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Some have criticized “Inkheart” for sending the wrong
message about reading, as if it was warning children that
opening a book will lead to disastrous results. I saw it
differently; to me, “Inkheart” sends a wonderful message
about the imagination of writers and the power they have
to create and/or destroy entire worlds. When the forces
of evil become overpowering, the writer regains control
with a few strokes of a pen (or, more modernly, a few clicks
on a keyboard). Far be it from me to want to sound corny,
but as a writer myself, I respond well to stories that are
about stories. ***
Based on the German novel by Cornelia Funke, “Inkheart”
is creative and fun, a fantasy about fantasy becoming reality.
It tells the story of Mortimer Folchart (Brendan Fraser),
a father who possesses the ability to bring forth characters
from books simply by reading aloud. But there’s a catch:
If someone from the story crosses over into our world, then
someone from our world has to cross over into the story.
***
Such a thing happened to Mortimer’s beloved wife, Risa,
as he was reading from the pages of a novel called “Inkheart.”
Nine years later, he and his twelve-year-old daughter, Meggie
(Eliza Bennett), continue to search the world for a copy
of that book, which has long since gone out of print. If
he can find one, he’ll finally be able to read his wife
out of the story. He and Meggie finally find one in a quaint
bookshop in the middle of Italy. ***
It’s there that they run into Dustfinger (Paul Bettany),
a juggler who has the ability to start fires with his own
hands. As it turns out, he’s a character from “Inkheart,”
and he’s spent the last nine years following Mortimer with
the hope that he can get him back into the story. ***
Here enters Mortimer’s aunt, Elinor Loredan (Helen
Mirren), a snooty bookworm who dresses like Norma Desmond
and lives in an isolated sprawling palazzo. She, Mortimer,
and Meggie are kidnapped by the henchmen of the evil Capricorn
(Andy Serkis), the villain of “Inkheart.” His dastardly
plot: Have Mortimer read aloud from Inkheart to summon The
Shadow, a frightening monstrosity made from smoke and ashes.
***
Capricorn’s attempts to bring forth other literary
creations have been unsuccessful; his reader, who has the
same power as Mortimer, has a terrible stutter. The result
is half-materialized creatures, unfinished lines of text
written across their bodies. With the help of the author
of “Inkheart” (Jim Broadbent), one of the Forty Thieves
(Rafi Gavron), and a mute scullery maid (Sienna Guillory),
Mortimer and Meggie set forth on a quest to restore everything
to the way it’s supposed to be. ***
The magic of this movie comes not from the digital
effects or the elaborate settings, although both are quite
impressive. It comes from the clever plot, the wonderful
use of imagination, and characterization. This isn’t to
suggest that the characters are any more than fairy tale
archetypes; heroes, villains, damsels in distress, wise
elders, and comedy relief all contribute to the story in
one form or another. Still, there’s a complexity to certain
characters that makes them more engaging. ***
Take, for example, Dustfinger--he’s a decent enough
person at heart, but his circumstances often times lead
him down a desperate, sometimes cowardly path. His only
motivation is to return within the pages of “Inkheart” to
be with his family (his wife, Roxanne, is seen only in brief
glimpses and is played by Bettany’s real-life wife, Jennifer
Connelly). And the fact that he’s afraid to meet the book’s
author made perfect sense; Dustfinger has never read “Inkheart”
all the way through because he doesn’t want to know his
fate. When Meggie asks him why, he responds, “Do you know
how your story ends?” ***
I also appreciated the references made to well-known
works of fiction, most notably L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful
Wizard of Oz,” which plays a very important role midway
through the film, when the good guys attempt to escape from
Capricorn’s castle. I love the idea that a written fantasy
could be freed from the page and used as a weapon against
the forces of evil. It makes for a level of excitement I
rarely feel. ***
What’s even more exciting is the fact that the exact
same forces of evil can also use the written word as a weapon;
at that point, survival depends on being able to expand
on the author’s original vision. To say more would give
too much away, but rest assured that anyone able to appreciate
the act of writing will find the ending of “Inkheart” very
satisfying. ***
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