Blu-ray Movie Reviews

When Mo Folchart reads a story, the characters leap off the page. Literally. And that's a problem. Mo must somehow use his special powers to send the interlopers back to their world...and save ours. If ever a task was easier read than done, this is it. Mo and his daughter Meggie, aided by friends real and fictional, plunge into a thrilling quest that pits them against diabolical villains, fantastic beasts and dangers at every turn.

We are seeing more and more adaptations for popular young adult novels and now Cornelia Funke’s fantasy series comes to light on the big screen. The story is interesting enough but the film plays a bit soft and is definitely geared toward the younger audience most of the time. The film’s production design is good and other than the by the numbers performance by Fraser, the acting was quite good. While it didn’t capture me as much as Tolkien’s series or even Potter, it was still good family fun.

The HD presentation is strong with a great sense of detail and dimension. The print is in pristine condition and there is plenty of eye candy throughout. I did see some minor smearing artifacts early on, but they didn’t overly distract. Contrast levels are strong and lend to the depth of image.

The 5.1 TrueHD soundtrack is also good, but not as dynamic as I was hoping for. The film feels a bit toned down in consideration of its audience and given the level of action throughout, I was expecting a bit more. The soundstage has a very spatial quality with good support in the surrounds, but low bass extension wasn’t as impressive as I would have expected given the imagery. Still, a good presentation overall.

Extras are delivered in HD and include some behind the scenes features, a look at the book and a digital copy of the film coupled with a DVD copy as well.

Overall Inkheart ended up a decent family adventure, but not a spectacular one. The Blu-ray presentation is good, but could use a few touches to be great.