Review of Inkheart (2008) by Gustav W — 02 Jul 2011

Reading the plot-line of the film, it makes you think it will be full of fantastic fantasy, and being based on a well-received book should help scrub away most classic clichà (C)s. But either the book is quite awful, or the film-makers totally lost their way, probably the latter. The story here is a drab mess of missed opportunity instead of bringing out the imaginative magic of books.

Sure, Brendan Fraser has probably never succeeded in bringing any magic to his words, but the so often inspiring acting of Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent has never felt as lost, even though they only have supporting roles. While not the most famous of actors, both Paul Bettany and Andy Serkis have done much better work when having much less to work with that here.

The main problem is really consistency. While the main plot would let pretty much anything happen, nothing much ever does, and when it happens it's mostly illogical and odd. Characters repeatedly wander off only to wander back in when needed, with any explanation probably lost in adaptation. Some sun do shine in between the grey rain-clouds, but sadly only temporarily.

Bottom line: An interesting tale, brought down by horrible storytelling and uninspired acting.