Inkheart (2008) movie adaptation

inkheart

based on Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

The Review

So, this review will be very different than what I’ve done previously on this page. Obviously, this is not a book review. This is a review of the movie adaptation of Cornelia Funke’s book, Inkheart. If you’re looking for the book review, please follow the link at the end of this post. This review will follow a different structure than the book reviews. Similar to the graphic novel adaptations, this review will discuss the portrayal of the characters and scenery, the faithfulness to the original work, and the quality of the film in general.

If you have not read the book, this review will contain spoilers!
Portrayal:

Helen Mirren and Paul Bettany are pretty much the best things that happened in this movie. I thought Elinor was a little dull in the book, but Helen Mirren portrays her amazingly. Elinor is crazy in this movie and I love it.

Dustfinger was always my favorite character and Paul Bettany really brings out that duality of his character in this movie. Plus…

dustfinger

Now, don’t get me wrong. I acknowledge that they made Dustfinger’s ugly, disformed face and completed dismissed that…but I’m okay with it haha. The problem, for me, with Dustfinger in this adaptation was not in Bettany’s portrayal, but in how the movie changes his decisions around. In the book, I could really sympathize with Dustfinger’s character and understand (although not approve) of his choices. In the movie, his actions are much more harmful to those around him. He clearly has the opportunity to better the situations that they’re in and chooses not to. Most of these parts are unique to the movie as well.

Meggie’s actress is pretty good. She wasn’t really memorable to me which…she’s supposed to be the main character so I don’t know what that really says about her. Although, it would be hard to shine amongst a cast like this.

Brendan Fraser, on the other hand, certainly looks like Mo but his acting was spotty and flat. I was so disappointed with him. He doesn’t really read aloud too well, which is kind of the whole point of the book/movie?

I was really excited to see Andy Serkis as Capricorn but it just wasn’t what I wanted. He was a fine enough villain, just not Capricorn. In the book, I thought Capricorn had this horribly intimidating presence, but Serkis didn’t portray him that way.

We shouldn’t talk about Basta and the Magpie. They’re atrocious.

I liked the idea of Jim Broadbent being Fenoglio but he wore on me as the movie went on.

Faithfulness:

The general story is faithful. It’s obvious what book this is based off of. However, because of the adjustments they made to “pick-up” the pot, the story feels weak. This is especially true once they escape Capricorn’s village. All the characters just end up bouncing around and filling in parts of the plot like weird, unfitting puzzle pieces that don’t really match up.

My biggest issue with this adaptation is how reckless they were with Mo and Meggie reading things out of the books. The book spends pages and pages emphasizing how harmful it was to the characters to be read out of their stories, yet this movie attempts to up its actions sequences by ripping things out of their stories without a second thought. What is the Wizard of Oz going to do without Toto or the tornado? This was the most egregious “error” in my opinion because it completely went against the lesson the book was trying to teach.

Resa’s whole character is very odd in this adaptation. The movie makes it seem like her and Dustfinger have known each other for years, but somehow Resa only asks him about her family during the events of the movie. It’s very confusing and doesn’t fit right.

The ending was woefully different. I understand that they wanted to emphasize Meggie’s part in the ending, considering she’s supposed to be the main character, but I thought it made the story collapse in on itself. Meggie was the main character in the book and I liked that she wasn’t responsible for everything in the end. Meggie literally fixes everything in the end by writing a few words on her arm??? It felt corny and made the “rules” of the Inkheart world feel fake. However, Helen Mirren riding in on a unicorn was the best part of the movie.

elinor

Quality:

A lot of this movie felt hokey to me. I get that this is a children’s movie, but its got a PG rating. They could have made the Black Coats and Capricorn m much better. This really had potential. The CGI is good, the acting is decent. I just — how could they make something so bad with a cast like this?

Rating: 4 out 10 wish I was actually ded™ instead of watching this

ded

book review: Inkheart

IMDB

Smashed by Junji Ito

Smashed

genre: manga. horror. teen.

The Review

As a disclaimer, this is a horror collection and I’ll be including panels from the manga in this review. So if that isn’t your thing, maybe skip this one. This also won’t follow the same format as most of my reviews because this is a collection of stories. I’ll list out each one and say a few words and then move on. At the end, I’ll discuss the collection as a whole.

