MovieChat Forums > Inkheart (2009) Discussion > sorry, but this movie was better than th...

sorry, but this movie was better than the book...


...i finally had the chance to read Inkheart + was quite excited since everyone says that Funke is the closest we have to J.K. Rowling here in Germany.
Well, the book was alright, the idea was good and I really liked some of the characters (especially Dustfinger + Mo) BUT the movie made the story much more 'colorful'...more fantastic than the book does...more magical.

I expected so much from the book...fantasy worlds, magical images, mystery...but it in parts it seemed more like a crime story...in the sense of the German word 'Krimi'...it wasn't nearly as magical as I had hoped.

The movie was more what I expected, even though it was still bound by the general story. I liked its fast pace, the images, the FANTASY that is much more explored.
I loved that there were more creatures from books (unicorn, flying monkeys, etc.) and overall I just felt that there was much more action than in the book itself.
They left out long parts about Basta or Motorla...so it never got boring.

Paul Bettany plays a marvellous Dustfinger, his voice has something rather unique about it...Fraser was good too + Helen Mirren did very well in a more funny role.

This might not come close to the Potter movies or Stardust (which I LOVED btw) but it's a nice fantasy movie + well...it just felt more magical to me than the book itself.

(I'm only talking about 'Inkheart' though...many people say the other books are better...might give 'em a shot...dunno)

'you took something perfect and painted it red'

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Fully agree. Book 1 was OK, felt like 70? exposition though. Very slow, poor pacing, other minor issues. Books 2 and 3 jumped from decent to "that was one of the best things I've ever read". The first movie did such a great job of capturing the spirit of the story, but book 2 is where it really comes to life, so someone HAS to pick it up!

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