Eragon (2006)

Netflix Synopsis: When 15-year-old Eragon (Edward Speleers) stumbles upon a dragon’s egg — and then that egg hatches — he sets in motion a series of events that leads him to assume the legacy of a legendary race of dragon riders. Jeremy Irons plays the wise storyteller Brom, and John Malkovich plays the evil king Galbatorix in this fantasy adventure based on the first book of Christopher Paolini’s popular Inheritance trilogy.

Review: Cute family-friendly movie, more suitable to preteens and young teens than adults but as a fantasy fan, I enjoyed it well enough. There are corny scenes and cliches in abundance, especially a certain “deathbed” scene. Even so, the acting is decent considering the title role of Eragon is played by such a brand-spanking new talent, Edward Speleers. Not much about the plot is believable but this is fantasy so who cares? The effects and imagery are pretty good too. Unfortunately, the problem with Eragon lies with the most important movie element - the script. It plays out more like a Saturday morning cartoon. There isn’t much character development, very little emotion in the dialogue and the story never really gathers momentum. I liked it enough to give Eragon 2 a chance in the future, hopefully Part 2 of this trilogy will help Eragon find more secure footing in the fantasy genre. Reality is harsh and there can never be too many fantasy movies in my opinion.

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Submitted by: Brandy 3/29/07