Brendan Fraser seems bound to other times and places. He makes more than his fair share of time traveling fantasy and action films of the non-Marvel vintage. His latest adventure beyond this plane of ours is “Inkheart”. He plays Mo, a bookbinder who journeys all over the world with his young daughter, Meggy, ostensibly in search of rare old volumes to repair.
It begins in what seems to be modern times, although the important action takes place in an old worlde style fair in a European mountain village. Old-fashioned culture is so alive that we begin to doubt that we’re looking at the here and now.
A strange and frightening figure rises out of the crowd and tears after Mo. He threatens Meggy, launching Mo into protective mode. The scarred figure (Paul Bettany) demands Mo ‘read him back’.
Mo has the gift of a Silvertongue. He is able to bring characters and events out of books by reading aloud. And the scarred figure trapped out of his book, has something to do with Mo’s long-missing wife.
A gang of booked-based villains shows up to put a stop to Mo for fear he’ll send them back into their book. They have learned to love the soft life of modern times.
“Inkheart” is a children’s story about many things, including the love of books and reading, respect for literature and the endless fascination they offer. Characters and events in literature pop up throughout the film, like Tom Sawyer’s raft, which comes crashing through a medieval castle ceiling. Odd lines from books are heard in passing, and visual allusions are non-stop.
“Inkheart” is a filled with literary landmines, just waiting to burst forth and bring readers together in shared knowledge and appreciation of storytelling.
The film celebrates family, honest relationships and fair treatment.
A wonderfully entertaining element of the film is its melding of opposites. Old and new, representing the timelessness of fairy tales and the intrigues of modern life, share the screen.
There is medieval graffiti on castle walls, sharing screen space with cars drive by. Clothing from the middle ages and contemporary Italian fashion houses appear in the same scenes. It’s a cultural mashup.
Fraser enters new territory as a slightly tired action man, who hides his superpower – the ability to bring literature to life - behind a weary body and worried mind.
Young Eliza Bennett is Meggy, a sad little girl tired of their nomadic existence, missing the mother she thinks abandoned her.
Helen Mirren appears as Mo’s crusty and outspoken, book-loving relative who lives in an Italian mansion tucked up high in the mountains. She of course, owns a huge library. Jim Broadbent plays the author of “Inkheart”, the book they’re all seeking.
They bring formidable elder wisdom to the mix.
Andy Serkis is wasted as Capricorn, the one-dimensional villain and book hater whom Mo accidentally read out of “Inkheart”. Capricorn knows exactly where Mo’s wife is but he’s not telling for his own wicked reasons.
“Inkheart” is a fairy tale for children but will bring the magic of books back to some grownups. It never patronises children but manages to balance the emotions raised in the search for the lost parent with the joy of discovering the wide and wonderful world of reading and writing.
Some adults may find the film contrived but it’s not for them. “Inkheart” is a film that celebrates and understands children and their close and enduring relationship with books. Not for the cynical.
Written by Cornelia Funke and David Lindsay-Abaire
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