Kind, fatherly and unassuming Mo Folchart (Brendan Fraser) has no idea that reading to his little daughter, Meggie (Eliza Bennett) could result in anything unpleasant, let alone sinister. As it happens, fairy tales sometimes do come true and bad things can happen to good people, especially when magic and fantasy are involved. Little does Mo suspect that his reading aloud the villain-packed novel, Inkheart, will lead to a chain of events so astounding that even he will have trouble unraveling the situation. For as we discover, Mo is a silvertongue and the words he speaks from books come to life, often with horrific consequences. His gift is his curse as well as the solution to his life’s task, reuniting his family by bringing his wife Resa (Sienna Guillory), home again from her perilous journey into fiction. It seems that when silvertongues read aloud, things have a way of shifting between reality and the written word. Fear not, all of the nuances of the premise will be explained as the tale progresses.

Librarians have long told of the marvelous adventures that lurk on bookshelves and Cornelia Funke’s novel, Inkheart, confirms their existence. Adapted into a screenplay by David-Lindsay-Abaire the story easily takes on the breath and depth of the big-screen and fiils it with adventures and characters that will capture the imagination of both middle-schoolers and any adults who are along for the ride. He who doubts the mighty power of the pen is in for a good lesson.

You are about to enter a fictional world where the villains are very evil and the good must struggle to overcome them. Be advised that the power hungry Capricorn (Andy Serkis) and his band of miscreants may be too scary for the very young, but just frightening enough to satisfy those in the middle grades. Veteran actress Helen Mirren adds a comedic touch as the dotty Aunt Elinore who joins her family in the adventure. Paul Bettany is Dustfinger, a handsome, magical character plucked from the Inkheart book who is desperately trying to return home to his fictional family. The real scene-stealer is Dustfinger’s pet pine marten (played by a dozen trained ferrets with little horns glued to the tops of their tiny heads) who sits atop his shoulder and runs errands for his master. As is true with the telling of all good fairytales, Inkheart is narrated (Roger Allam).

The good news is that there are two more books in the “Ink” series, Inkspell and Inkdeath, waiting in the wings to become sequel films. The success of Inkheart at the box office will probably determine if the other two movies will come to fruition.

IMDB

Mary K. Morgan

St. Louis Films Critics Association