Film Review: Inkheart

Plan:

Likes:
Camera angles (shaking)
The writing on characters pulled from books. Link to when the girl is writing on her arm - she was pulled from part of the book her mother and father made together

 
Dislikes:
Sometimes over-played (Fraser reading out from book)
Sometimes had a disjointed storyline
Storyline can be a little bit unbelievable at time - although it is fantasy, some of the circumstances are meant to be things that could actually happen. Didn't always ring true

Inkheart Film Review

Plot

A father's (Brendan Fraser) quest to stop his daughter (Eliza Bennett) from suffering the same fate as her estranged mother (Sienna Guillory). One dastardly villain in particular (Andy Serkis) tries his utmost to prevent this, and use the family of 'silver-tongues' to do his bidding...

Review

This film is a rendition of a fantasy book series which wowed teens and adults alike across the board, but whether it is worthy of the same title is debatable. The film is off to a promising start with the mystifying story of how the mother was traded for Brendan Fraser's telling of 'Inkheart', a Medieval story. This has disastrous consequences when the three villains he released from the book decide they are here to stay, and from that day on, vow to capture Mo and his daughter, forcing them to cater to his every whim. Along the way, allegiances are formed and enemies are obtained, with a few grey areas for characters, such as Paul Bettany's, Dustfinger. This mix of actors and talents provides the film with an interesting taste. Though, a note to remember for the director is that an all-star cast does not make an all-star film.

The film sputters along the somewhat coherent storyline, gaining some brownie points for the imaginative camera angles and ominous whisperings during the story-telling scenes. The actors themselves, however, could have been chosen in a more delicate nature. Serkis is, a always, the dastardly villain we all love to loathe. Fraser, on the other hand, is giving more gusto than his Guinness, which is only highlighted by his companions Bennett and Bettany. We all loved his appearance in 'The Mummy' and 'The Mummy Returns' - though we hope it doesn't return again to ruin the franchise - so perhaps he is in his element with less speech and more of that beloved Alpha-male brute strength.

The fantastical nature of the plot does what is says on the tin, although it often took the road less travelled. The expectation is that a family's normal life is disrupted by abnormal occurrences, but their original life is far from normal with Helen Mirren playing the eccentric, rich Aunt living as a recluse in a mansion within the wooden heart of Italy. This, accompanied with the travelling Mo and his daughter are subjected to as a result of his 'book doctor' career, make circumstances seem a little too convenient for them. Perhaps the book itself has a less convoluted way of telling the story, although that is for the fans to decide. 

Verdict

 Book to film adaptations are almost always disappointing, but 'Inkheart' has given it a brilliant stab, even if it is not a direct bulls-eye.