Eragon

Year: 2006
Director: Stefan Fangmeier
Cast: Ed Speleers, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, Djimon Hounsou, John Malkovich

Familiar. That's the first word that comes to mind after watching this film. Familiar, and not very elaborate. The problem is trying to look at this film without thinking of Lord Of The Rings, because this film has many similarities to Peter Jackson's spectacle, and even to Star Wars. But let me tell you what it's about first.

Eragon, based on the book by Christopher Paolini (who was 15 when he wrote it), is a fantasy tale set in the land of Alagaesia. Long ago, Alagaesia was a peaceful place, watched over by dragons and their dragon riders. However, one of them betrayed his comrades and slaughtered them all, then took control of the land. His name is Galbatorix, and he rules with an iron fist, assisted by his dark sorcerer Durza.

There is no hope left, unless someone rises to lead the people to victory over the evil king. A dragon egg stolen by the pretty elf Arya, from the hands of Galbatorix, falls unexpectedly into the hands of a farm boy named Eragon, who realises his destiny when the egg hatches and a female dragon called Saphira comes forth. With the help of a former dragon rider named Brom, Eragon and Saphira set out to lead The Varden, the last rebel force in the land against the King.

OK, so what's familiar? Let's look at them one by one:
1. Eragon is a young boy who realises he has a bigger destiny awaiting him. Similar to Luke Skywalker who was just an ordinary boy on Tatooine until he finds R2D2 in Star Wars. Or Frodo Baggins and the One Ring in Fellowship Of The Ring.
2. KIng Galbatorix was a dragon rider who slayed his comrades so that he could gain more power and rule. Similar to Darth Vader in Star Wars.
3. Brom is a former dragon rider who trains Eragon to fulfil his destiny. Similar to Obi-Wan Kenobi who trains Luke in Star Wars.
4. There is a scene where Eragon disobeys Brom's advice to save Arya. Similar to Luke disobeying Yoda to save his friends from Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back.
5. Arya, played by Sienna Guillory is reminiscent of Arwen in LOTR.
6. The character Murtagh, an archer is similar to Legolas in LOTR.
7. Durza's appearance is so similar to Grima Wormtongue in LOTR, you'd think they are related. There is even a scene where Durza addresses a large army of troops, which is a lot like Saruman addressing the Uruk-Hai army in The Two Towers.
8. Galbatorix's army, the Urgals and the Ra'zac are also familiar, like the Orcs and Uruk-Hai in LOTR.

So basically this film looks a lot like LOTR with a much lower budget. But is it bad? No, not really. For the sake of entertainment it is enjoyable. And the special effects are impressive, especially the dragon scenes. Acting wise, Speleers does a good job playing the lead character, though he won't win an award for his performance. But as far as supporting characters go, only Brom and Durza get reasonable screen time and development. The other actors just make do with what they have for their characters. Irons does fine as Brom, though his character deserves better development as the mentor to Eragon. Carlyle is mean enough as Durza, and credit goes to the makeup department for making him look scarier in the second half of the movie. Malkovich doesn't get much screen time, and he plays Galbatorix as if he was playing Cyrus 'The Virus' Grissom in Con Air. Rachel Weisz who supplies the voice of Saphira however, does not disappoint.

This is just the first part of a trilogy, so we can expect more in future. I pray they get a better director than Stefan Fangmeier, who before this was just a visual effects director. It's alright for his directorial debut, but if you want a good fantasy adventure, go watch Lord Of The Rings. (3/5)