Inkheart 1.5/5 Starring Eliza Bennet, Brendan Fraser ‘amp; Helen Mirren Directed by Ian Softley Rated PG ‘ Most recent in a long line of fantasy paperbacks turned sprawling epic blockbusters, ‘Inkheart’ doesn’t do the genre ‘mdash; or its literary counterpart ‘mdash; much justice. Then again, it’s fitting that a movie extolling the imaginative powers of literature degrade the pages from which it sprung.
Reading the tale ‘Inkheart’ as a bedtime story to his young daughter, Mo Folchart (Brendan Fraser) accidentally frees the novel’s characters from their parchments and ‘mdash; with his undiscovered gift of ‘Silvertongue’ ‘mdash; gives them life. But, as Folchart soon realizes, his gift comes with a price: As part of the bargain, someone from the real world must be taken into the book. After accidentally sending his wife Resa (Sienna Guillory) deep into the ink, Folchart is then forced to raise his daughter Meggie (Eliza Bennett) as a single parent for a long and lonely nine years. He spends all his spare time desperately searching for another copy of ‘Inkheart,’ hoping to read the fictional characters back into the pages and summon his wife in the process.
During their library-crawling quest, the father and daughter meet a fictional fire juggler ‘mdash; sporting a surfer’s shag and hip five o’clock shadow ‘mdash; seeking to reunite with his book-lorn family. But Mo refuses to help him, and Dustfinger (Paul Bethany) turns them over to Capricorn (played by a bald, Dr. Evil-looking Andy Serkis), a fictional, freshly animated villain living lavishly in our world. Though Mo tries to keep Meggie out of the fairytale drama ‘mdash; leaving her in the care of crazy bibliophile Aunt Elinor (Helen Mirren) ‘mdash; they all end up at Capricorn’s castle, where the real journey of saving Resa and restoring reality (sans literary incarnations) begins.
Not only have books coming to life become a worn trope in recent years, but ‘Inkheart’ follows closely on the heels of ‘Bedtime Stories,” a just-released film boasting similar plot lines (and that wasn’t very good to begin with). But at least Adam Sandler has personality; what has Fraser done in recent memory to make us crave a copycat? Though audiences might be expecting a goofy, warm-hearted ‘George of the Jungle,’ what they get instead is a somber, know-it-all father figure that comes off as two-dimensional, boring and somewhat whiny. Though the young Bennett’s acting prowess comes as a pleasant surprise, her character is written as a tad too mature for a prepubescent 12-year-old. Fortunately, Helen Mirren (who seems above something of this sort) anchors the film, providing confectionary comic relief and a reason for anyone over 50 to watch the movie.
Surprisingly, the only character to spark a flicker of emotional response is Dustfinger, who provides an expressive range that effectively drives the rather wimpy plotline. Despite playing a fictional character, Bethany exudes more selfish sincerity and complexity than anyone else on cast.
To its credit, ‘Inkheart’ is still decently crafted at the peripheries: It boasts a superb score that captures climate and mood with precision and keen cinematography that recalls a luscious vista in the European countryside, spiced up by moderately applied pyrotechnics and over-the-top special effects.
Kids that have grown up on Grand Theft Auto and Reese’s Pieces for breakfast know a thing or two about what’s exciting and what’s lame. Fortunately, ‘Inkheart’ falls further into the latter category ‘mdash; its flashy 106 minutes barely merit a $3 Blockbuster fee ‘mdash; but if you’re looking for somewhere to deposit your grandparents while on babysitting duties, they’ll be thrilled for the in-theater nap.