Eragon

"Eragon" is a film that surprised me. According to what I had heard, it was far from being a good movie, but I was curious, so I decided to give it a try. A friend had given me the book on which this film is based as a Christmas present, and I decided to read it if the movie had at least something that managed to charm me.

Regarding the plot, I suppose I should start by saying that the main character is Eragon (Ed Speleers), a young man that discovers a blue stone he wants to trade for something to feed his family. Unable to do so, Eragon decides to keep the stone, and receives a very big surprise when the stone turns to be a dragon's egg, and he makes the acquaintance of a new friend, a young dragon named Saphira. The birth of Saphira is a powerful magical event noticed by many, among them King Galbatorix (John Malkovich), the man that rules Alagaesia the land where Eragon lives.

Galbatorix used to be a dragon rider, but he betrayed the other dragon riders and became a tyrant, ruling his empire with strength and without mercy. From his point of view, Eragon and Saphira are a threat, and they must join him or be wiped out.

Galbatorix makes the wrong move, though, and turns Eragon into an enemy. The young man decides to join the Varden, those that oppose the king. With the help of Brom (Jeremy Irons), an old bard that is a lot more than what he seems to be, Eragon will try to find his path, with Saphira by her side.

That sounds interesting and you want to know more? Well, watch the movie. It is not perfect, but it is entertaining, the kind of movie that engages the spectator quickly in the adventures of the main characters, and makes them care. Of course, recommended...

Belen Alcat

PS: By the way, after watching this movie I immediately started reading Christopher Paolini's "Eragon", and I loved it. I liked this movie quite a bit (3.5 out of 5 stars), but the book was much better, so if you haven't already read it... What are you waiting for? Go :)

If you like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter rip-offs, then this is the right film for you.

I have yet to read (and probably never will) the Paolini books, but from what I have heard, there isn't much to expect but... guess: rip-offs of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

The film itself feels slow, boring and tedious to say the least. Even its length of 104 minutes felt twice as that. The territories explored in the movie share no scope of Peter Jackson's awesome trilogy nor do the characters have that special aura as J. K. Rowling's superb series (be it on books or the films). There ARE some worthy moments, but you have to look for them beneath all the chaos and clichés. Jeremy Irons' character is a redemptory man but you can't help look at the Boromir resemblance. Sienna Guillory is definitely Arwen in a more pro-active yet passive (?) character.

Features? Stick to your 2-disc DVD because they didn't keep much here. In fact, they cut out everything from the second disc.

My advice? If you liked the book, you're likely to enjoy the film. If not, if LOTR and HP are more your cup of tea, then watch it with (very much) lowered expectations.

"Eragon" wants to be "Lord of the Rings." It really, really wants to be. In a pinch, it'll settle for "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" with a dash of Harry Potter.

But those hoping for a spectacular PG-rated epic shouldn't hold their breaths, because the adaptation of Christopher Paolini's bestseller is a massive bellyflop. The direction is stilted and plodding, the acting is on par with tree stumps, and the whole thing is uninspired -- it never moves beyond "quick cash-in."

A young woman is being chased through the woods by a band of evil soldiers, trying to recapture a bright blue stone she stole from evil King Galbatorix (John Malkovich), but she magics it away. It's found in the woods by a young farm boy, Eragon (Edward Speleers), who unsuccessfully tries to trade it for food. But the stone turns out to be a dragon's egg.

When his home and uncle are destroyed, Eragon escapes with his now-grown dragon Saphira (Rachael Weisz) and a mysterious stranger named Brom (Jeremy Irons), who knows a lot about the Dragon Riders. Now Eragon and Saphira may be the only hope for the land, not to mention the captive elf princess he's dreaming about, and whom he has to rescue from the evil king.

Dragons, damsels in distress, magic spells, an evil king and his evil wizard, and a Young Hero in the Luke Skywalker mold... well, "Eragon" had a lot of obstacles in front of it from the start. It sounds like the love child of "Star Wars" and "Lord of the Rings"... except it's infinitely more clumsy than either of those movies.

And the director doesn't help -- Stefan Fangmeier is horribly crude and clumsy in his directing, with a style that manages to be both stilted and choppy. The scripting is even worse. Expect the most pompous, cliched fantasyspeak imaginable ("It is your fate to be a Dragon Rider. The Varden need a Rider if they are to defeat Durza and the king." "I didn't ask for any of this!" "But you were chosen, nevertheless!"). In fact, it's harder to find good dialogue than bad ("I suffer without my stone. Do not prolong my suffering!").

It's not surprising, since Fangmeier has never even directed a short film before. His only prior movie work has been for visual effects, which might explain why the CGI for Saphira the dragon is so beautifully detailed and fluid. Wonderful work there. But not enough to make you forget the rest of the movie.

Speleers looks like a deer in the headlights, while Sienna Guillory has all the elegance and magic of hobbit feet, and Malkovich is given the most 2-D villain role of the 21st century. The supporting actors give the only solid performances, miscast as they are -- Weisz gives a wonderfully nuanced performance, while Irons is solid as the mentor figure.

"Eragon" has the occasional good performance or moment of excellence -- usually from Weisz as Saphira. But the rest of the time, it's an amateurish example of how NOT to make a fantasy movie.