Bloodsucking Darkness: 4 out of 5

This was a solid opening for this collection. This is a perfect example of how Ito uses his storytelling to discuss important societal topics. This story is focused on a girl struggling with bulimia and general eating disorder. Ito puts his own spin on the idea and gets his way right under your skin.

bloodsucking darkness

Ghosts of Prime Time: 2 out of 5

Honestly, I didn’t really get this one. It was fine. I just didn’t find it scary or particularly interesting. The idea behind this story is pretty weird too. I think I would have rather had a story focused on why the main character can see spirits. I’m sure that he would have experienced scarier things than these two creepy comedians. Just felt kind of “eh.”

Roar: 3 out of 5

There was nothing really wrong with this story, but there was nothing about it that I loved either. It’s a good interpretation about life after death and holding on too long to those who have passed on, but that’s about all I got from it.

Earthbound: 5 out of 5

This. This is the one that really reassured me that this collection was going to be worth it. Because oh my gosh. This story is so unsettling and inherently creepy that I was glad I wasn’t alone when I was reading it. The imagery is pretty off-putting on its own, but the way Ito wraps up the story and the reasoning behind these Earthbound people … wow. Way to go, Ito. I’m disturbed and I love it.

Earthbound

Death Row Doorbell: 2 out of 5

Another okay read. It’s got a good purpose. It’s all about forgiveness and moving on after a crime has occurred. Violence for the sake of violence and all that jazz. The idea is good, but the delivery didn’t really impress me. It was probably because I was still so shaken from “Earthbound” haha.

The Mystery of the Haunted House: 4 out of 5

Um, so this isn’t necessarily a unique story, but holy crap. This is some scary stuff. Ito really goes all out with his art for this one. The monsters are disgusting and so grossly evil that I wanted to turn the pages as fast I could. I’m not including a pic for this one because no thanks.

The Mystery of the Haunted House (Soichi’s Version): 3 out of 5

This is pretty much a sequel to the previous story and provides both a conclusion and explanation. This is a good follow-up, I just didn’t really love it.

Soichi’s Beloved Pet: 4 out of 5

This started out with a really low rating for me because I hate pet violence. I think it’s a horror copout to inspire immediate disgust from an audience. However, this story redeemed itself. This cat is crazy and the imagery is so gross and Ito-esque. What else could you want besides a haunted, violent kitty?

beloved pet

In Mirror Valley: 3 out of 5

This just felt like a weird Romeo and Juliet story that Ito put his own twist on. It was cool, but not really memorable.

I Don’t Want to Be a Ghost: 5 out of 5

This was a ride. This felt like a classic Junji Ito story for me. I loved every second of it. The scary girl, the blood, the ghosts. There’s nothing wrong with this one at all and no one can convince me otherwise. Pure gold.

be a ghost

Library Vision: 5 out of 5

Jeez I loved this one as well. The idea of a haunted library is just 👌🏻 The obsession and the slow growing spookiness of this story is excellent. This one kind of had me looking over my shoulder and feeling uneasy. And nothing really happened! It was just that good.

library

Splendid Shadow Song: 2 out of 5

I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. It’s a cool idea, but the delivery of it in a manga is a little unforgiving in my opinion. It’s about a musical or sound anomaly so it’s hard to portray on paper. Or at least, it was hard for me to interpret.

Smashed: 2 out of 5

I was actually already familiar with “Smashed” because I watched the Junji Ito Collection anime. I think “Smashed” is right on the edge of my understanding. Because I think I get it, but I don’t … get it. Got me?

The Collection as a whole:

I’ve been on kind of Junji Ito kick for the past month and it’s the perfect time. Nothing gets you more into the Halloween spirit like some of Ito’s work. This collection is about as unsettling as it gets. There were a few stories in here that I wasn’t overly impressed with. However, Ito more than makes up for them with some of the later parts of this collection. Ito is such an impressive story-teller to me because he takes everyday phenomena and puts then into the most terrifying retellings imaginable. I think Ito succeeds so much because he focuses on the unsettling. Don’t get me wrong, some of his stories are absolutely terrifying, but the majority just kind of creep under your skin and settle there.

