Inkheart (2008)

39% of critics liked it
(142 reviews)
50% of users liked it
(161,267 ratings)

Author Cornelia Funke's best-selling children's novel comes to vivid life on the big screen with this family-friendly tale about a bookbinder whose storytelling skills possess the curious power to transport the characters he speaks about into the real world. When a nefarious villain from a bedtime… More Author Cornelia Funke's best-selling children's novel comes to vivid life on the big screen with this family-friendly tale about a bookbinder whose storytelling skills possess the curious power to transport the characters he speaks about into the real world. When a nefarious villain from a bedtime story that the father is currently reading to his daughter emerges to kidnap the stunned storyteller, it's up to the young girl and her adventurous friends -- both real and imaginary -- to bring dad back home and close the book on the dreaded fiend once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 46 min.
Directed By: Iain Softley
Written By: David Lindsay-Abaire
Genres: Action & Adventure, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Jan 23, 2009 Wide
On DVD: Jun 23, 2009
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures/New Line Cinema

Critic Reviews

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
The aesthetics of Inkheart are part of what make it such a surprisingly enjoyable experience to watch.
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star
[Has] plenty of thrills, a smart although oft-confusing script, delightful scenery-chewing scenes from stalwarts like Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent and Andy Serkis, and a gorgeous high-concept visual style.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Seemingly intended as a celebration of the power of books, it's an occasionally incoherent, sleep-inducing picture that reduces narrative to mere mechanics.
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
Over and over again, characters in Inkheart wax eloquent on the power of books. But there's nothing in the movie as haunting or as compelling as the sound they make when they speak for themselves.
Kyle Smith, New York Post
A flea market of fairy tales and hocus-pocus, Inkheart makes as much sense as an inkblot.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
The overqualified cast gives its all, but logical lapses and sober-sided direction siphon off the fun.
Sarah Sluis, Film Journal International
Cobbled-together fantasy about a dad who can "read" characters in and out of books.
Joshua Starnes, ComingSoon.net
Kind of a NeverEnding Story-lite, Inkheart never makes full use of its strengths. The ideas about reality and fiction have already been explored better elsewhere, even in light family films.
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures
I will admit that I enjoyed this film better on home video than I did in the theater, and that might have simply been because I knew what to expect from it.
Anders Wotzke, Cut Print Review
Brendan Fraser's boyish face usually oozes charisma, but here he just looks plain bored. Which is kind of how the audience looked too.
Mike McGranaghan, Aisle Seat
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.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...don't expect it to capture everybody's imagination. (Blu-ray Edition)
David Cornelius, DVDTalk.com
For all its problems, it's a sweet, clever work.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
When you have to question every other scene and a ferret steals the show, you know you're in trouble.
Jayne Nelson, SFX Magazine
As far as movies based on books about books go, it's anything but a pageturner.
Evan Williams, The Australian
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.
Sandra Hall, Sydney Morning Herald
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.
Enrique Buchichio, Uruguay Total
Una aventura entretenida sobre todo para público adolescente, y para todo aquel que haya disfrutado alguna vez de un buen libro de fantasía.
Cris Kennedy, Screenwize
Gaping plot holes aside, Inkheart is a lovely little film, aimed at the bookish among us, and peppered with a love of the literary.
David Jenkins, Time Out Sydney
It's a familiar tale, but one told with gusto, wit and visual flare...

Read all 22 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

John M

I have not read the original source material but the movie has a nice wholesome quality with good direction, well used but not overused CGI. I would say a much better job of adapting a fantasy book to big screen than others, IE things like the Seeker Dark Is Rising or even Goodkinds… More
I have not read the original source material but the movie has a nice wholesome quality with good direction, well used but not overused CGI. I would say a much better job of adapting a fantasy book to big screen than others, IE things like the Seeker Dark Is Rising or even Goodkinds TV series. Overall I enjoyed the show.
Dean !

