 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Inkheart
- Review Date: June 21, 2009
- PG
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2009
Common Sense Media says
Tween-targeted fantasy adaptation is no Harry Potter.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this family-friendly fantasy is based on author Cornelia Funke's best-selling young adult novel. As in the book, there's a dark tone to the story, and the threat of violence seems real (especially the death threats). The "inked" villains may disturb younger kids, although some of the fantastical elements are funny. Henchmen hold people hostage, threaten to kill people, and burn property, and characters are in serious danger through most of the film. There's mild flirting between two younger characters and a quick kiss and embrace between married couples.
What's the story?
Director Iain Softley's adaptation of Cornelia Funke's best-selling novel chronicles the adventures of 12-year-old bookworm Meggie (Eliza Hope Bennett) and her father, Mo (Brendan Fraser), a respected bookbinder. Mo is not only a rare-book specialist, he's a Silvertongue -- he has a secret magical ability to bring the written word to life when he reads aloud. Meggie doesn't know this, because her father hasn't read aloud since the day several characters from the fantasy book INKHEART leapt out of the book and his beloved wife Resa (Sienna Guillory) was sucked inside. After finally locating a copy of the out-of-print book, Mo, along with Meggie and her great aunt Elinor (Helen Mirren), are kidnapped by the villainous stranded character Capricorn (Andy Serkis), who burns the novel and exploits Mo's gift for his greedy needs. Meanwhile, Dustfinger (Paul Bettany), another Inkheart character, is so desperate to return home that he helps Mo and company escape to search for the last person who might have the book -- Inkheart's author (Jim Broadbent).
Is it any good?
Condensing such a rich and vivid story into a 100-minute film is no easy task. Even with a remarkable cast (three Oscar winners!), cool special effects, Hollywood's go-to leading man for period family films (Fraser), and a built-in audience, an adaptation can fall flat. And this one, for all of its entertaining allusions and literary jokes, isn't awe-inspiring enough to please the series' many young fans. The film's more Lemony Snicket than Harry Potter. About halfway through, the story starts to feel bogged down -- and despite some effects-heavy action near the end, the promising premise just doesn't deliver. And the comic relief is limited to Farid (Rafi Gavron), a cute but horribly accented personification of one of the thieves from Arabian Nights, and a couple of the doltish bad guys.
Mature kids may appreciate the dark tone, and even younger children will pick up on at least a few of the many literary figures that appear in the story -- like Rapunzel or the flying monkeys from Oz. But it's easy to get lost with so many characters (some real, some fictional, some caught in between) clogging the screen. While the central figures are compelling (a father and daughter who can conjure up anything they read is pure genius) and the movie is certainly action packed, the mystery and magic are gone once the credits roll.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about whether scary characters and events based in fantasy are less frightening than those based in real life. Why or why not?
What does this story have in common with other movies based on popular
young adult books? How is it different?If you've read the original
book, how does the movie compare? Is this a faithful adaptation?Why do
you think filmmakers sometimes change things from books? Families can
also discuss secrets.What's the difference between secrets and lies?
Are lies used for good reasons OK?
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AGE
perfect for all ages!
a great movie due to the fact that it does not differ much from the book. the main storyline is followed, although the ending is different. The book is brought alive in this great film, and i recommend it for kids as young as nine. however, some of the violence may be too young for kids eight and younger. the henchmen of Capricorn may scare some; they are dressed in black and are scarred with tatoos. they are usually brutal towards prisoners and villagers. but all in all, the movie is really great for kids to teens.
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AGE
Should I see it?
I wanted to see Inkheart when it first came out. To me it looked like a good movie, mostly. But when my friend told me it wasn't as she thought it would be (in other words, an overall bad movie), I was a little disappointed. But that's just my thinking.
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Kid, 12 years old
March 13, 2011
AGE
its fine
this movie wasnt what i thought it would be.i mean the book was pretty good and there was no cussing that i remember.
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AGE
its fine
this movie wasnt what i thought it would be.i mean the book was pretty good and there was no cussing that i remember.
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Kid, 11 years old
March 13, 2011
AGE
its fine
this movie wasnt what i thought it would be.i mean the book was pretty good and there was no cussing that i remember.
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AGE
Okay. Entertaining.
This movie was entertaining, but by no means briliant. It had exciting parts, and a few humourous comments, and was, overall, a great family movie. One or two intense scenes could scare children younger than seven (maybe), and there were only two swear words: d-mn and jack-ss. In one scene we get a really nice view down a woman's copious chest, as a ferret digs a key out from between her breasts. Other than that, there is no innappropriate content.
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AGE
We enjoyed this film - but then we haven't read the book - oops or maybe not, the writing on the faces of the actors and the burning of the books worried our 8 yo, but she still enjoyed it, 5yo sort of liked it but zoned out at the scarey bits and played with his playmobil!!
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AGE
great for all ages
I think inkheart was a great movie for all ages.It is kind of funny and it rocked. It has some good family messages.
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AGE
WARNING: This movie may be to scary for some little kids!
This film was not what I expected to be. At first I thought that this movie would be cool ( kind of) fun for the whole family. Instead I thought that this this movie was a little too long and bit scary for kids -6-7 and under.This movie may maybe iffy and somewhat scary for kids ages 8 +. Mostly this movie would be a pretty good movie for ages 11- 12+. I did think that this movie was a bit scary at the end .If kids want to see this movie they need to know that is movie has some scary scenes like in the Harry Potter movies. This movie has very brief language. It only has one or two bad words. I would recommend this movie to kids who have read and liked the book, or to to kids who like fantasy movies like this and the other 6 Harry Potter movies.
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| Topics: | magic and fantasy, adventures, book characters |
| Studio: | Warner Bros. |
| Director: | Iain Softley |
| Cast: | Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Helen Mirren |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 105 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | January 23, 2009 |
| DVD release date: | June 23, 2009 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | fantasy adventure action, some scary moments and brief language |
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