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Cornelia Funke’s book about books coming to life comes to life in Inkheart.

Maggie (Eliza Bennet, Nanny McPhee and her dad, Mo (Brendan Fraser), have a strange relationship, and an even stranger life. A book doctor by trade, Mo roams, gypsy-like, finding old, worn tomes in need of repair. Meggie comes with them, just the two of them, her mother long gone. Though Meggie and Mo both have an endless love for books, Mo never read to Meggie, and Meggie, in turn, never reads out loud herself.

While out on assignment, Mo finds a book, a rare, out of print and utterly valuable book - valuable to him. But with every silver lining comes a cloud, and as Mo finally has a copy of Inkheart in his hands, an old an unwelcome acquaintance shows up - a man by the name of Dust finger (the ever nude Paul Bettany). He approaches Mo with a warning - a villainous thug named Capricorn (Andy Serkis) is on Mo’s trail, and is close by. Mo and Meggie run, fleeing to Meggie’s Aunt Elinor (Helen Mirren) and her home, a gigantic museum of books, but it’s no use. Capricorn’s men, led by the superstitious Basta (Jamie Foreman, Layer Cake), have fount them.

It is then that the truth comes out to the confused Meggie (and audience): Mo is a special kind of person, called a Silvertongue - when he reads out from a book, he pulls things - objects, creatures, even people - from the book into the world. But with everything there is a price - for whatever is drawn out of a world, something must go in its stead. Ten years ago, when Mo read Inkheart to Meggie, Capricorn and Dustfinger were drawn out, but the price was Meggie’s mother, Resa (Sienna Guillory, Earagon).

In the ten years that Capricorn has been on the loose, he’s built a little empire for himself, and what’s more, he’s found another Silvertongue to cull whatever Capricorn wishes. And Capricorn wishes for money, for treasure, for rare things and mostly, he wishes for his terrifying pet monster, the shadow. But his new Silvertongue isn’t quite the reader Mo is; a stutterer, things come out of books deformed with words scrawled across their faces. For the shadow, Capricorn’s most deadly weapon, he needs Mo. The group - Meggie, Mo, Elinor and a newly acquired sidekick, Farid (he came out of a book while Mo attempted to summon treasure for Capricorn) and the on-again off-again friend, Dustfinger - escape, and flee to try and find a last resort copy of Inkheart so that Mo can read his wife out of the book. But Dustfinger has a secret - Resa isn’t in the book anymore. She was read out by the other Silvertongue, and has lost her voice in the process - not to mention being put into slavery by Capricorn.

So they find the author, Fengolio (the always fun and adorable Jim Broadbent), and introduce him to their plight. Now there are six against all of Capricorn’s minions, and thanks to Dustfinger, Mo finds out that his wife is being held captive, and he goes to save her.

What comes next? Adventure. Intregue. Danger. Fire. Monsters, murder, mayhem, acrobatics, tears and some very silly calling out for mommies. The film finishes with a sort-of bang, and they all live happily ever after. Or so we presume.

The problem with Inkheart (and it is quite a problem) is a problem that faces most films that are book adaptations - though a picture is worth a thousand words, a book can paint a more complete, textured, detailed and complicated plot and world than any movie can - even a young adult book like Inkheart. The book is not short by any means, and there is so much rich, colorful and fantastic stuff going on at all times that the movie had to struggle to keep up, and ended up losing some very important information in the process. Though Basta is seen clutching a necklace, it is never really explained that he is a superstitious man. He merely whines and cowers at bones, and it makes him look not so much like a big bad man, but a silly shadow of someone who could be feared. Capricorn’s mother is in the film, and she isn’t really explained. There is just so much that is fantastic in Cornelia Funke’s world that the movie pales in comparison. Oh, and fans of the book - the end is different, kind of magically easier for the characters and utterly against logic and the book. And I wouldn’t expect the equally fantastic sequels to make it onto film, either. Everything is just a little too neatly sewn up.

Interesting points: yes, that is Jennifer Connelly. No, the film is not a rip-off of The Neverending Story (which I’ve heard people say), though The Neverending Story and Inkheart are both originally German books. Lastly, did anyone notice Elinor riding the unicorn? Isn’t that supposed to be something only a virgin can do? Is the film poking fun at how crotchety her character is? Because if so, then that means this is the only time she’s been poked.

Just in case you were curious. 

Bonus features include Eliza Bennet (lucky girl, having such a name) reading out a portion of the book’s end, and trailers. That’s about it. Nothing fancy to see here.

It’s a decent film, but a better book. My advice? A clever turn of phrase is worth a thousand mediocre films. Read the book.

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