“Eragon” (20th Century Fox)
LOTR Fans Rejoice!
For all the fans of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy it has been a dry year. But now comes “Eragon,” a film based on the very popular novel by Christopher Paolini. It is supposedly the first of its own trilogy and it concerns dragons and dragon riders as well as a host of other exciting adventures. If it is only half as successful as the LOTR movies then it will be another outstanding franchise.
The film concerns a land where there once were dragons and dragon riders. Now they are all gone and the evil King Galbatorix (John Malkovich) reigns. His chief henchman is a sorcerer of sorts named Durza (Robert Carlyle). Durza knows there is the possibility of a new dragon and dragon rider arriving on the scene and he is doing everything in his power to head this off. That means capturing and holding prisoner a young woman named Arya (Sienna Guillory).
But before Arya is captured she manages to get a dragon egg to a young farmboy named Eragon (Edward Speleers). He takes it home with him and it hatches into a fine female dragon. A man named Brom (Jeremy Irons) explains to Eragon that dragon eggs will not hatch until they are in the presence of the person chosen to ride them.
The dragon who is called Saphira (voiced by Rachel Weisz), Eragon and Brom form a group determined to find Durza and to overthrow the kingdom of King Galbatorix. They do this by going to the land where Ajihad (Djimon Honsou) is in control and working with him to battle evil.
What makes this movie works is the charm of Speleers, the gentle voice of Weisz, and the super special effects that makes the audience feel it is on the back of the dragon. The camera swoops and soars and delights everyone watching the film.
The movie is rated PG for mild violence.
There is a definite audience that loves the stories of wizards, dragons and the like. “Eragon” feeds that audience and makes them highly anticipatory of the next adventure, and the next. It is a form of “Harry Potter” but set in ancient times.
“Eragon” is not a movie for everyone, but for those who like this type of adventure it is perfect. Edward Speleers is a star to watch and the voice of Rachel Weisz raises the charm of Saphira to new heights. These two combine their talents and charms to make “Eragon” a winner.
I scored “Eragon” a wizardly 7 out of 10.
