RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
RT's Blu-ray HQ
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Inkheart
Inkheart

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Inkheart (2009)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
39 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

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

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Trailer
    >
1 of 1

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
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

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
08/19/09
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

If there's a problem for me with Inkheart, it is one of scope. This feels like it should be an epic movie, but it's not.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
06/24/09
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

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

When you have to question every other scene and a ferret steals the show, you know you're in trouble.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
06/20/09
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

As far as movies based on books about books go, it's anything but a pageturner.

Full Review Source: SFX Magazine | comment 2 Comments
05/12/09
Jayne Nelson
Jayne Nelson
SFX Magazine

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

The message is so muddied by the film's dizzying changes in pitch and tone that a lot of young readers aren't going to know what to think.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
04/10/09
Sandra Hall
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald

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

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

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

A diverting excursion into fantasy gothic territory.

Full Review Source: MovieTime, ABC Radio National | comment Comment
04/03/09
Jason Di Rosso
Jason Di Rosso
MovieTime, ABC Radio National

This adventure-fantasy film doesn't have the special effects depth of a Lord Of The Rings movie, nor the charm of the Harry Potter franchise, but it is still quite enjoyable.

Full Review Source: FILMINK (Australia) | comment Comment
04/03/09
Karlie Jeffrey
Karlie Jeffrey
FILMINK (Australia)

Not ghastly, but not exhilarating either.

Full Review Source: At the Movies (Australia) | comment Comment
04/03/09
Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz
At the Movies (Australia)

There's nothing terribly wrong with Inkheart but it just doesn't quite engage us,"

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
03/27/09
Andrew L. Urban
Andrew L. Urban
Urban Cinefile

There's a shortage of magic in this adventure fantasy, and despite some good elements including its spectacular Italian settings and a solid cast, this adaptation about storybook characters prised from their world, is a bit of a blot

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
03/27/09
Louise Keller
Louise Keller
Urban Cinefile

Kanones bebaia poy agnooyntai, prospernioyntai, lygizontai, i spane horis kamia egnoia, otan to apaitei i formoylaiki ploki gia na ftasei stin epomeni pista mias asymmazeyta asynartitis sto desimo tis plithorikis se ypoplokes kai deyteroys haraktires isto

Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses | comment Comment
03/22/09
Joseph Proimakis
Joseph Proimakis
Movies for the Masses

This fantasy-lit film is too intense for young ones drawn to its books-come-to-life story and not sharp enough for Potter fans.

Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah) | comment Comment
02/19/09
Bruce Bennett
Bruce Bennett
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)

The main attractions are the Serious British Thespians cutting loose and having fun while still displaying convincing commitment to the fanciful material.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
02/06/09
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Last Action Hero for books. By proxy, it's also kind of The Purple Rose of Cairo for books, but it's not as good as either... It would really amuse me if it ended with the family deciding, after all this trouble, let's never read again.

Full Review Source: Can Magazine | comment Comment
02/06/09
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
Can Magazine

Much less cringe-worthy, juvenile and bland than Bedtime Stories, it lacks the awe-inspiring thrills, brilliance and imagination that makes superior films like Harry Potter so exhilarating and unforgettable.

Full Review Source: NYC Movie Guru | comment Comment
01/30/09
Avi Offer
Avi Offer
NYC Movie Guru
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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...

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
14% 14% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
86% 86% A Christmas Tale
60% 60% Paper Heart

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Nine Pictures

Nine Pictures

Hottest poster ever? 14 pictures from Nine

Disney Countdown

Disney Countdown

Look back on Disney's best animated movies!

RT's Gift Guide

RT's Gift Guide

Give the best movies, gear, and more!

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman

See what her 10 best reviewed films are!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
75
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
32
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
12
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
14
  • Tron Legacy Duo Heading into The Black Hole Source: Hollywood Reporter
8
  • First Iron Man 2 Poster Released Source: Yahoo! Movies
74
  • Ryan Reynolds Talks Green Lantern Source: MTV
14
  • Paul Greengrass Quits Fourth Bourne Source: The Playlist
36
  • Tobey Maguire Talks Brothers, Spider-Man 4 Source: Boston Globe
30
  • Nimrod Antal Talks Predators Source: ComingSoon.net
18
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
96
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
90
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
90
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
47
  • RT's Blu-ray Picks from WB
35
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
34
  • WB offers DVD to Blu-ray Trade-In Program
33
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
28
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
24
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
17
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Inkheart at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Inkheart at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
Wes Anderson on Fox
Wes Anderson on Fox External Link

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Animated Oscar?
Animated Oscar? External Link

Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.

TIME's Holiday Movie Preview
TIME's Holiday Movie Preview External Link

Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.

Scenic Routes
Scenic Routes External Link

The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.