Fantasy's only magic comes from a computer

It is entirely unlikely that "Inkheart," based on the best-selling fantasy-adventure by Cornelia Funke, could be another "The Lord of the Rings." In fact, it is unfair of us to even make that comparison, but we keep hoping anyway. In any case, we thought it might be something to do while we wait.

"Inkheart" has a lot going for it, including breathtakingly beautiful scenery of the Italian countryside, an impressive cast of British regulars and the standard brand of computer-generated special effects.

In spite of that, it comes across as decidedly less than magical and a bit on the convoluted side. The characters seem to know the rules better than the audience.

The testy situation involves a mother and wife who has been missing for 10 years. Hubby Brendan Fraser and daughter Eliza Hope Bennett seem unusually calm about her disappearance.

One might think Fraser, who plays a bookbinder known as Mo, might act a little more troubled; after all, it was he who caused her disappearance. He is a Silvertongue, someone who has the power to "read" characters from books into real life. It happens when he reads aloud. His 12-year-old daughter, Meggie, has inherited his power, although she doesn't know it yet.

The problem is that when you read a character out of the book, someone in this world has to go in. Resa, Mo's wife and Meggie's mother, got read into a book called "Inkheart," and she won't get out until a Silvertongue reads her out.

The trouble is, no one can find a copy of "Inkheart." Adding to that trouble, a couple of meanies got read out, too - including the arch-fiend Capricorn, played, without the help of a computer, by Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

You'd think all this might scare kids into never reading aloud again, but the movie makes much of its supposed concern with promoting reading. Will little boys be sitting up late trying to read out Snow White or Little Red Riding Hood?

The trouble with "Inkheart" the movie is that there are too many characters and too heavy a hand to make this fantasy fly. It's not that it's so complicated. After all, children have no problem handling much more than this simple premise with the "Harry Potter" plots. It's just that there's not much danger - just a lot of spectator sport.

Fraser seems to be making fun of every role he gets lately - as if he's slumming. Some might call it self-deprecating. Others might call it simply demeaning. As the father, he's suitably absent-minded to need a daughter to help him.

Helen Mirren, who hasn't gotten a good role in feature films since playing Queen Elizabeth II, chose to make Elinor, the resident eccentric relative, into more comic relief than a real character.

Jim Broadbent delivers his usual fuddy-duddy British fussiness as Fenoglio, the author of the novel-within-the-movie.

Paul Bettany, the Brit who should have been a major star after "Master and Commander," is again subjected to a supporting role and one that doesn't make a lot of sense. Dustfinger is not a bad guy, but he's a strange one - kind of the resident rebel Han Solo. Bettany's real-life wife, Jennifer Connelly, has a cameo.

Serkis is more ham than threat. We aren't too worried about him taking over the world, because he couldn't stop overacting long enough to take even South Carolina.

Don't let any of this carping necessarily keep you from seeing this movie, but be aware that it is all look and little involvement. The last 30 minutes are state-of-the-art computer explosives.

The best thing about it, though, is the terrific Italian scenery - enough to make us want to check our frequent-flier points to see whether we have enough for the ticket across the pond.

The producers, on the basis of the book sales, are already planning sequels to represent the other two "Inkheart" titles. They'd better hold on before they sign the check, though. The movie is likely to do much better in Europe than here.

It's too bad "Inkheart" comes after so many other pretenders to magic: "The Golden Compass," "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and "Prince Caspian."

It's becoming clearer and clearer that you can't just pick up the phone and order "magic" from the computer technicians.