Eragon

Rating: PG
Duration: 104 mins.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Fantasy.
Actors: Rachel Weisz, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou, Robert Carlyle, Jeremy Irons, Alun Armstrong, Sienna Guillory, Christopher Egan, Tamsin Egerton, Joss Stone, Edward Speleers.
Director: Stefen Fangmeier.
Release Date: Available Now.

The passion and creativity that went into creating the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy showed just how great fantasy could be. It also set a way to high benchmark for all other fantasy movies that might follow after it.

Now a few years after the passion and hype that surrounded Tolkien’s literacy masterpiece, we find ourselves in a galaxy far, far away, but in a land and time strangely familiar to Peter Jackson’s vision of Middle Earth.

But this time it’s not a small hobbit we slowly focus on, rather a young Skywalker, I mean, a young Eragon, whose life seems strangely familiar.

He’s a young boy who’s parents have left him, he’s being bought up by someone else who sees him as his son.

Destiny is suddenly thrust upon him, and because of this destiny, those he loves are slaughtered. Taken under the wing of a wise older man, Eragon has to learn how to use the skills that come with his destiny, but his arrogance, foolishness and immaturity means that his path to glory will be fraught with hard lessons.

It seems that young author Christopher Paolini was a tad influenced by George Lucas’s infamous trilogy.

Not that this is a bad thing, it’s just another stumbling block. Much like the casting of John Malkovich in the role of the evil king Galbatorix, a role totally mis-cast for Malkovich’s distinctive acting style.

What Eragon does have, and it has it is spades, thanks probably to the Star Wars influence is a great old fashioned good vs evil story line, with some great spiritual insight.

The evil wizard Durza, we are told is possessed by demons, and this is where he gets his power form. But to gain the good power that is due a Dragon Rider, Eragon must first understand the word.

Indeed as I mentioned before, it wasn’t even Aragon that sought out his destiny, but the Dragon sought him out. As if that’s not enough, when Eragon turns his back on the Dragon and sends her away. On calling her back, she proclaims that she never really left him.

Sadly however, spiritual insight doesn’t make a great movie, and the screenwriter and director have made this story into a disjointed journey that doesn’t flow as it needs to, and haven’t the passion for it that Jackson did for his opus.

It’s this mis-mash of styles and influences, without the proper love for an established classic that will make most people see Eragon as a cheap shoddy Tolkien rip-off.

Of course, had Lord of the Rings not been made into a movie yet, Eragon would probably be setting the benchmark.

Food for thought:
Do you let fear control you or use it to make yourself stronger?

Rent or buy?
Rent it, you'll be embarrassed to have this alongside Lord of the Rings in your DVD collection.