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From Amazon.co.uk
While it owes much of its appeal and appearance to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Eragon can stand on its own as an enjoyable fantasy for younger viewers. Faithfully adapted from the bestselling novel by teenage author Christopher Paolini, this boy-and-his-dragon tale offers clean, fast-paced family entertainment without compromising the darker qualities of Paolini's novel (the first in what is known as the "Inheritance" trilogy). The plot centers on 17-year-old peasant farmboy Eragon (played by appealing newcomer Ed Speleers) who discovers a mysterious blue object that turns out to be an egg that eventually hatches to reveal Saphira, a blue-scaled dragon that quickly grows to full-size. According to prophecy, Eragon is destined to be a dragon-rider like those who once protected a benevolent kingdom, thus reviving an ancient conflict against the army of King Galbatorix (John Malkovich), a former dragon rider who turned to evil, now in alliance with a dark-magic "Shade" sorcerer named Durza (Robert Carlyle).
While the movie serves up familiar fantasy elements and offers little if anything new to fans of the genre (or anyone who's read the books of Anne McCaffrey and Ursula K. Le Guin), it's visually impressive (especially the dragon scenes, with Rachel Weisz providing the telepathic "voice" of Saphira) and full of timeless wisdom, much of it delivered by Eragon's heroic mentor Brom (Jeremy Irons), himself a former dragon rider with memories of past battles and hope for Eragon's future. Add a fair warrior-maiden named Arya (Sienna Guillory) and you've got all the ingredients for a worthwhile (if not particularly original) fantasy that points directly to a sequel. Whether that's a good or a bad thing is up to individual viewers to decide. --Jeff Shannon
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
shame the sequel will not happen. watched this with my 7 year old and loved it. good effects, good baddies. great wee film.
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
By Sewsirius
Format:DVD|Verified Purchase
I bought this DVD in spite of the reviews and actually I like it! I've watched it many times and still like it. If you want to spend some time in a world of Dragons and their riders then buy it and make your own mind up. Maybe this film has been compared with the likes of the Lord of the Rings unfairly as I definately would NOT show any of those films to my young kids, but I would be able to let them watch this one without worry of them having nightmares. Watch it and make you own mind up...
46 of 51 people found the following review helpful
By Mr Horse
Format:DVD
Being a fan of dragons and in the middle of writing a story about one, I was very excited when I first saw the trailer for Eragon. When I my dad took me to the cinema a few weeks ago I had mixed feelings because of the very poor reviews it got. Neither of us had read the book, but we came out of the cinema smiling. It was fun, entertaining and was well worth it.
For those of you who have not seen the film or read the book, the story itself is Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope but retold as a fantasy adventure rather than sci-fi. It's about a 17 year old boy called Eragon who finds a polished stone in the nearby forest. After desperate attempts to sell it he finds out that the stone is really an egg when he sees a young dragon hatch from it. Eragon eventually finds out that he is one of the legendary dragon riders after meeting Brom, who used to be a dragon rider himself. Eragon learns that he will have to move on and become a dragon rider and to stop the evil King Galbatorix from ruling the land.
However, it is not the classic that it should have been which is the shame as the film has a lot of potential. The reason it is not a classic is because of one thing: the screenplay. Absolute rubbish!
The dialogue is indeed poor, with lines like "there is nothing left for you to fear, my king" and "this royalty will be punishable by death". The acting is a mixture of good and bad. The best performer in the film has to be Rachel Weisz as the voice of Saphira but she's only a voice over. The best 'acting' performance IMO is Jeremy Irons as Brom, although Ed Speleers wasn't too bad as Eragon, considering that it is the first time he has ever acted in anything. However, the worst actor in the movie has to be John Malkovich as King Galbatorix. Read more ›
For those of you who have not seen the film or read the book, the story itself is Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope but retold as a fantasy adventure rather than sci-fi. It's about a 17 year old boy called Eragon who finds a polished stone in the nearby forest. After desperate attempts to sell it he finds out that the stone is really an egg when he sees a young dragon hatch from it. Eragon eventually finds out that he is one of the legendary dragon riders after meeting Brom, who used to be a dragon rider himself. Eragon learns that he will have to move on and become a dragon rider and to stop the evil King Galbatorix from ruling the land.
However, it is not the classic that it should have been which is the shame as the film has a lot of potential. The reason it is not a classic is because of one thing: the screenplay. Absolute rubbish!
The dialogue is indeed poor, with lines like "there is nothing left for you to fear, my king" and "this royalty will be punishable by death". The acting is a mixture of good and bad. The best performer in the film has to be Rachel Weisz as the voice of Saphira but she's only a voice over. The best 'acting' performance IMO is Jeremy Irons as Brom, although Ed Speleers wasn't too bad as Eragon, considering that it is the first time he has ever acted in anything. However, the worst actor in the movie has to be John Malkovich as King Galbatorix. Read more ›
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Rachel
Format:DVD
Having read the books beforehand, and really liking them, I advise that you do not watch this film - it will destroy the books.
The story moves too fast and overall the whole experience of the film was pretty mediocre. The acting wasn't bad, the Eragon actor carried off the character from the book pretty well but certain scenes (for example Saphira growing up, the relationship between Brom and Eragon) were dealt with in a few minutes, depicting many, many pages in the books and so after reading the books the entire film seems very rushed.
The open ending made it possible for a sequel - of which I very much doubt will happen as the majority of people who watched 'Eragon' did so on the basis of hearing good reviews/reading the books.
