TotalTelly.co.uk

Devoted to Popular, Cult and Retro TV

Eragon (1 disc) [2006]


RRP: £22.99
Our Price: £3.64 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

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


The Funniest Movie I've Seen for Years
Review date: 2008-12-02 Rating: 4 out of 10

This really was the most hilarious thing I saw that year or since, and it's so, so sad though that this much potential was wasted. The picture deviated so much from the book that it became an unforgivable abomination for fans, and for me and my friends it really destroyed our love of Paolini's masterworks. The childish script and infantile, overblown visuals just ruined our respect for the writing and concept. In the end our trip to the cinema turned into a comedy-fest- with all of us texting commentary to eachother throughout. (i.e. why does Galbatorix keep his dragon behind a map? What are Roran and Eragon doing rolling around in the hay? Can Angela wear any fewer clothes?) It really is a huge disappointment, but the 2 stars I've given it are also the reasons why I DID buy it after all. The visual style is really quite interesting in places, and one or two of the character's could almost be engaging. It's a huge shame; If there were a few more admirable pieces in this; it could be almost be called a flawed gem. Maybe that's over optimistic...but until then, I can only call it a perfect example of what can go wrong with over-ambitious cinema.

Similar Products

Reviews


great story
Review date: 2008-11-04 Rating: 8 out of 10

I was happily surprised by this film. It had a distant Lord of the Rings feel to it but was still uniquely exciting with its own individual storyline. I had wanted to see this film for so long and I am so glad I have now, I was really moved by this and actually had a tear in my eye in some parts. A good story for kids and adults alike with a really sweet dragon!

Did the Writers read the book?
Review date: 2008-10-12 Rating: 4 out of 10

I was looking forward to Eragon so much. The book was good and I had high expectations. The film just failed to deliver.
The film had a few big names, (Jeremy Irons, Robert Carlyle, Rachel Weisz and John Malkovich) but even they coudn't save the story.
Admittedly, the book is long, but they have missed so much out that it will be hard to make the next story. For example, the story misses out at least two major places (Dras Leona and Teirm). Ignores one majoy character (Jeod) and hardly mentions some others (Roran, Angela and Ajihad).
The only realistic character is an animated dragon played by Rachel Weisz, who manages to put more enthusiam and realism into here role, using just her voice, than all of the other cast.
To stop it being 1 star is the fact that the settings are colourful and the animation is realistic.
Overall, a waste of time and could have been so much better. Not good.

Lots of potential..........
Review date: 2008-10-05 Rating: 2 out of 10

and most of it wasted. Most of the stuff that made the book enchnting and exciting has either been watered down or left out, the Raz'ac who are the bane of the book's good guys, went from awsome, dangerious and scary in the book to weak, dumb looking, and as tough as a wet paper bag in the film.
The relationship between Eragon and his dragon in the book is deep and heart wrenching, in the film it's shallow, rushed and you think 'why should i care?'.

This could have been soo good, but, it's not.

High expectations, no results
Review date: 2008-09-25 Rating: 4 out of 10

I was reading the book when I suddenly thought what a good movie "eragon" would be, I soon found myself loging on to amazon and found the dvd easily. I ordered and waited eagerly. It was delivered promptly (a day early) and I started watching only hoping that it would be half as good as the book. Unfortunately it wasn't. I found that with the changes the film makers had deemed nessecary for the film, nothing made any sense and that a lot of the fun and mystery of the book was lost. I thought the special effects were fair but obvious and that the revised plot left me bored and often irritated by the lack of attention to detail. Anyone thinking about buying this should think hard about how much they care about the actual quality of the film versus the spectacle of seeing a dragon in CGI. All in all, don't get your hopes up like me because, if you have read the book, then you will be sorely dissapointed.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Edward Speleers
Sienna Guillory
Rachel Weisz
Robert Carlyle
Jeremy Irons

Creators:
Edward Speleers (Primary Contributor)
Jeremy Irons (Primary Contributor)

Recording label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
EAN: 5039036030120
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL,
Release date: 2007-04-16
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 100 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2006
Language: English (Original Language)

Add to Cart

© 2006 Darren Hester, DesignsByDarren.com, Some Rights Reserved.
Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional