Movie Review: Eragon

Yes, I know. We went and saw it on opening day. The trailer, after all, was SO cool. So, how was it?

My seven year old is gonna LOVE this movie. The director did a brilliant job of taking a rather complex and adolescently mature (if not original) book and reducing it into a movie barely over an hour and a half in length that any little girl would love. I mean, what's not to love: There's a blue dragon with a voice that sounds kind of disney-princessish, a blond haired brown eyed seventeen year old upstart farm boy that will do for this crop of pre-pubescents what Mark Hamil did for me, and very very obvious bad guys, including that guy with the creepy voice that sounds the same in EVERY role he plays...what's his name again? Ah yes, John Malkovich! Rhymes with Galbatorix...sort of.

Obi- Wan, I mean Brom, was played by someone I recognize from having watched Kingdom of Heaven on DVD the other night, and he was killed by orcs...I mean Urgals.

In the book, Tolkien meets up with Lucas in an eighteen year old boy's fantasy life. In the movie, Tolkien meets up with Lucas who crashes into the set of a Hallmark movie.

Two good things: The kid playing Eragon looks remarkably similar to the boy I had a crush on in sixth grade. No wonder my seven year old spent the afternoon staring at Eragon pics on the internet. And Saphira looks EXACTLY like the cover art on the book.

Imagine that!

Comments

Ruth said…
I have lots of students who are dying to see this movie. I haven't read the books yet, but my kids love them.
DebD said…
My kids have loved the books but are a bit wary of the movie.

Deb
Christina said…
Glad to hear the movie is good... my husband and I read the books and are anxious for the third book to come out and we are interested in the movie, but were concerned about it being too much like LOTR. Thanks for posting:)
Alana said…
Hello,

dripping sarcasm, anyone?

Yes, the children will love the movie (generally the set too young for the book), but for the true Eragon afficionado, it is a travesty.

The book, in my opinion, is merely such an accumulation of debris from the fantasy-genre stockpile that the butchery of it's movie form is no great loss. Some could argue it's an improvement.