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Eragon (2006)

Director: Stefan Fangmeier

Average user rating

3 reviews

Synopsis

The first of a planned trilogy of fantasy epics based on the best-selling novels by Christopher Paolini. Eragon, a young country boy, thinks it’s his lucky day when he finds a mysterious blue stone in the forest. But out of the egg hatches a dragon which reveals to him that his fate is linked with that of the Empire of Alagaesia itself. Eragon is forced to leave his simple life behind as he is thrust into a world of ancient magic and mysterious powers on his way to becoming a Dragon Rider. The future of Alagaesia is in his hands.

Movie review

From Time Out London

Adapted from a children's novel by precocious teenager Christopher Paolini, this cut-and-paste 'sword and sorcery' film is a painful reminder of what fantasy cinema was like before the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy re-wrote the rules. Ineptly directed by visual effects supervisor Fangmeier, the predictable storyline lumbers from scene to scene like a wounded, flightless dragon. Newcomer Speelers plays the more-anodyne-than-Anakin hero, Eragon, a reluctant dragon rider destined to free his people from the tyrannical King Galbatorix (Malkovich), head-case sorcerer Durza (Carlyle), and hordes of tattooed Urgal berserkers. Encouraged by his care-worn mentor, Brom (Irons), Eragon grows into his role as a spell-casting, sword-wielding avenger. Just as female dragon Saphira (voiced by Rachel Weisz) grows rapidly from a blinky-eyed baby to a napalm-breathing nemesis. Inevitably, the story culminates with an epic confrontation between the Eragon-led Varden rebels and the shape-shifting Durza's ugly Urgal army. Sienna Guillory's winsome elf princess Arya supplies the nascent love interest. Malkovich shows an understandable lack of interest.

Author: Nigel Floyd 2006-12-12 10:40:31

Time Out London Issue 1895: December 13-20 2006

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User reviews of this film

Film Critic said...

Posted on Jan 20 2008 15:03 Contrary to the views of the above, this film is an awful adaptation of an enjoyable book.

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AMANDA said...

Posted on Aug 14 2007 22:56 Went to see this film, not knowing any thing about it nor it's story line. Was pleasantly surprised, a very good film enjoyed by my self and my daughter. great for all ages, lots of adventure good clean family film.

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jax said...

Posted on Aug 14 2007 13:16 a really good adaption to a first book ,this has pretty much kept the flavour the books were written for teen agers and fantasy fans and should not be compared to tolkein after all the author is not british , also my partner hadnt read the books and has now been inspired to , they like the tolkein books have more more depth to them and at least they didnt give whole sections tio different charactors just to please the american market. they also had more time constraints and a smaller budgets so with what they had available so it is unfair to compare them to the lord of the rings films . if you like escapest fantasy then you should enjoy this i for one hope they make the next one .. and by the way im female and 42 years young just for the curious
jax

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