has an amazing talent to bring characters out of their books and must try to stop a freed villain from destroying them all, with the help of her father, her aunt, and a storybook's hero.

Plot Keywords:

Book | Escape | Villain | Disappearance | Young Girl

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Dec. 22	6:05 PM	MAX
Fri. Dec. 25	11:10 AM	MAX
Thur. Dec. 31	2:30 PM	MAX

Cast

Brendan Fraser	...	Mo 'Silvertongue' Folchart
Sienna Guillory	...	Resa
Eliza Bennett	...	Meggie Folchart (as Eliza Hope Bennett)
Richard Strange	...	Antiquarian Bookshop Owner
Paul Bettany	...	Dustfinger
Helen Mirren	...	Elinor Loredan
Matt King	...	Cockerell
Steve Speirs	...	Flatnose
Jamie Foreman	...	Basta
Stephen Graham	...	Fulvio
Mirabel O'Keefe	...	Young Meggie
Andy Serkis	...	Capricorn
John Thomson	...	Darius
Lesley Sharp	...	Mortola
Tereza Srbova	...	Rapunzel

Also Known As:

Ink Heart (USA) (alternative spelling)
Tintenherz (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG for fantasy adventure action, some scary moments and brief language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

Germany | UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #43606) | Ireland:12A | Germany:12 | South Korea:All | Singapore:PG | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Taiwan:PG-12 | Netherlands:9 | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | South Africa:10V | Sweden:11 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-11 | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | France:U | Portugal:M/12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Mexico:A | Iceland:10 | Australia:PG | New Zealand:PG | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Bourne Woods, Farnham, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Internationale Filmproduktion Blackbird Dritte

Trivia:

Brendan Fraser was Cornelia Funke's personal choice for the role of Silvertongue, as he was her inspiration for the character. She even dedicated the second novel of the trilogy to him and sent him a signed copy. The producers originally wanted a bigger Hollywood star but on the insistence of Funke they gave in and accepted him in the role.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: The subtitle at the start of the movie says "Twelve years later". In the Russian version the narrator says (in Russian) "Twenty years later".

Quotes:

Narrator: Since the dawn of time, storytellers have enchanted audiences with their words. But there is an even rarer gift. There are those, who by reading out loud, can bring characters to life. Out of books and into our world. Most of these Silvertongues, as they are know prefer to keep their skills a secret but some do not even know this gift is theirs, until it is too late.

Intriguing concept but repetitive plotting hinders what could've been a really magical, innovative and different fantasy film...

I saw this on Friday with my friend, and I enjoyed it more than she did(it was between this and Twilight). Thing is, although I'm a fantasy genre fan, I've not read the book but I've vaguely heard about it some years ago. It's a alright film, but does't have that special something to make it rise above others that have been released that are basically the same action adventure fantasy thing.

Acting: Fraser was decent playing his typical 'hero' role, but the surprisingly natural performance came from Bennet playing his daughter. Alright, she does't look 12 at all, more like 14/15 but considering I'm getting more used wooden acting in the likes of Potter etc, it's a welcome thing. Mirren's bad-tempered charm as the dotty bookworm aunt and a few mildly amusing lines are good to watch. Serkis was relishing his straightforward villain role, although my friend couldn't take him seriously cause of his old Gollum role. Bettany as the fire-spewing Dustfinger is also convincing, conveying depth and I liked the childlike eccentricity of Broadbent as the author, an actor who seems to be turning up in every fantasy film going. Even a small role like Guillory's is done effectively, but could've had more screen time and more back story or what happened to her at a more satisfying length. Good supporting cast of baddies at the castle as well.

Pacing: Here's my main issue - the storyline gets repetitive in the escape then heading back to the castle again. Also, certain things aren't explained that left me a bit confused as to how they came about, especially regarding the man that comes out of Arabian Nights. It does get clichéd and generic, plus the ending wraps everything up too conveniently in the climax with The Shadow, so more peril and suspense could've helped. It's an interesting story though, as I said, reading aloud and it comes alive out of the book. I just hoped for more surprises and inventiveness with such a cool central idea.

Cinematography - The special effects, especially for The Shadow(which scared me quite a bit - reminds me of a demon) and the menagerie of storybook creatures in Capricorn's castle is all done to standard expected nowadays, so it's good if not the best you've ever seen. Colourfully shot, with good set pieces. The camera shakes slightly anytime something is read out of the book.

Score: Pretty generic, really, didn't notice any themes.

Overall: A good, if repetitive family escapist fantasy film that presents an interesting concept, but does't always execute it as well as it could've. Not enough emotional impact or scenes of what happens in these books when a character or characters read out of them are no longer in the pages of the story. Easy to follow and not too long, though, with a handful of somewhat amusing lines and a Lord of the Rings sight gag, and it does have a bit of magic (like seeing well known items from famous books in the castle etc). The theme of books and reading should hopefully, inspire the audience to pick up a few to loose themselves in, which is always a positive thing. 6.4/10