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Inkheart Movie Review

Reviewed by on Jan 25, 2009
Rating: 4 Star Rating

Cornelia Funke’s magical Inkworld has finally reached the big screen. Check out Kidzworld’s review of the movie Inkheart, based on the bestselling young adult novel.

Cornelia Funke’s magical Inkworld has finally reached the big screen. Check out Kidzworld’s review of the movie Inkheart, based on the bestselling young adult novel.

Silvertongue

Mortimer Folchart (Brendan Fraser) didn’t know he was a silvertongue. That is, until the day he read aloud from a book called Inkheart and three characters leapt from the pages—the selfish fire-raiser named Dustfinger, the villainous Capricorn and his superstitious sidekick, Basta. And in their place, Mo’s beloved wife disappeared into the book.

The Return of Dustfinger

Nine years later, Dustfinger returns begging Mo to read him back into the story. But Mo refuses; not only does he have no control over his gift, he wants to keep his ability a secret from his 12 year old daughter, Meggie (Eliza Bennett). Unfortunately, Dustfinger won’t take no for an answer. He reveals Mo’s whereabouts to the evil Capricorn. In no time, Meggie, Mo and Meggie’s great aunt Elinor find themselves prisoners in Capricorn’s village, surrounded by unicorns, flying monkeys and other storybook creatures.


Dustfinger’s Selfish Plan

Capricorn forces Mo to summon gold out of the pages of Arabian Nights. And in the process, he accidentally pulls a young, humorous thief named Farid from the book. Capricorn destroys Mo’s last copy of Inkheart—and with it, his only chance of ever rescuing his wife. But Dustfinger has a plan. He suggests they seek out the author of Inkheart, as he’s sure to have another copy. That way, Mo can read his wife home and read Dustfinger back into Inkheart’s pages. What the selfish, deceptive Dustfinger doesn’t tell Mo is that his wife has been in Capricorn’s village all along.


The Bottom Line

Although the movie didn’t always stay true to the book, it was certainly a climactic adventure. Some parts were a little too silly, but the intense scenes and perfectly cast characters made up for that. While Brendan Fraser’s character lacked pizzazz, the supporting cast couldn’t have been more perfect. Especially Paul Bettany who made Dustfinger impossible to hate even at his most selfish moments. Helen Mirren played the quirky Aunt Elinor. And up-and-coming actor Rafi Gavron played the loyal, agile, and surprisingly funny Farid.


Inkheart Movie Rating: 4


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