A decent mystical family adventure film with a decent cast line up. I thought there would be a few more action scenes and mythical creatures in this, but sadly not. One for a sunday afternoon with the kids.
Dead A

My hope was way too high for this movie. I love watching Brendan's movie. But this didn't meet my expectation. Their acting was way too cheesy. The plot didn't came out as good as it sounded. Sigh. Never hope too much from anything. The chances of being disappointed is… More
My hope was way too high for this movie. I love watching Brendan's movie. But this didn't meet my expectation. Their acting was way too cheesy. The plot didn't came out as good as it sounded. Sigh. Never hope too much from anything. The chances of being disappointed is always high.
Curtis L

Cool idea. I'm sure the books are better.
Jens S

I didn't read the book this movie is based on, but now I really want to. I guess that's a good thing to say about a film. The story of people with a special talent, bringing things they read about to life, has a lot of potential. While that isn't used to its full amount… More
I didn't read the book this movie is based on, but now I really want to. I guess that's a good thing to say about a film. The story of people with a special talent, bringing things they read about to life, has a lot of potential. While that isn't used to its full amount of possibilities, there are still plenty of good ideas and nice references to literature history in this adventure / fantasy film. The cast is full of great names, all doing a decent job. The winner would have to be Paul Bettany, who fills his rather ambiguous role of Dustfinger with so much life, detail and depth that he easily steals the show. The story is well told and entertaining at any point, the special effects range from rather lousy (some of the blue screen scenes) to really great (The Shadow being one of the cooler monster creatures since Jackson's Balrog). Definitely a fun ride for older kids or those still young at heart and with a love for literature in all its forms. Better than the first Narnia, almost as great as Stardust, fans of both should check it out.
Alexander W

A good fun fantasy family adventure. Reminicsent of what Princess Bride or Never Ending Story "achieved" in their era, but updated using a new creative license with twists and great cast and animation.
Emily A

It's ironic that a text with such great and obvious love for literature be a movie, but there you go. Every actor in this movie did a really great job and made thier character very memorable without throwing the rest of the characters off balance. I really like the way that this… More
It's ironic that a text with such great and obvious love for literature be a movie, but there you go. Every actor in this movie did a really great job and made thier character very memorable without throwing the rest of the characters off balance. I really like the way that this film creates two layers to its narrative, one being the fiction and the other being "real life". It's great to see how the two world interact with each other: the little trappings of our world that the book's villain really relishes, the way fire behaves differently, much to the dismay of Paul Bettany's character, or the wonderment of the book's author at seeing his characters standing in front of him. The film's story is really engaging and rather simple: a guy with the ability to make the words he reads manifest themselves all around him swears off books after he loses his wife in one story and pulls out other, less benign characters. When the book's villain gets a stronghold in the real world, he and his daughter have to use his talent and figure out how best to defend their world. In the meantime, all the characters they meet are engaging and fun. I especially like Andy Serkis as Copernicus, the henchman of the book's villain who's just so thrilled to be in a world where he gets to be the main villain of his own story.
Ginny

Fraser, Bettany, Bettany, Fraser ^_^ Wrrrrrrr!!!!!
Thomas J

I like the story and as far as "family movies" goes.... it is good!
Alexis N

It's old stories come to life. It was fun, exciting, super cute and I totally wanted to cry at the end. I loved it. Paul Bettany takes his shirt off... again. Yay!
♥˩ƳИИ &

CAST: Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Helen Mirren, Paul Bettany, Sienna Guillory, Tereza Srbove, Andy Serkis, Richard Strange, Lesley Sharp DIRECTED BY: Iain Softley SUMMARY: Mo has the special talent to bring characters out of books. One night he brings out three characters… More
CAST: Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Helen Mirren, Paul Bettany, Sienna Guillory, Tereza Srbove, Andy Serkis, Richard Strange, Lesley Sharp DIRECTED BY: Iain Softley SUMMARY: Mo has the special talent to bring characters out of books. One night he brings out three characters from Inkheart, a story set in medieval times and filled with magical beings. Capricorn and Basta, two villains, and Dustfinger, a fire-eater. Now, 10 years later Meggie discovers the truth and it's up to her to escape Capricorn's evil grasp. MY THOUGHTS: I really liked it. Me and my niece really enjoyed it. The adventure, the characters, and the story was fun. The thought that you could bring the characters from books to life wsa an interesting concept. Good watch. Kids will enjoy this one including the kid that resides in us adults.
paul s

Brendan Fraser, king of the B films... or at least the Saturday Matenee type films of yesterday. From The Mummy series to this one - well at least this one has Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent going for it, both are delightfully over the top, but in a good way, something that Fraser… More
Brendan Fraser, king of the B films... or at least the Saturday Matenee type films of yesterday. From The Mummy series to this one - well at least this one has Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent going for it, both are delightfully over the top, but in a good way, something that Fraser has yet to figure out. But this film isn't really that much about Fraser or his charactor - it centers on his 12 year old daughter, much to the detriment of the film. Where does this precoscious Brit accent come from when her mother has been missing for the past 10 years?? Add in many a plot contrivence and things that just don't play and the few good points (the charactors behaving as if they were written characatures, the ferret and Mirren's gleeful turn with several good lines)get buried under a mass of "it's entertaining to a point, but you can't really take it seriously". Then of course there is "the shadow", a rehash of the sandstorm scorpion king from The Mummy - nothing new here, so move along. Lost potential and no soul - too sad.
Wahida K

