i saw Eragon yesterday and all i can say is: What.a.botched.movie
Only my opinion, but i thought this was awful. Really bad. I don't usually use strong adjectives, but this was just so incredibly.. bad!!
You cannot prevent using Lord of the Rings as a yardstick.. but i will leave that for later and focus on the story first..
Firstly, the cast: I have no real issues with anyone cast. The young actor who plays the lead role, is OK. He is certainly good looking and plays the role with the 'wide-eyed' innocence i suspect the filmmakers were looking for. I think its his first film, and if that is the case, then i think he should be pleased with his debut. Really, not bad at all.
I love Rachel Weiss, but why choose her as the voice of Zaphira? I thought it was out of place and i could never forget i was listening to Rachel instead of focusing on the what the dragon/character had to say. With that said, i was so unsatisfied with what i was seeing, that perhaps Rachel was actually the only shining light.
The Plot: Here is where i stop applauding anything. The story was a mess from the beginning. I believe that this was written as a trilogy.. and they took the fact that it needs to be a success to make the subsequent sequels for granted. There is so much left unexplained. As the viewer, you are left wading through a maze of characters who are paper-thin with mystery and legend thrown in for good measure, all of which has no cohesion what-so-ever. Nothing is explained fully. Some things glazed over unsatisfactorily. Characters come and go.. some who seem to have no place being there to begin with. Joss Stone as the fortune teller appears for a second.. departs some non-news worthy information and the scene ends so abruptly, i was left wondering what just happened. Not to mention bad acting too.. *ouch* Eragon's cousin had no place in the movie at all. What was his purpose? Unless its meant for the next movie.. in which case it wasted our time completely. His mother is frequently hinted at, but her abandonment of Eragon never explained. Another thing left for the next installment? Where is his father? Why is he never mentioned? The boy who turns out to be the son of the enemy.. Of all people, i expected a greater explanation of his character. He at least seemed to hint at being marginally more exciting to explore. Instead we see a scar and we are left to figure out the rest by ourselves. Jeremy Irons does nothing to further the story. We hardly learn anything about his character before he dies. He does not impart ANY knowledge to the young rider, that he didn't already know. He does not teach ANY new skill which he does not already possess. In the end we are left with a man-child who basically gets a dragon, rides it and then goes to fight the evil baddies.. and shock shock.. defeats a powerful shade! Makes NO sense at all. Also, Eragon learns, or rather is told what 3 elvish words are.. boom! Next scene he is casting spells! Where did that come from? Throughout the movie we are told that spells and riding and skill takes time.. but Eragon learns everything in about a matter of minutes.
Also, the girl.. Arya.. Her presence is never explained either. I was left wondering who she was exactly and where she fit in. She is played up as whom i suspect will become the love interest for the hero in the sequels, but she looks much older and wiser than Eragon, making him look like a silly youth in the throws of a crush. The final scene of the move left me cringing. I kept thinking.. please don't kiss. It will be too humiliating to watch.
In the end, i watched the movie cursing the impetuous youth for his silly willfulness, then alternatively cursing the filmmakers for taking a story with such potential and mucking it up so incredibly badly. I am really not one to moan too much about bad movies. I love my fair share. But this was just sad to watch.
Finally, you cannot escape the comparison to Lord of the Rings. Not that Eragon even deserves to be whispered in the same breath as LoTR, but frankly, many an idea in this movie was stolen from Peter Jackson's Trilogy. The shade-guy.. (i forget his name) looks like a clone, if not one with a little more spine - of Gríma Wormtongue. The demonic evil warriors look suspiciously like Orc and the final battle is reminiscent of a similar stand - good vs evil - at the battle of Helmsdeep.
No sequels please. This was painful enough!
All in all, i suggest you wait till this hits the rental store.. and even then.. i'd wait till it hit your TV screen.
2/10
Only my opinion, but i thought this was awful. Really bad. I don't usually use strong adjectives, but this was just so incredibly.. bad!!
You cannot prevent using Lord of the Rings as a yardstick.. but i will leave that for later and focus on the story first..
Firstly, the cast: I have no real issues with anyone cast. The young actor who plays the lead role, is OK. He is certainly good looking and plays the role with the 'wide-eyed' innocence i suspect the filmmakers were looking for. I think its his first film, and if that is the case, then i think he should be pleased with his debut. Really, not bad at all.
I love Rachel Weiss, but why choose her as the voice of Zaphira? I thought it was out of place and i could never forget i was listening to Rachel instead of focusing on the what the dragon/character had to say. With that said, i was so unsatisfied with what i was seeing, that perhaps Rachel was actually the only shining light.
The Plot: Here is where i stop applauding anything. The story was a mess from the beginning. I believe that this was written as a trilogy.. and they took the fact that it needs to be a success to make the subsequent sequels for granted. There is so much left unexplained. As the viewer, you are left wading through a maze of characters who are paper-thin with mystery and legend thrown in for good measure, all of which has no cohesion what-so-ever. Nothing is explained fully. Some things glazed over unsatisfactorily. Characters come and go.. some who seem to have no place being there to begin with. Joss Stone as the fortune teller appears for a second.. departs some non-news worthy information and the scene ends so abruptly, i was left wondering what just happened. Not to mention bad acting too.. *ouch* Eragon's cousin had no place in the movie at all. What was his purpose? Unless its meant for the next movie.. in which case it wasted our time completely. His mother is frequently hinted at, but her abandonment of Eragon never explained. Another thing left for the next installment? Where is his father? Why is he never mentioned? The boy who turns out to be the son of the enemy.. Of all people, i expected a greater explanation of his character. He at least seemed to hint at being marginally more exciting to explore. Instead we see a scar and we are left to figure out the rest by ourselves. Jeremy Irons does nothing to further the story. We hardly learn anything about his character before he dies. He does not impart ANY knowledge to the young rider, that he didn't already know. He does not teach ANY new skill which he does not already possess. In the end we are left with a man-child who basically gets a dragon, rides it and then goes to fight the evil baddies.. and shock shock.. defeats a powerful shade! Makes NO sense at all. Also, Eragon learns, or rather is told what 3 elvish words are.. boom! Next scene he is casting spells! Where did that come from? Throughout the movie we are told that spells and riding and skill takes time.. but Eragon learns everything in about a matter of minutes.
Also, the girl.. Arya.. Her presence is never explained either. I was left wondering who she was exactly and where she fit in. She is played up as whom i suspect will become the love interest for the hero in the sequels, but she looks much older and wiser than Eragon, making him look like a silly youth in the throws of a crush. The final scene of the move left me cringing. I kept thinking.. please don't kiss. It will be too humiliating to watch.
In the end, i watched the movie cursing the impetuous youth for his silly willfulness, then alternatively cursing the filmmakers for taking a story with such potential and mucking it up so incredibly badly. I am really not one to moan too much about bad movies. I love my fair share. But this was just sad to watch.
Finally, you cannot escape the comparison to Lord of the Rings. Not that Eragon even deserves to be whispered in the same breath as LoTR, but frankly, many an idea in this movie was stolen from Peter Jackson's Trilogy. The shade-guy.. (i forget his name) looks like a clone, if not one with a little more spine - of Gríma Wormtongue. The demonic evil warriors look suspiciously like Orc and the final battle is reminiscent of a similar stand - good vs evil - at the battle of Helmsdeep.
No sequels please. This was painful enough!
All in all, i suggest you wait till this hits the rental store.. and even then.. i'd wait till it hit your TV screen.
2/10