Austin Chronicle by Marc Savlov

Inkheart was shot in and around Liguria on the Italian Riviera, and it looks absolutely ravishing.

Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum

Mirren's all-out display in this distinctly British absurdo-literary extravaganza had me wishing Elinor were my own fabulous auntie and that she'd lend me some magic items from her closet.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer by Sean Axmaker

Inkheart feels a little confused in its tone and direction, but only a little, and I appreciate the way it both celebrates the power of literature and reminds us that stories have a life beyond the page, even if they are only in our hearts and minds.

The A.V. Club by Tasha Robinson

The story itself is so charmingly dense, fractious, and complicated that it frequently leaves the obvious good-guy-fights-bad-guy groove, and noses toward Terry Gilliam-esque randomness and ebullience.

Washington Post by Ann Hornaday

For the young people in its demographic wheelhouse, Inkheart packs a welcome amount of entertainment value, creating a genuinely original world of enchantment.

TV Guide Magazine

A film that's brimming with fascinating ideas and elevated by some memorable performances.

ReelViews by James Berardinelli

Inkheart looks good and is well acted but, in the end, it left me indifferent.

USA Today by Claudia Puig

It's a shame that by its conclusion the movie feels like just another special-effects-driven story.

Chicago Tribune by Michael Phillips

A fine ensemble, some gorgeous Italian Riviera locales, intermittent flashes of magic amid a more manufactured air of whimsy.

Film Threat

This children's fantasy flirts with the dark side, though family values win out. Thus, the movie remains devoted to heroism and is as opposed to the bad guys as it would be to killing off Brendan Fraser.