It doesn’t help that his artistic style is jammed right between beautifully aesthetic and disgustingly horrible. The lines are crisp and pretty which only makes every turn of the page a gamble. Sometimes Ito slaps out a terrifying panel with no warning just after a page turn. It works almost perfectly like a movie jump-scare. I don’t know how he does it. This is a great collection and it definitely picked up (for me) around the middle. This is a must for any Ito fan, horror fan, or anyone just looking for a spooky seasonal read.

approx read time: about 4 days

Rating: 4 out of 5 Screems™

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Ownership: I borrowed this one from the library 👍🏻

Author. Goodreads.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Inkheart

the Inkworld series: book one

genre: children’s. fantasy.

The Review

I haven’t come upon a book like this in quite a bit. I’d been meaning to reread this for awhile because I wanted to get it out of my bookcase. But, I have a feeling that after reading the rest of the books again, these will be staying.

Characters:

Honestly, where I think this book shines the most is with its characters. I liked Meggie and Mo both. I fell in love with Dustfinger immediately. Elinor is hilarious and it’s so fun to see that reluctant, “normal” character in stories like this. She doesn’t want to be there at all and is constantly questioning the sanity of everyone around her. The main characters all have their own personalities and motivations.
The only characters I didn’t attach to were the villains. Capricorn is intimidating, but Funke could have taken his character further. However, this is done for a reason that I appreciate. Inkheart goes out of its way to reduce the amount of violence within its pages. The villains, although ruthless, shy away from it.

Set-Up:

I read Inkheart when I was very young and think that’s the reason I didn’t really care for it. I was reading a lot of fast-paced, action-packed books like the Harry Potter and Charlie Bone series. Inkheart is more densely packed with descriptions and explanations. It’s a calmer book. A more realistic type of fantasy story when it comes to the action and the conflicts. There are certainly plenty of high-danger interactions, but this story is more subtle than most in this genre. That’s what really makes Inkheart so precious. Inkheart is one of those classics that never ages. It’s a staple for any child (or adult!) who loves the fantasy genre.

Additional notes: I think I’ll be doing a review of the film adaptation eventually. So keep your eyes out for that!

approx read time: 10 days

Rating: 5 out of 5 Screems™

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Next in the series: Inkspell

Movie adaptation review: Inkheart (2008)

Ownership: I own this. I was going to donate it, but I have a feeling I’ll be keeping it once I finish the series.

Links: Author. Goodreads.

Black Clover (Vol. 1) by Yūki Tabata

Black Clover

Black Clover: chapters 1 – 4

genre: manga. shōnen. fantasy.

The Review

I picked this manga up at the library the other day because I was absolutely in love with the anime. I was a little disappointed in reading the first volume of the manga and not really getting the same feeling as the anime, but that’s what I get for watching the anime first. That being said I still plan on reading the rest of the series.

Characters:

In comparison to the anime, I think the characters are undeveloped in this first volume. That’s one of the main reasons I didn’t care for this volume. Asta and Yuno just feel like basic shōnen MCs. Which, of course, nothing wrong with that. But you’ve got to have a little more to keep your audience interested. It’s very easy to see the comparison a lot of people make between Black Clover and Naruto. Asta/Naruto. Yuno/Sasuke. Even Noelle gives off some Sakura vibes in the beginning. But, honestly, this doesn’t really bother me. Naruto is a great series. Why mess with something that isn’t broken?

Set-Up:

Black Clover has a lot going for itself. The art (both in the manga and anime) is usually quite nice.

Black Clover page

I think the reason I didn’t feel the connection with the manga was because the action scenes were so hard to follow. I thought the paneling and sound effects were kind of confusing and specific actions/movements weren’t emphasized enough so that I think if I hadn’t watched the show beforehand, I would have been really confused. Even some of the regular dialogue scenes can be really busy and overcrowded.

Black Clover page

Anime: Even though I wasn’t impressed with the first manga volume, the anime is phenomenal and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys action-packed anime. I’ve seen the entirety of Season 1 (episodes 1 – 51)

approx read time: 1 to 2 hours

Rating: 2 out of 5 Screems™

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Ownership: I borrowed this from my local library

Author Goodreads

The Last Unicorn (GN) by Peter S. Beagle

The Last Unicorn

genre: fantasy. graphic novel.

