Starring Brendan Frasier and...well...no one else that I knew, with the infinite potential to be incredibly wonderful, what with the idea being that there are gifted people (silvertongues) who, when they read aloud, bring what they read into reality. All good and well except for the actual execution of the film, which was, well, mediocre at best. What can I say? I love a good fantasy movie / plot as much as the next person and, in fact, possibly considerably more than the next person, but this was just such a disappointment. I'm not sure if it went straight to video or not, but it should have. The script was just...horrible. And, while that's sometimes forgiveable, especially in kid's movies, I feel like the bulk of what was given in the movie was so full of plotholes that it made it altogether unbelieveable, even for a fantasy world. Which, of course, is less than desireable. Brendan Frasier was ok--not his best, certainly--but more or less ok considering the script, but his daughter and awkward aunt were both really over the top, as was the whole thing. As I say, it really is unfortunate, since I honestly feel that Inkheart the book could have been (and probably is) brilliant on its own merely on the basis of the idea, and yet the movie was so mediocre. Skip this one. Re-rent Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter or Labyrinth, instead, if you're looking for a fantasy fix. Just keep this one out of your DVD player.
FINAL VERDICT:
* star out of *****
