Review of Eragon (2006) by Isaac H — 12 Sep 2011

This movie is one of the worst flicks I have ever seen. I still can't believe I sacrificed my school dance to watch this opening night.

There are a few good special effects, but you couldn't have more bad elements in a movie.

1. Cheesy acting. Speelers is obviously inexperienced, and has no saving grace like Mark Hammil. Some actors like Irons are obviously in their groove, but are let down by a thin, almost laughable script. (Don't even bring up Durza.).

2. Pathetic adaptation. The book was an engaging read, even if it did borrow heavily from LOTR and Star Wars, and took on a new perspective on medieval times. However, Eragon squanders the source material on well worn cliches, and creates a cast that I no longer can sympathize with.

3. The action. Admittedly, some of the sequences were well crafted, and Saphira looks terrific, but killing a Ra'zac with a tree? Really??? And Brom throwing himself in front of a spear made a lot less sense than pushing Eragon out of the way, who simply elected to stand and wait for the javelin to fly through his gut. The "black magic" mount at the end also is pretty corny, but that is the least of my concerns in a movie like this.