Eragon (2006)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Eragon	Edward Speleers	½
Brom	Jeremy Irons	½
Arya	Sienna Guillory
Durza	Robert Carlyle	½
Galbatorix	John Malkovich	½
Murtagh	Garrett Hedlund
Uncle Garrow	Alun Armstrong
Roran	Christopher Egan
Ajihad	Djimon Hounsou
Saphira (voice)	Rachel Weisz

Review

Eragon has a combination of cute, juvenile innocence and cynical commercialism to it. In all likelihood, that is a representation that suit its nature well. Based on the book by copycat fantasy-geek Christopher Paolini, Eragon is evidence that persistence and know-how about marketing today in many instances can get you farther than can talent. That is not to say that Paolini should be categorically dismissed as a writer. His world is thorough and detailed, but of course inherently unoriginal. There isn't one single character or one single plot twist in here that doesn't owe its existence to previous works in the genre, and more often than not the inspiration comes from the most renowned pieces. Still, the fact that first-time director Stefen Fangmeier has major problems with the rhythm and pacing of the film is a problem just as substantial as the plagiarized story. At the hands of Fangmeier, every crucial narrative turn seems like parenthesises. Together with unsubtle choices (like how the dragon comes to life through Rachel Weisz' preposterous 'character'), it makes Eragon a rather lifeless experience. The film might work to some degree for buffs or for youngsters who are new to the genre, but there's little doubt that in retrospect, Eragon will stand as a fairly industrious, but completely insignificant pop fantasy film.