Here’s a movie that brings new meaning to the idea of getting into a good book. Brendan Fraser stars as Mo, a “silvertongue” with a gift for bringing stories to life when he reads aloud. But conjuring up a character from a book has its dangers – especially when somebody from the real world has to take his or her place.

This family fantasy movie, based on the novel by Cornelia Funke, never fully engages with the emotions. But it has plenty going for it, including spectacular effects and eye-catching performances from Andy Serkis as the baddie, Helen Mirren as a feisty bibliophile and Jim Broadbent as the dotty author whose adventure yarn Inkheart causes all the problems.