Inkheart
Filed Under: Film, Reviews | Article Tags : DVD review
By: The Dweeb
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Uh oh, its another Brendan Fraser vehicle, set expectations to low. Well, I suppose its an improvement when the screen fades to black and you were expecting something worse than it actually was. For an actor who has an uncanny ability to pick mediocre projects all the time, at least he remains on an even keel. His films aren’t getting any worse, and yet they don’t seem to get better either. Slow and steady wins the race? Inkheart is another one of those throw away films most people will forget about in a short amount of time. Surprisingly its based on a book and according to IMDB the author specifically wanted Fraser for the role. Well, then you get what you ask for right? It’s a wanna be fantasy story, and the irony is that it involves a fictional novel that is said to be mediocre at best. Hence, the film becomes mediocre in a strange way. Its a great concept though, a person gifted with a ‘silver tongue’ can brings characters out of books into the real world while reading it out loud, it could have been much more than it was. I thought it would deal with a lot more books coming to life than it actually does. Must be a rights issue.
Although Fraser’s performance isn’t entirely to blame, it will throw it in the lap of the director. Inkheart just seemed to lack some punch. Maybe it could have taken on a better comedic angle, or the characters could have been fleshed out more. What could have been a lighthearted concept becomes a darker movie and sadly a predictable one. Maybe it was intentional, because its based on a mediocre novel who have a tendency to be stock and predictable. Oh look, there’s that bad guy again trying to take over the world only to be thwarted by the good guys in the nick of time. The jokes were typically lame, it just had this Hollywood schlocky feel to it that infects a lot of movies these days. And what’s with all these Brits who seem to be living in Italy?
The acting wasn’t much to write home about. Hey this is definitely not in Oscar contention, nor was it meant to be. Its a mindlessly fun, yet irritating film. Brendan Fraser as the lead, antique book binder (didn’t know that was a career) Mo plays it like he always does, as himself. His characters never seem to be any different, spanning from his days in The Mummy all the way to here. Frankly, I don’t see what his appeal is but what do I know, they must be making some cash or else he would get the lead in any film.
I spent a lot of time trying to figure out if Mr. Bean was the main bad guy Capricorn, and was shocked to learn its actually Andy Serkis. We all know and love him as Gollum from Lord Of The Rings, and this is my first time seeing him in a film as himself. His character was really one dimensional (on purpose of course right?) and only served as a second rate antagonist both in the film and the book he comes from. He just didn’t seem bad enough to me, he’s more like the crazy uncle who everyone ignores.
For some reason, Warner Bros. seems to be still holding on to the idea of the flipper disc, one side containing the full screen version. Seriously guys, its beyond the digital transition for TV already! I find them annoying, as I started the full screen size first and had to start over. Really this version serves as a promotional vehicle for other films, as in order to get to the main menu one must navigate past a slew of trailers and Blu-ray promos. Once the film is over, we are left with only one extra feature that frankly is quite boring. Yeah fine its not the usual filler, but who wants to watch someone read a passage out loud from the book? I’ll pass thanks.
The film does have its moments, but for the most part I felt it was a mediocre movie at best.
Reviewer’s Opinion: BORROW IT!!
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