Eragon
Perhaps the biggest disadvantage that this movie has, is that in an era where we’ve seen definitive cinematic presentations of Lord Of The Rings, The Narnia Chronicles, Harry Potter, and even Star Wars, this fantasy adaptation feels a bit too much like been there, done that. Regardless, taking into account that there is NO way this film can be considered completely original, there are still things to enjoy and savor on their own. The film starts off with a LOTR-style prologue detailing the history in this fantasy world leading to the situation we are faced with now, punctuated by John Malkovich (hamming it to the extreme with about ten minutes of screen time) as the evil king who took power by betraying the other guardians of peace and having them killed (hmm). In the title role of the farmboy upon whom rests the kingdom’s only hope, newcomer Ed Speleers is not that great, but yet not horribly bad either: while he certainly has presence, many times his acting resorts to a goofy grin particularly when he discovers something new about his abilities; On the other hand, there is Jeremy Irons, bringing a ton of dignity and dramatic weight to the role of the surviving guardian who becomes his mentor, as Irons reminds everyone around him what good acting is about and singlehandedly lifts the quality of the film to being above-average; As the rebel princess who must be rescued, Sienna Guillory is rather cold and off-putting, and fails to engage the viewer in being invested in her; however, Robert Carlyle as the evil sorcerer dispatched by Malkovich to kill the hero brings a great sinister presence to his part, reveling in his evil ways right up to the end; and Garrett Hedlund in the role of the out-of-left-field sidekick Murtagh (reportedly the most popular character to fans of the books) is likable enough to not wear out his welcome. The film has mostly forgettable roles for Djimon Hounsou (as a rebel leader) and pop singer Joss Stone (as a fortune teller), but the real story here is the character of Eragon’s dragon, Saphira: A rather impressive CGI creation that’s designed well enough to engage the viewer, and with the voice of Rachel Weisz, appealing as well. The film suffers from a few too many “journey” montages as the heroes travel to the rebel outpost (despite beautiful cinematography), and the plot hole of how Irons on horseback managed to make it to the castle where the princess is held and save Eragon (who flew there with his dragon) had me scratching my head. The film ends strong, with a well-done battle scene and duel to the death between Speleers and Carlyle that helps set up a sequel (which may never come, due to poor box office). Overall, a good enough film that nonetheless draws one too many influences from superior classics from the past…
7/10