Eragon (2006)

Eragon, has been out on DVD for a few months now, but I just got around to viewing it. It's based on a recent fantasy trilogy by Christopher Paolini which I haven't had the opportunity to read yet.

In typical fantasy tradition, we have all the necessary elements here. We have a Kingdom of Alagaesia, and the leader is an evil dragon riding King. He came to power when he killed all of the other dragon riders in one epic battle (maybe they'll write the prequel at some point, sounds like some battle). A dragon egg ends up in a simple farm boy's hands who is Eragon, played by Edward Speelers. As things progress, we have the quest for the fair maiden for Eragon to become a true hero and prove his powers. All of this culminates in an epic battle.

For the first half of the film, I felt like I was watching some type of mashup between Harry Potter, Star Wars (orphan with the Uncle on the farm was way too similar to Luke Skywalker...) and Middle Earth/Lord of the Rings, although in a "lite" version because the plot is just a little less rich and deep. After I stopped analyzing it, and sat back and just watched, it became considerably more believable. By the end, I was engrossed, and came to the realization that Eragon can stand on its own. Some really well done CGI (computer generated animation) contributed to the realism along the way.

Is there room for another fantasy universe? While I had casually thought that the novels gained popularity between Harry Potter books with starving fans looking for something similar, I think that Eragon is quite enjoyable. While it is less deep than some other universes, it still is quite enjoyable, and I look forward to the other films in the series being made.

Overall Grade: B+