Inkheart (Iain Softley, 2008)

Region 1 Warner (USA)
NTSC, 2.35:1 16x9 enhanced/1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan
106 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, Spanish
Extras: Eliza Reads to Us; previews for other products; Digital Copy code

Released: 23 June 2009

There’s always someone making fantasy movies, but the huge box-office grosses of Peter Jackson’s LOTR trilogy and the Harry Potter series encouraged the Hollywood majors to develop other family-friendly fantasy literature with franchise potential. However, fantasy is a tricky genre, and most fantasy movies get tripped by inconsistent rules, cumbersome exposition, lack of credibility, an inability to generate audience interest/empathy, or some combination of the four. For every Harry Potter you get at least one disappointment like Walden Media’s The Chronicles of Narnia, which went from a robust first movie to a dead-in-the-water second entry.

German novelist Cornelia Funke’s books have become international bestsellers, but cinematic adaptations of her works have been met with general indifference. The Thief Lord generated much buzz in literature circles but was ultimately seen by few people. Inkheart met the same fate despite boasting a cast that includes Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, and Andy Serkis. Fraser has headlined several hits. Mirren and Broadbent are Oscar winners. Bettany has been in big hits, too. Serkis played Gollum in Peter Jackson’s LOTR and had an important part in Jackson’s King Kong. So, what happened?

The movie certainly has inconsistent rules. It’s never clear how characters and people are “read out of” or “read into” a book. Also, while the story takes place in contemporary times, it seems as if today’s social authorities (the police, the military, even governments) are non-existent, so no one other than the main characters seem surprised to see fictional characters suddenly appearing in real life. The movie isn’t burdened by cumbersome exposition, though it would’ve benefited from a bit more explanation of the narrative’s construct.

The movie also lacks credibility. With the exception of Helen Mirren’s lakeside villa, the production values look second-rate. The villains just wear cheap knock-offs of someone’s idea of fascist attire. The movie also doesn’t generate much empathy. The screenplay asks us to feel pathos about the fact that a bookbinder and his daughter are looking for their long-lost wife/mother “just because” that’s what we’re supposed to feel. Unfortunately, we don’t become familiar or emotionally close with any of the characters, so we don’t really care what happens. Of course, the movie marches towards the usual orgy of CGI effects, and since we’re not invested in the characters’ journey, you’ll find your eyes glazed over in boredom or indifference.

By the way...yes, that’s Jennifer Connelly in a cameo as Bettany’s wife (they’re married in real life, too).

Video:
The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer has an overly-bright look which sometimes imparts an unwelcome softness. The image appears to be heavily-processed and is rather muddy.

You also get a 1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan hack job on the flip side of the disc.

Audio:
The DD 5.1 English track packs quite a wallop during action-heavy moments. Directionality effects are numerous and immersive, particularly when the “Silvertongues” read from books and pull characters, gold coins, and turbulent storms into our reality. Dialogue is balanced fairly well against the sonic maelstrom.

Extras:
Upon loading, the disc plays previews for other products.

“Eliza Reads to Us” has actress Eliza Hope Bennett reading a passage from the source novel.

--Miscellaneous--
You also get a Digital Copy code and a cardboard slipcover.