I think Brendan Fraser is the keeper of a specific Knowledge to make Directors to hire him for great Adventure Movies such as this one.
Dean M

This is brilliant, charming and magical family fun about bring the book characters to life by reading out loud by a "Silvertongue". The concept's quite fascinating, especially as other childhood favourites come to life, such as Toto, conjured from L. Frank Baum's… More
This is brilliant, charming and magical family fun about bring the book characters to life by reading out loud by a "Silvertongue". The concept's quite fascinating, especially as other childhood favourites come to life, such as Toto, conjured from L. Frank Baum's <i>The Wizard of Oz</i>. Perhaps too scary for tots, <i>Inkheart</i> nevertheless ends up nicely, if a tad too neatly. Drawn-out storytelling means the first half works better in terms of intrigue and suspense, but the top cast and idea of a magical literary world appeal throughout. That's what I found out Paul Bettany's real-life wife, Jennifer Connelly appeared cameo.
EightThirty .

Great.. loved it..don't care what those other guys say, the Movie is AWESOME!!! ^_^
Kyle F

While watching Inkheart, at some points I was thinking, 'Wow, this is amazing' and at some points I was thinking, 'this is really stupid.' The fire guy was cool.
Jani H

"You barbaric piece of pulp fiction!" Well, fantasy films are on the top of the producers wish lists, so pretty much all books that have potential are being adapted to the big screen. This time, it is 'Inkheart's' turn to try to win the audience. Sadly the… More
"You barbaric piece of pulp fiction!" Well, fantasy films are on the top of the producers wish lists, so pretty much all books that have potential are being adapted to the big screen. This time, it is 'Inkheart's' turn to try to win the audience. Sadly the vast potential is not being used properly. Think about it. The two main characters in the film, Brendan Fraser's Mo and Eliza Bennett's Meggie, are so called Silvertongues, who by reading out loud books can transfer the characters from the books to our world. Sounds like an idea that could be amazing. Well, there's really not that much use of it. All we see are glimpses of known fictional creatures, such as the croc from Peter Pan, a minotaur and a unicorn. And let's not forget everybody's favourite dog Toto... I haven't read the novel that 'Inkheart' is based on. I'd like to read it now just to compare the results. I felt kinda disappointed because the story isn't really that interesting. The story (and the main characters) jump from scene to scene without any bigger explanation. It all seems so easy for them. Not enough background information isn't given of the characters so I didn't become that fond of 'em either. The only really interesting character, and the actor who steals the film completely, is Paul Bettany's character Dustfinger. He does once again an intense and emotional performance. Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent seem to have a lot of fun with their characters as well and give some necessary humor to the movie. Brendan Fraser hasn't changed much from his previous films. At times it looks like he's a bit bored... Maybe he's done too much fantasy films lately? The special effects are good looking, especially the thing called Shadow. It has some resemblence to the demon of 'Lord of the Rings' but anyway... Looks good. In the end there ain't that much use of SFX's so that is another thing that bothered me a bit. A fantasy film without any greater use of SFX should have a strong story and acting but 'Inkheart' doesn't have that. 'Inkheart' starts in an interesting way but when you've waited for a half an hour to get it on properly, you may get bored as I did. The films last quarter is so silly and makes too many compromises which resulted in me not liking the film that much. 'Inkheart' is easy fun for the viewers that love any kind of fantasy but those of you who crave for more will surely be disappointed.
A.D. V

Something got lost in translation from book to screen because it's clumsy and confusing at alot of times though it all seemed to come together decently enough by the end. Overall its a family friendly fun fantasy.
Josh L

It seemed like they were just writing the story as they went along because the last few scenes completely messed up everything that came before it. If they could do what they did at the end at any time, there wouldn't even have been much of a story in the first place since they… More
It seemed like they were just writing the story as they went along because the last few scenes completely messed up everything that came before it. If they could do what they did at the end at any time, there wouldn't even have been much of a story in the first place since they could have done it towards the beginning and saved me an hour and forty minutes of watching this only sporadically entertaining movie.
James A

At first it started out as an interesting premise and then just becomes a typical lame fantasy romp.