From Lord of the Rings' adaptation into a very succesful film series, we all do know that decent book to film adaptations can be made - but Eragon is really not a good example of that. At all.
On a good note, younger audiences do and will enjoy the film (I have proof) and it is for this reason that i ahve rated the film a 2 star intead of a 1 star rating.
My advice, Read the books, Enjoy the books and send the film to a young child, or a unwitting stranger.
The story moves too fast and overall the whole experience of the film was pretty mediocre. The acting wasn't bad, the Eragon actor carried off the character from the book pretty well but certain scenes (for example Saphira growing up, the relationship between Brom and Eragon) were dealt with in a few minutes, depicting many, many pages in the books and so after reading the books the entire film seems very rushed.
The open ending made it possible for a sequel - of which I very much doubt will happen as the majority of people who watched 'Eragon' did so on the basis of hearing good reviews/reading the books.
From Lord of the Rings' adaptation into a very succesful film series, we all do know that decent book to film adaptations can be made - but Eragon is really not a good example of that. At all.
On a good note, younger audiences do and will enjoy the film (I have proof) and it is for this reason that i ahve rated the film a 2 star intead of a 1 star rating.
My advice, Read the books, Enjoy the books and send the film to a young child, or a unwitting stranger.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By RDS9
Format:DVD
So with the fourth and final book in the Inheritance Series nearly upon us, I think it's obvious that the film is shocking compared to the books, but still if you are a fan of Christopher Paolini's work like I am, the film is regardless amongst your favourites albeit purely on sentimental value.
I had hoped after all of the mental imagery used in the books, that the director and screen play in general could mirror some of this and we would finally see some of the fantastic sights for real, but it was not to be. Most of it was rushed, cut down, or even cut from the film entirely. The film has so much potential, and it doesn't surprise me that there won't be a film of Eldest, the sequel, because the same director would ruin that as well.
It must be said, however, that whilst there are many many negatives to this film, the special effects are brilliant. Saphira the dragon, voiced by Rachel Weisz, was visually impeccable and if we didn't think dragons were legends of myth, she could have been real with the realistic movements of her body when in flight. Jeremy Irons as Brom was very good too, although I think he could have been helped out with a better script to relate to the book character, but John Malkovic disappointed me as the evil king Galbatorix. Again, he is a fantastic actor but was let down with his script and scenes, and therefore failed to make an impression. I really don't think Ed Speleers was ready for a role of this magnitude either for his first acting role, obviously when the character in the book is only 16 it's hard to find an actor of around that age with any kind of experience, but he really wasn't suited. Read more ›
I had hoped after all of the mental imagery used in the books, that the director and screen play in general could mirror some of this and we would finally see some of the fantastic sights for real, but it was not to be. Most of it was rushed, cut down, or even cut from the film entirely. The film has so much potential, and it doesn't surprise me that there won't be a film of Eldest, the sequel, because the same director would ruin that as well.
It must be said, however, that whilst there are many many negatives to this film, the special effects are brilliant. Saphira the dragon, voiced by Rachel Weisz, was visually impeccable and if we didn't think dragons were legends of myth, she could have been real with the realistic movements of her body when in flight. Jeremy Irons as Brom was very good too, although I think he could have been helped out with a better script to relate to the book character, but John Malkovic disappointed me as the evil king Galbatorix. Again, he is a fantastic actor but was let down with his script and scenes, and therefore failed to make an impression. I really don't think Ed Speleers was ready for a role of this magnitude either for his first acting role, obviously when the character in the book is only 16 it's hard to find an actor of around that age with any kind of experience, but he really wasn't suited. Read more ›
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2.9 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic
love the film - an emotional roller coaster - a fantasy fit for all ages - would recommend to everyone - real escapism
Published 6 days ago by denise
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Eragon" on BLU RAY - Compatibility Issues With The 'US' Disc - Buy...
"Eragon" is one of the better Dragons and Dungeons movies - and a proper looker on BLU RAY (even in the night sequences). Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mark Barry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nephew
This was for a nephews birtday as I had bought a book about the film. He loved it as he is a big dragon fan. Competitive pricing yet again.
Published 2 months ago by Mrs K Lawrence
3.0 out of 5 stars
recommend buying it on bluray not dvd
was not happy with the picture. it wasn't good. poor really. was disappointed. might need to buy it on Blu-ray.
Published 2 months ago by Mohammed87
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic film
I love this film and wanted to buy it when it was released on DVD. I have seen it a few times and still like to watch it from time to time.
Published 3 months ago by H. Franklin
1.0 out of 5 stars
Very Poor Film
Entirely derivative but lacking any of the conviction of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This film drags itself through the motions in a tired, get-it-over-with direction hampered... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Angel Eyes
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review of film
Fabulous! A film from my childhood and was not a disappointment.
My mom loves it too.
Good price - value for money
My mom loves it too.
Good price - value for money
Published 3 months ago by Carolyn Harris
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eragon
I like so much this story that after reading the books, and already having the dvd version of the movie, came to Amazon buy the Guide to Alagaesia and the blu ray version of... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Ricardo
5.0 out of 5 stars
great
Bought as a present. My son really enjoyed it he went to read all the books and won an award at school for his reading. Very happy
Published 3 months ago by Angela Wilkinson
2.0 out of 5 stars
oh dear
they ruined it. the books were so much better, and the film could have been epic. I feel sorry for the author
Published 6 months ago by Melissa Holden
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