Movie Madness!
Every single Saturday I will discuss a book that was adapted into a motion picture. This week's book-movie is:Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Book Description:
Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can "read" fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service.
Characters from books literally leap off the page in this engrossing fantasy. Meggie has had her father to herself since her mother went away when she was young. Mo taught her to read when she was five, and the two share a mutual love of books. He can "read" characters out of books. When she was three, he read aloud from a book called Inkheart and released characters into the real world. At the same time, Meggie's mother disappeared into the story. This "story within a story" will delight not just fantasy fans, but all readers who like an exciting plot with larger-than-life characters.
Characters from books literally leap off the page in this engrossing fantasy. Meggie has had her father to herself since her mother went away when she was young. Mo taught her to read when she was five, and the two share a mutual love of books. He can "read" characters out of books. When she was three, he read aloud from a book called Inkheart and released characters into the real world. At the same time, Meggie's mother disappeared into the story. This "story within a story" will delight not just fantasy fans, but all readers who like an exciting plot with larger-than-life characters.
My Take:
I read Inkheart years ago yet I still can remember some of what happened in this book vividly. Inkheart was such a memorable book for me because it was about one girl's love of books. Inkheart tells the story of Mo who has the ability to transport characters out of the book when he reads aloud. This book may be over 500 pages long but the pages really flew by while I was reading. I loved all of the characters in this book especially Dustfinger who was such a memorable character. I seriously need to re-read this entire trilogy ASAP because I loved it so much originally!
The Movie:
The movie adaption of Inkheart is extremely problematic and I didn't enjoy it much. The movie discarded a good deal of the novel's storyline and adds in unnecessary plot elements. The movie is extremely slow-paced and was extremely tedious to watch. Inkheart stars a few famous movie stars like Brendan Fraser, Andy Serkis, and Helen Mirren. The actors decently portray the characters from the novel.
A Sequel To The Film:
Inkheart performed poorly at the Box Office and on it's opening weekend in the US it grossed $7,725,000. Worldwide, Inkheart grossed $62,450,361, barely recouping it's $60 million budget. New Line Cinema does own the rights to Inkspell and Inkdeath but it's unlikely that these movies will ever go into production. Besides flopping at the box office, Inkheart didn't fare well with critics and received mostly negative reviews. The New York Times initially stated on their website that Inkspell would be released in 3D on July 2012 but has since been removed. Rumors continue to spread online that there will be an Inkspell movie but I highly doubt a movie will ever come to fruition.
Final Opinion:
Inkheart is a superb novel that will delight readers of all ages. The film adaptation of Inkheart is extremely weak and deviates too much from the novel. I would definitely recommend reading Inkheart but be sure to avoid the movie.
Winner: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (Novel)
Be sure to join us next week for the next edition of Movie Madness! If you have a movie adaptation of a book that you'd like me to analyze, leave a comment below!
~Jon
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