Inkheart

Name: Inkheart
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Family
Released: January 23, 2009
Duration: 106 min
Rating: 49
Cast: Andy Serkis, Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett

2009

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Ratings

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6.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Ratings

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Inkheart

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Movie Details & Credits

New Line Home Video | Release Date: January 23, 2009 | PG

Starring: Andy Serkis, Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett

Summary: A young girl discovers her father has an amazing talent to bring characters out of their books and must try to stop a freed villain from destroying them all, with the help of her father, her aunt, and a storybook's hero.

Director: Iain Softley

Genre(s): Adventure, Fantasy, Family

Rating: PG

Runtime: 106 min

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Critic Reviews

Staff (Not Credited)

It’s a familiar tale, but one told with gusto, wit and visual flare; of particular note is the dilapidated Germanic fortress where Capricorn and his cronies reside, which looks like it was plucked straight from the warped minds of a Gilliam or a del Toro. Read full review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Mirren's all-out display in this distinctly British absurdo-literary extravaganza had me wishing Elinor were my own fabulous auntie and that she'd lend me some magic items from her closet. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Jason Buchanan

A film that's brimming with fascinating ideas and elevated by some memorable performances. Read full review

Roger Ebert

Not realizing that Inkheart is based on a famous fantasy novel, I had the foolish hope the movie might be about books. No luck. Wait till you hear what it's about. Read full review

Kamal AL-Solaylee

This is a stunning-looking film with a dark romantic cloud (quite literally) hanging over its every shot. Read full review

Sheri Linden

With no unifying sensibility, the magic thuds more often than it soars. Read full review

Joe Neumaier

A kids' adventure movie can be a lot of things -- wild and woolly, loosey-goosey, full of foolishness -- but they should never be shabby. And that's the best word for Inkheart. Read full review

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User Reviews

jelenabiebs31

Jan 14, 2016

This was a ton better than I thought it would be. I went in not knowing what it was but I enjoyed it a lot.

Watch it online for free: https://www.primewire.ag/watch-392-Inkheart-online-free

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

ALF

Aug 28, 2011

A film that needs to be watch a couple of times and then it grows on you. Nice to see Brendan Frazer in something different, a magical fantasy. A nice family film and the girl playing the daughter, I think she will be seen a lot more by film goers and TV viewers in the future, Eliza Bennett.A film that needs to be watch a couple of times and then it grows on you. Nice to see Brendan Frazer in something different, a magical fantasy. A nice family film and the girl playing the daughter, I think she will be seen a lot more by film goers and TV viewers in the future, Eliza Bennett. She also sings the closing credits song which she does very well. I cannot say much more without creating spoilers.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

MovieLonely94

Sep 5, 2011

I've never read the book in which this movie was based on, but as far as fantasy adaptations go, I've read the book and I think this movie followed it quite well.

Fact: In the Harry Potter films, they've spent ten years filming all eight of them. Unlike Harry Potter, this movie startedI've never read the book in which this movie was based on, but as far as fantasy adaptations go, I've read the book and I think this movie followed it quite well.

Fact: In the Harry Potter films, they've spent ten years filming all eight of them. Unlike Harry Potter, this movie started filming in 2006, but was later released in Germany and the UK in 2008 and the USA release in 2009. Wow. New Line Cinema spent three years making this film? Boy, that was lucky. Anyway, on to my opinion.

The only problems that I had with this movie was the lack of dialogue, the overused clichÃ©s, and the flaws.

I do, however, liked the adventure and action in this movie. They seem to be pretty important it keeps you interested in what's going on like most fantasy adaptations. The casting was superb. Brandon Fraser was talented as Mo, Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent were very entertaining, Paul Bettany did extremely well at his performance, Eliza Bennett's acting was very solid as Meggie, and Andy Serkis was a lot of fun as Capricorn.

The storyline was well-paced, the direction did very well to remain true to the novel, the visuals were very creative, and the film score was very emotive.

Inkheart suffers from its flaws and dialogue, but has a superb cast, neat visuals, and great fantasy action.

7/10… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

MovieGuys

Jan 5, 2014

Average entertainment. Easily forgettable, very light, and not that well-done. No one will ever watch this movie more than once. It'll soon get lost in the back everyone's minds.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Tyranian

Apr 10, 2019

Fraser is always great but this kids fantasy flick struggles to be original and engaging.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

FilipeNeto

Oct 1, 2018

Who has never read a book and imagined everything they read? In this movie, a man with a passion for books tries to deal with a rare gift: when he reads aloud, characters and objects from books can materialize and come to life off the pages. But this comes at a price: whenever somethingWho has never read a book and imagined everything they read? In this movie, a man with a passion for books tries to deal with a rare gift: when he reads aloud, characters and objects from books can materialize and come to life off the pages. But this comes at a price: whenever something comes out, something or someone from our world has to go into the book. So it was with his wife. However, when the characters he freed make him prisoner, the task of saving him and solving everything passes to his daughter. Okay, it's a somewhat complex plot, it takes time to present and develop, but this is done without creating major problems of perception and understanding. It would be much more interesting if the literary characters who came to life were real characters from books we all know. This spared the film the job of presenting them and making us to know whether they were bad guys or good guys. The film also has several plot holes, especially in the end. The ending is far less interesting than anything else. We even got the feeling that the movie was finished in a hurry, or they didn't quite know how to finish it properly.

Brendan Fraser is decent enough for the lead role even though he seems not to add anything special to it. He might even have switched places with Paul Bettany, who seemed much more capable of holding the lead role, as his character assumed some relevance in the story. Andy Serkis was a good villain and Helen Mirren was excellent in a supporting character. Eliza Bennett seemed to me a solid promise for the future. On the other hand, Sienna Guillory was pretty bad and unconvincing all along and Jim Broadbent, an actor with a comedic propensity, fell short of what he could have done. Cinematography is good but discreet, fulfilling it's role without merit or demerit, and the same can be said of soundtrack. The choice of sets and the costumes was good. CGI is good but, since it lacks magic in the movie, that spoils things a little. Almost everything in this film seems underdeveloped and made in a little elaborate and lazy way.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

RayzorMoose

Nov 16, 2013

Inkheart is boring.
The story feels like a mixture of many other fantasy tales revolving around a magical book. Inkheart is extremely forgettable with bad acting, and little to no originality.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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