Ink Heart (2008)

Directed by: Iain Softley | 106 minutes | adventure, family, fantasy | Actors: Brendan Fraser, Andy Serkis, Eliza Bennett, Paul Bettany, Alex Argenti, Stephen Armourae, Leeroy Bailey, Adam Bond, Jim Broadbent, Mike Busson, Jessie Cave, Esme Clark, Isabella Clark, Jamie Foreman, Jay Fuller, Rafi Gavron, Antonio Gil, Mike Godfrey, Sienna Guillory, Toby Iyan, Matt King, Helen Mirren, Stephen Modell, Mirabel O’Keefe, Lesley Sharp, Steve Speirs, Tereza Srbova, David Stevenson, Richard Strange, Marnix van den Broeke, Dominik Danielewicz

‘Inkheart’ is originally a book, a bestseller by Cornelia Funke (has a failed book ever been made into a movie?). The book, written for teenagers who are not yet teenagers, heralds the beginning of a trilogy, how could it be otherwise. Simply telling a story in one go is not hip and, moreover, not nearly lucrative enough. It is better to do it in at least three times, because then the cash register will at least keep ringing. And if the story is worth it and the execution, well, then we would like to read three parts of it, or see it, right? We like to immerse ourselves in ready-made entertainment, nice and sweet, nice and juicy, dream away, enjoy. But is ‘Inkheart’ really that good? Does this give us our stomachs and above all: do we return home satisfied after seeing this film?

The popularity of the book suggests that there is nothing wrong with the story. But the basic fact does not seem sufficiently elaborated, at least in the film. Not that things really should be possible, really. You don’t have to be a five-year-old to be able to endlessly go along with the wildest fantasies of writers, theater and film makers, but it does have to be delivered compellingly. Something very convincing, or beautiful, has to happen to take away our mistrust, to make us, the viewers, decide: okay, we’re going with this. And that’s not happening. It seems a bit like the script has been rushed. What works in a book doesn’t always work on the silver screen. Still a little while at the beginning, but as the story progresses, new characters and new situations further undermine the credibility of the basic data. The explanation of ‘how it came to be’ and the consequences thereof, make no impression. Then as a viewer you distance yourself and you will see more and more mistakes, more sloppiness, more loopholes. And then all of a sudden the staging and plot twists come across as cheap, especially at the end.

Perhaps the time has come to film a book that has completely flopped, because then the makers might be challenged a bit. And we can’t get away without carefully working out the scenario. Then a highly skilled actress like Helen Mirren, who undoubtedly signed for a fun adventure film, comes out a little better and Paul Bettany and Andy Serkis can use their talents in a project that rewards those talents. With ‘Inkheart’ director Ian Softley, who was fairly convincing in his earlier career with films such as ‘Wings of the Dove’ (1997) and ‘K-PAX’ (2001) is a bit of a disappointment. He has failed to credibly film the most far-fetched fact of ‘Inkheart’ for an audience older than six years. If that was the intention, it is possible, but it will not last.