The Review

So, when I do reviews on graphic novels interpretations, I like to rate them while keeping the reference material in mind. In other words, this will not be a review of Beagle’s original novel from 1968, but will look at how Peter B. Gillis adapted this work into a graphic novel and how Renae de Liz and Ray Dillon illustrated the work.

faithfulness to the original:

This is an absolutely gorgeous interpretation of the Last Unicorn. I certainly recommend this to anyone has either seen or read the Last Unicorn. One of my favorite things about the graphic novel is that it seems to be sort of a mix between the 1982 film adaptation and the novel. Although the art is not exactly the same as the film, it brought back a lot of the same memories of watching this movie as a child. Also, the graphic novel doesn’t just include dialogue, but narration and descriptions right from the original book. These parts turned out to be some of my favorites! They add a little extra to the illustrations that you wouldn’t get just by watching the movie version.

adaptation:

The only thing I didn’t like about this graphic novel interpretation (why it’s getting the rating it is), is that it was hard to keep track of how things were progressing. It jumped around a lot. On one page you’d be in a nice conversation between characters and you’d turn the page and they were in a completely different place with no transition. It seemed the connection between scenes and time gaps was hard to grasp or maybe I was just missing it. There were a lot of scenes that I wished were just a little bit longer and that I think were cut short. Even simple things that I think were skipped over or not highlighted enough to really make the story as amazing as it actually is.

art:

I don’t even know what to say here. The art in the graphic novel is just astounding and really captures the magic of Peter S. Beagle’s novel. The story panels are just as beautiful as the chapter covers.

last unicorn

last unicorn

approx read time: 1 day (you could do it in one sitting if you’re trying)

Rating: 3 out of 5 Screems™

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ownership: I borrowed this from my local library

Gillis. de Liz. Dillon. Goodreads

Go for it, Nakamura! by Syundei

go for it, Nakamura!

genre: manga. romcom. BL. teen

The Review

I loved this! This isn’t something I would normally pick up, but it was lent to me by a friend and I’m so glad it was. I really needed some good, pure romance and that’s exactly what this manga gave me. The comedy is simple and easy. I don’t usually go for comedies, but Syundei has found a perfect balance here to make the story entertaining and fun. The romance is corny, but in a good way.

Nakamura/Hirose

I just wish there was more D:

Characters:

Nakamura is such a relatable main character and I fell in love with him immediately. His relationship with Hirose is so cute. This manga has great little interactions — between Nakamura and his crush, and others.

Set-up:

Honestly though, the best part of this manga is the art style. Syundei really harkens back to that classic 90s manga art. It’s a perfect fit for this story and really sets the tone. The panels have a nice flow and each page is unique in its set-up. I love the cute little screen tones and and background patterns.

Syundei art

approx read time: 1 to 2 hours depending on how much you lose your mind over cute boys being cute

Rating: 5 out of 5 Screems™

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Ownership: I borrowed this from a friend. Thanks, friend ♥️

Author Goodreads

Beyond the Valley of Thorns by Patrick Carman

Beyond the Valley of Thorns

the Land of Elyon series: book two

genres: children’s. fantasy. christianlit

The Review

This is a great sequel to the Dark Hills Divide. It also immediately took my criticisms for the ending of the first book and solved them within the first few chapters. I’m not gonna lie though, this is kind of where I find some issues. Although the story, adventure, and characters are all phenomenal, the thinly veiled creationist backplot was just laid on a little thick. With Abaddon (Elyon’s favorite) being a fallen Seraph (read: angel) and wishing to bring about the fall of mankind through sin…I don’t know. It didn’t make the book bad, it just made it a little less enjoyable for me. However, despite this, it’s still a great read. I look forward to reading the rest of the series and continuing with Alexa’s journey!

Characters:

Most of the characters are carried over from the first book and get even more development in the sequel. I still think Alexa is a really amazing female lead. She’s brave and independent, but not so much that it’s unrealistic for a 12 year old. Also, Odessa is the best and anyone who thinks otherwise can fight me. I mean, have you seen her on that cover?

Set-up:

The story brings Alexa and her group of friends outside of the walls and into the world. This really expands the story to new levels. The evil is much more present and looming. It’s definitely a lot moodier than the first book, but it’s still a good story for any young fantasy fan. (Or adult. I enjoyed it. I’m 24. Come at me.)

