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Inkheart

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Inkheart (2009)

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Reviews Counted:132

Fresh:52

Rotten:80

Average Rating:5.1/10

Consensus: Heavy on cliches and light on charm, this kid-lit fantasy-adventure doesn't quite get off the ground.

Rated: PG

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Theatrical Release:Jan 23, 2009 Wide

Box Office: $17,281,832

Synopsis: Cornelia Funke’s best-selling novel, INKHEART, comes to life in director Iain Softley’s (THE SKELETON KEY, THE WINGS OF THE DOVE) feature-film adaptation of the same name. For 12 years, bookbinder... Cornelia Funke’s best-selling novel, INKHEART, comes to life in director Iain Softley’s (THE SKELETON KEY, THE WINGS OF THE DOVE) feature-film adaptation of the same name. For 12 years, bookbinder Mo (Brendan Fraser) and his daughter, Meggie (Eliza Hope Bennett), have been traveling the world, poking around secondhand bookstores. Meggie correctly assumes that her father is looking for her mother, Resa (Sienna Guillory), who disappeared without a trace. What Meggie doesn’t know is that Mo is a Silvertongue, and when he reads a story aloud, the details and characters come to vivid life. But when a character comes out of a book, someone has to go back in, and Mo is searching a copy of the book, titled "Inkheart," into which Resa literally disappeared. When Mo read the story aloud, unaware of his powers, she was sucked into the story, and the fantastical novel’s villainous characters were released. Now, Mo and Meggie have to keep evil Capricorn and his henchmen from realizing their diabolical plot, and send everyone back where they belong. INKHEART is awash with colorful details. Capricorn has had to make do with a stuttering Silvertongue who delivers characters that are half-read: text from the book is tattooed on their faces, or they suffer some other malady, emerging from the book mute or with an odd physical feature. Paul Bettany is engaging as Dustfinger, a character who desperately wants to be read back into "Inkheart" and return to his family, portrayed by Bettany’s real-life love, Jennifer Connelly, in a miss-her-if-you-blink performance. Helen Mirren is good fun as eccentric, feisty bibliophile Aunt Elinor, and Jim Broadbent appears as the novel’s author, who is enthralled by the possibilities of Mo’s gift. [More]

Starring: Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent

Starring: Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, Andy Serkis, Eliza Hope Bennett, Rafi Gavron

Director: Iain Softley

Director: Iain Softley
Screenwriter: David Lindsay-Abaire
Producer: Iain Softley, Diana Pokorny, Cornelia Funke
Composer: Javier Navarrete
Studio: New Line Cinema

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Release:

Jun 23, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region [unknown]
  • Keep Case
  • Full Frame - 1.33

Audio:

  • (unspecified) English

Additional Release Material:

  • Featurette
  • 1. A Story from the Cast and Crew [Playing the game "tell me a story," Novelist Cornelia Funke starts the cast & crew off on this wild adventure by giving the first line,"I discovered the hole under my bed on my thirtenth birthday…."
  • 2. 2. Eliza Reads to Us [Actress Eliza Bennett ("Meggie Folchart") shares one of her favorite passages from the book that did not end up in the movie accompanied by Cornelia illustrations of the story]
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Inkheart

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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It is a good –looking enthralling film with a traditional feel that does exactly what it says on the tin. Be warned though, some scenes might be a bit too intense for the really young.

Full Review Source: Heart 106.2 | comment Comment
12/12/08
Heart 106.2

There is loads of action and an amusing turn from Helen Mirren as Meggie’s aunt. Most important, Inkheart performs the trick of encouraging our kids to love both books and films.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment 5 Comments
12/12/08
Sun Online

The aesthetics of Inkheart are part of what make it such a surprisingly enjoyable experience to watch.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/23/09
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post

Every action scene is coupled with lush visuals.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
01/22/09
Anna King
Anna King
Time Out New York

Inkheart has an engaging premise in its notion of a Silvertongue and a refreshing love of books.

Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment Comment
01/27/09
Beth Accomando
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org

I understand this is the first offering in an 'Inkheart' trilogy. If so, color me hooked.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/25/09
Betty Jo Tucker
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

Plot holes notwithstanding, Inkheart is a well-timed and well-made family film that seems too good for the traditional January dumping grounds.

Full Review Source: FromTheBalcony | comment Comment
01/22/09
Bill Clark
Bill Clark
FromTheBalcony

Inkheart is entertaining enough, if not always easy to follow. And if it does nothing else, at least it may inspire kids to read, if for no other reason than to help make sense of it all.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
01/22/09
Bill Goodykoontz
Bill Goodykoontz
Arizona Republic

Keep your expectations reasonable, and you'll have fun.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
01/23/09
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Gaping plot holes aside, Inkheart is a lovely little film, aimed at the bookish among us, and peppered with a love of the literary.

Full Review Source: Screenwize | comment Comment
04/04/09
Cris Kennedy
Cris Kennedy
Screenwize

A convoluted story but otherwise this is solid fantasy fare, nicely performed and handsomely made.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
12/12/08
Daniel Etherington
Daniel Etherington
Channel 4 Film

For all its problems, it's a sweet, clever work.

Full Review Source: DVDTalk.com | comment Comment
06/23/09
David Cornelius
David Cornelius
DVDTalk.com

Filled with the prerequisites of talking animals, an appealing young heroine and some heinous villains, all the ingredients are there, although an overly complex plot makes for an altogether middling experience.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment 1 Comment
12/12/08
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]

Inkheart is cheerful and amiable, and in the absence of a Harry Potter film this winter, it fills a gap neatly.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
12/12/08
David Gritten
David Gritten
Daily Telegraph

It’s a familiar tale, but one told with gusto, wit and visual flare.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
12/12/08
David Jenkins
David Jenkins
Time Out

It's a familiar tale, but one told with gusto, wit and visual flare...

Full Review Source: Time Out Sydney | comment Comment
04/03/09
David Jenkins
David Jenkins
Time Out Sydney

...an agreeable fantasy epic that's generally elevated by the strength of the various performances...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
01/24/09
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

Una aventura entretenida sobre todo para público adolescente, y para todo aquel que haya disfrutado alguna vez de un buen libro de fantasía.

Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | comment Comment
04/09/09
Enrique Buchichio
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total

Readers who want to exercise their imaginations may prefer to stick to the written word. If a story gets boring, you can always skip a few pages and move on. In the cinema there isn't much choice.

Full Review Source: The Australian | comment Comment
04/10/09
Evan Williams
Evan Williams
The Australian

It's handsomely mounted, with supporting turns by Helen Mirren as the girl's flinty aunt and Jim Broadbent as the author of the book that caused so much fuss.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
01/23/09
J. R. Jones
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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all

Latest News for Inkheart

January 30, 2009: Making a movie about the magic to be found in reading books, is a little like General Motors singing the praises of riding a bike instead. Opens in new window
More...

January 22, 2009: Critics Consensus: Inkheart Is Less Than Magical
This week at the movies, we've got living literature (Inkheart, starring Brendan Fraser and Eliza Hope Bennett); political intrigue (Frost/Nixon, starring Michael Sheen and... More...

January 22, 2009: Box Office Guru Preview: Underworld Battles Oscar All-Stars
Only two new releases hit the North American box office, but in the wake of Academy Award nominations, a handful of contenders take the opportunity to expand nationwide hoping... More...

December 14, 2008: Warner Bros. Firms Up 2009 Schedule Opens in new window
From "Inkheart" to "Sherlock Holmes," the Warner Bros. slate for 2009 has been set, and ComingSoon has posted it for your perusal. More...

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