>>REVIEW
ERAGON
STARRING: Robert Carlyle, John Malkovic, Jeremy Irons and Edward Speleers
DIRECTED BY: Stefen Fangmeier
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In recent years it has become a holiday tradition for film companies to present a big-ass classic fantasy adventure film. The big three (Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Harry Potter) are already on the table, so it only makes sense that Eragon – reputably the fifth most popular fantasy book series of all time – was thrown into the rink.
This is a "must see" for fans of fantasy film. The cinematography and computer generated effects are superbly executed and blended and, technically, there are points where the editing is far better than the first of the Narnia series. However, if the film represents the first book of the Eragon series faithfully, this, as a story and script is amateur by comparison to anything in the top three.
The primary thing that the director did right was raise a strong lead cast. Robert Carlyle, first and foremost, is superb in his role as the demonic shade Durza. Jeremy Irons is also excellent. John Malkovich would be, too, had we seen more than mere seconds of him throughout the entire film.
The young adult actors are weak and somewhat boring. Of the three, Sienna Guillory (Arya) is the most convincing. Garrett Hedlund (Murtagh – Eragon’s mysterious stalke) is appallingly awful in his delivery despite a certain homoerotic visual charm. The film’s lead, Edward Speleers is passable for the most part, but winds up mired in the much-abused "candid" role where, although the worst events never happen to him personally, he is continually whining about the awful fate that has befallen him and the overwhelming task that a simple farm boy such as he is incapable of enduring.
Of course it all works out. He gets a dragon, makes a friend and ends with the promise of love and further adventure. I may complain of the hackneyed story and other problems with Eragon but, in the end, I will see this one again and probably take in all the sequels. |
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