Inkheart (PG-2008)

"Inkheart" is a somewhat more serious version of "Bedtime Stories", although the novel this was based on came first. Brendan Fraser stars as Mo Folchart, a "silvertongue" meaning anything he reads aloud can come to life. He is obsessed with finding the out-of-print novel "Inkheart", as some of the characters he brought to life need to be "put back". There are other reasons, but I won't reveal any important plot points here. At the same time. the villain of that book, Capricorn (Andy Serkis), is trying to find a silvertongue to help him read out the "Shadow", an evil smoke creature that can do his bidding (This will remind you of old Smokey from "Lost"). The movie is full of fantastical adventure as the two sides with opposite intentions race to find the novel and reach their ultimate goal. It is the classic storytelling them of good vs. evil. Brendan Fraser does a nice job with these types of films and this one is almost more of a "Mummy" movie than either of the last two sequels. His character in this is much more scholarly, but the effects and set pieces are very reminiscent of the "Mummy" series. It was definitely a fun family movie and a lot of fun seeing some classic literary characters come to life, several from "Wizard of Oz", as that is his daughter's favorite book. As this is sort of a genre film, it is definitely not for everybody. Some will find it silly, but if you enjoy fantasy films and have no problem suspending disbelief for a good tale, this is definitely a good movie to watch, especially for a family.


Grade: B-

Trailer: