Review of Eragon

First things first, I have yet to read the book, but my brother absolutely loves it and says it is so worth the read. While the film could have been much better, there are redeeming qualities. Also, I do not think it is the worst fantasy film ever, that dishonour belongs to Dungeons & Dragons.

Starting with the redeeming qualities, the film is very assured visually and technically. The sets are wondrous and the costumes are very nice. Plus the cinematography was excellent, as was the sweeping score. The acting is uneven, but there were some good performances. Jeremy Irons, a great actor, does a good job as Brom acquiring a dry sense of humour, much better than he was in Dungeons & Dragons, somehow his overacting in that film managed to further bring it down. Also John Malkovich chews the scenery with glee as the tyrannical King Galbatorix, and Robert Carlyle is decent as Durza. The best thing though was the dragon Sapphira, very well designed with expressive voice work from Rachel Weisz, and the flying scenes and the CGI effects are a delight.

However, there are many things wrong with Eragon. One is that the film is too short, consequently the characters feel thinly sketched. This could be a reason why the relationship between Eragon and Sapphira came across as unconvincing. The story was a great idea, but due to the running time primarily it meanders all over the place and is unevenly paced(sometimes feeling rushed and sometimes it drags). Ed Speleers is rather bland as Eragon, handsome yes but bland. It is pretty much the same for Sienna Guillory, gorgeous but unconvincing. The actors though are burdened by a very hammy and lacklustre script that could've done with more intelligence and wit and there are parts where the direction is flawed.

Overall, not unbearably awful but I don't necessarily recommend it. 5/10 Bethany Cox