DVD Review: InkheartStarring Brendan Fraser

In a world where we have seen the likes of such places as Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the ancient labyrinth which is home to the Goblin King and many others, it has been a long time since fantasy has seen the likes of an author by the name of Cornelia Funke. In this impressive fantasy, we are shown that the power of the written word can be a dangerous thing and what consequences may come from having such a power.

In 'Inkheart', we meet well-established bookbinder Mo Flochart (played by Brendan Fraser), an eclectic and passionate man whose love of books has completely encompassed his life. His life has been dedicated to the pursuit of that one rare book that will fulfill his collection and allow him to finally end his worldwide quest. But, the quest is more than it first seems as Mo has forgotten the grave mistake that he had done nearly nine years ago that turned his world and the world of many others upside down. Soon, two worlds, one of fact and one of fiction will soon collide in an epic battle of good versus evil as Mo must race to save the world that he knows from being destroyed by a great evil that he unleashed by accident so long ago.

The story begins with Mo reading from one of his favorite books as a boy to his infant daughter, Meggie (played by Bennett), called 'Inkheart'. It is a medieval fairy tale that centers around a mishapen group of heroes who are out to stop an evil robber king by the name of Capricorn (played by Serkis) from releasing an ancient immortal evil that is simply called 'The Shadow'. But, nine years later, Mo finds a copy of the old text in a rare bookshop to keep for his collection. However, what he does not plan on is old secrets being drudged up after he sees a long-forgotten friend that he had thought had disappeared several years ago in the form of fire juggler, Rowain (played by Broadbent) and his pet ferret, Gwynne. The juggler informs him that Capricorn has also been released from the book and is running his own secret empire from an ancient castle and looking to dominate the area in his search for Mo. With his daughter in danger, Mo takes residence with his eccentric great-aunt (played by Mirren), another book collector who has become lost in her own world of books. But, it gets worse as Mo and his family are kidnapped by the nefarious Capricorn, who plans to use Mo to become rich and also to release The Shadow in his own bid for global conquest.

The story itself is not just imaginative, but also stirs the imagination. Funke's tale of magic and literacy is unlike anything that has ever been seen or experienced. The cast itself pulled the film off with little effort and was probably one of the funnest films that I have seen yet this year.

My rating is five stars out of five. Brendan Fraser's most recent film is a must-see!