Away with words…

The Mummy star Brendan Fraser does what he does best, playing a likeable everyman in yet another fantasy action adventure. This time round he’s Mo Folchart, whose talents as a Silvertongue – which give him the ability to bring books to life just by reading them out loud – result in tragedy when his wife Resa (Guillory) is swallowed into the novel Inkheart. For years Mo and his young daughter Meggie (Bennett) search for the book so as to reunite their family, but when they finally come across it they realise they must do battle with the story’s eclectic cast of characters if they are ever to rescue Resa.

 

It’s a strong concept from original novelist Cornelia Funke – storybook characters forced into a world they don’t understand – handled well by director Iain Softley (K-Pax). It’s fun to see literary icons like Toto, Tictoc the crocodile and minotaurs brought to life, and the strength of the cast keeps the narrative grounded even as fantasy explodes around them. Helen Mirren is clearly having the time of her life as Mo’s eccentric aunt Elinor, while British stalwarts like Andy Serkis, John Thompson and Paul Bettany all rally round to breathe colourful life into the material.

 

It may not be the most breathlessly exciting film out there, but for the young audience for which it’s intended, Inkheart is an intelligent, charming and well-rounded old-school adventure. 3 stars

Extra Features
Just a short feature Eliza Reads to Us, which sees young star Eliza Bennett read from the book. 1 star

ROLL CREDITS…
Stars Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Andy Serkis
Director Iain Softley
Distributor Entertainment in Video
Format DVD & Blu-ray
Released April 13th