DVD Release Date:  June 23, 2009
Theatrical Release Date:  January 23, 2009
Rating:  PG (for fantasy adventure action, some scary moments and brief language)
Genre:  Fantasy/Adventure/Family
Run Time:  106 min.
Director:  Iain Softley
Actors:  Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Matt King, Andy Serkis, Jim Broadbent, Jennifer Connelly, Sienna Guillory, Eliza Bennett

In an age where Wii, reality T.V. and social networking definitely reigns supreme, it’s particularly refreshing to see literature lovingly getting its due on the big screen.

Now make no mistake about it, there are a few gaping plot holes that will require a full suspension of disbelief in the adaptation of Cornelia Funke’s popular novel, Inkheart. But that’s nothing a fantastic cast, a captivating story and a little movie magic can’t fix—or at least remedy.

With a pervasive theme about the enduring power of stories, Inkheart is a fanciful tale of a father and daughter who regularly frequent the world’s used bookstore circuit (apparently ordering from Amazon.com simply won’t do) in search of a particular edition of a medieval fantasy volume called Inkheart.

Hoping to remedy a horrifying mistake from his past, Mo Folchart (a stoic but mostly effective Brendan Fraser) doesn’t explain to his adventure-seeking daughter Meggie (a standout Eliza Bennett) exactly why they travel so much. But making things even more complicated, it also turns out that Mo was born with a rather unusual gift that Meggie will discover later on. Apparently much like Adam Sandler in Bedtime Stories, Mo has the uncanny ability to make prose come to life just by reading it aloud. In the flick, that officially makes him a “Silvertongue.”

And sometimes, especially when it involves the fate of his beloved wife Reva (Sienna Guillory), the gift isn’t quite as cool as it seems. Back when Mo first read Inkheart to Meggie a decade before, his wife was eventually trapped in the actual pages of the story. So we’re told the only way to free her from eternal literary captivity is to locate the missing book and “read” her back to Earth.

Yeah, the premise is a bit crazy, but that’s what the fantasy genre is all about, right?

While Inkheart gets off to a strong start, (a good hook always helps), the story gets increasingly more colorful as it goes along. Not only is the juxtaposition of fantasy and reality entertaining and eye-popping like a family-friendly Moulin Rouge with musical pop culture references swapped out for decidedly bookish ones, but the topsy-turvy journey showcases an unbreakable bond between the protective father and his feisty daughter that can’t help but resonate emotionally.