Additional notes: the ChristianLit aspects are a little stronger in the sequel, but still do not distract from the overall story.

Approx read time: 2 days

Rating: 3 out of 5 Screems™

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Next book in the series: The Tenth City

Previous book in the series: The Dark Hills Divide

Ownership: I used to own this, but have since donated it to my local library

Author Goodreads

The Science of Evil…by Simon Baron-Cohen

Science of Evil

genres: nonfiction. psychology. research.

The Review

First of all, if this wasn’t obvious already, don’t read this unless you’re interested in scientific books on psychology/psychiatry research. Now: this was a very interesting read. Although it was a little different than what I had expected. Because of the title, I was expecting something a little darker. More related towards the idea of evil and the bad things that people do. However, Baron-Cohen’s book is all about empathy. But to be honest, this was a very refreshing book on the ideas of “evil.” Baron-Cohen is very adamant in clarifying his opinions and what they do or do not relate to and it’s interesting to take his ideas and fit them into whatever thoughts you may have on your own. Definitely would recommend this to anyone with an interest in psychology and how the human brain can justify or simply not understand acts of “evil.”

Research:

The more scientific chapters on neurology were a little dull if you don’t have any prior experience with that specific field, but the rest of the book certainly makes up for it. I think Baron-Cohen’s examples were the best part of the book. Each adage was taken from real events and used to express ideas that the author had in order to more easily relate them to the reader. There are examples of violence, but also examples of individuals with mental illness that may or may not contribute to acts of cruelty. That is not to say Baron-Cohen only focuses on the negative. On the contrary, he is very clear in identifying positive ways in which a lack of empathy can influence an individual (this was certainly one of the most interesting sections to me).
Make sure you read until the end. To me, the last chapter (6) was the most interesting. This is where Baron-Cohen really takes all of his evidence and examples and sums it up into a nice conclusion.

approx read time: around fifteen days

Rating: 4 out of 5 Screems™

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Ownership: I own a copy of this book 👍🏻

Author Goodreads

The Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman

The Dark Hills Divide

the Land of Elyon series: book one

genres: children’s. fantasy. christianlit.

The Review

This is one of my absolute favorite children’s fantasy books. Pretty sure I read this like 25 times. It’s been sitting on my bookshelf for years and I couldn’t resist re-reading. Thoroughly entertaining, The Dark Hills Divide has a little bit of everything a young reader needs: adventure, mystery, secrets, magic, puzzles, and a little bit of rule breaking. The mysteries and puzzles are intriguing enough for anyone to follow and I found the animal magic to be adorable. It’s not an overly-complicated or particularly original story, but it’s fun and that’s good enough for me when it comes to a kid’s book. As an adult, I was hoping for more information on the Land’s background and history, but I’m looking forward to reading the next three books again to fulfill this need!

Characters:

Alexa is a wonderful 12 year old character to follow in her adventures through Bridewell. She’s brave, smart, snarky, and really shines through in this story. I absolutely love that this series is led by such a great female character and there’s no allusion to her needing a male companion. I’m all for girl MCs! The other characters are just as colorful and easily distinguishable — something I sometimes struggle with in children’s books.

Set-up:

Have you seen that cover art? I’m not gonna lie, that was art was 100% why I picked this up as a kid. The writing is very easy to follow — a children’s book through and through. I remember some of the anecdotes or inferred sentences went over my head as a kid, but nothing so complicated that it ruined the story for me. I didn’t notice any typos or missed edits.

Spoilers below: highlight text block to view

The only thing I wish was different about the book was something that happened in the last few pages. [ Both Yipes and Alexa lost their ability to talk to animals! It’s a great way to show maturity and character growth but I thought the animals were such rich characters themselves and I would have liked to hear more from them in the future books.

Additional notes: The Christian aspect to this book is pretty obvious, but I didn’t find it to be overwhelming in any way. It’s certainly worth the read even if this genre addition makes you leery.

approx read time: less than 24 hours (although idk if this is an accurate time considering I blasted through this in one sitting. #SorryNotSorry)

Rating: 5 out of 5 Screems™

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Next book in the series: Beyond the Valley of Thorns

Ownership: I used to own this, but have since donated it to my local library

Author Goodreads