You know the old saying: Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Well, I have to say in the new film “Inkheart,” this phrase is very telling.
“Inkheart,” which stars Brendan Fraser, Helen Mirren and Eliza Bennett, was completely not what I expected.
Mo (Fraser) has the coveted gift of being able to make stories come to life as he reads them aloud.
Naturally, you would think this is a film that takes kids on a magical journey though different books but not quite.
The primary focus is on one book (“Inkheart”), and one character, Dustfinger (Paul Bettany) and his desire to get back into this book all the while getting Mo’s wife out so that his daughter can have her mother back again.
Of course this is no easy task; there are villains who have been out of the book for years and don’t want to go back, surprises that are yet to be discovered, and people who have good intentions but aren’t very helpful.
Near the end of the movie, at about the second to last scene, where everything comes to a head, and it looks like the villain just might win (it is a Disney movie after all), the only thing I could think was that if I was a kid, and I was watching this movie, I wouldn’t be able to sleep all night.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, the effects were very realistic, and the graphics were truly outstanding, but for a PG movie, they were a little intimidating.
Besides the potential “wet-your-pants” moment for the film’s target audience, overall, this movie is a good catch for action and drama that the whole family might be able to watch.
It kept me in suspense the whole time, and I have to say that the writers did a good job of keeping the viewer’s interest with the hopes of a reunion between Mo, his daughter and his wife, who had been missing for almost 10 years. (Just a warning: You may need Kleenex for that part).
Although it’s not necessarily a must-see, it is a should-see … when you feel like it … to rent.
Rating: 3 out of 5