Capsule review of 'Inkheart'

"Inkheart" — Whimsy shouldn't be overwhelming. It shouldn't be a busy, messy cacophony. By definition, there should be something delicate about it. Charming, even. "Inkheart" has long since slammed the book shut on that concept, with director Iain Softley cramming in more literary characters and mystical creatures than would seem humanly possible. The mythology here, taken from the best-selling novel by Cornelia Funke, is mind-bogglingly dense and, often, illogical. Maybe it worked better on the page; on the screen, from a script by Pulitzer-winner David Lindsay-Abaire, it feels like an onslaught. Brendan Fraser brings his typically stoic demeanor to the role of Mortimer "Mo" Folchart, a bookbinder who's been trolling secondhand stores for years looking for the medieval adventure "Inkheart" in hopes of righting a wrong. You see, Mo has an unfortunate gift: When he reads a book out loud, its characters literally come to life in the real world. Somehow, when he read "Inkheart," his wife Resa got sucked into its pages. This is something he's never told his 12-year-old daughter, Meggie (Eliza Hope Bennett), until now. Mo wants to read Resa back into reality, but the other "Inkheart" characters, led by a snarling Andy Serkis, like it out here and don't want to return. The presence of esteemed actors like Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent briefly livens up these confusing proceedings, but mostly it's just embarrassing watching them lower themselves into such a ridiculous scenario. PG for fantasy adventure action, some scary moments and brief language. 106 min. One and a half stars out of four.

— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic