Film Reviews

Eragon

• Rating:
• Director: Stefan Fangmeier.
• Starring: Edward Speelers, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Robert Carlyle.
• Details: US / 104mins (PG).

Set in the mythical land of Alagaesia, a young farm boy, Eragon (Speelers) happens across a dragon's egg and learns of the legendary dragon riders who met their doom at the hands of the brutal and evil king, Galbatorix (Malkovich), many years before. Enlisting the help of the wise Brom (Irons), Eragon trains as a dragon rider and, with his faithful dragon Saphira (voiced by Rachel Weisz), journeys to a distant land in the hope of raising a force to topple the king. If you thought your kids would love Lord Of The Rings but were worried that they would find it too scary, Eragon is a more than adequate substitute. Adapted by Christopher Paolini's novel, which he allegedly wrote when only 15, Eragon unashamedly aims for the 8-12 market and hits it dead on. An amalgamation of the LOTR trilogy, The Neverending Story, Willow, Dungeons & Dragons and Harry Potter, Eragon has everything for the younger viewers: fire-breathing dragons, swordfights, spells, dark magic, evil armies and no soppy kissing scenes. Moving at lightning pace (although sometimes this proves problematic as things happen far too quickly), it jumps from one action sequence to the next, only slowing down to show us the beautiful sets, magnificent scenery and to fill us in on the back-story. Keeping the death and gore off screen and spending the majority of the time with the good guys (the bad guys are reduced to cameos), director Fengmeier allows the kids to revel in the majestic swoops of the airborne dragon and heroic acts of Eragon. If your young ones do enjoy it, they'll be pleased to know that Eragon is only part one of a trilogy, but LOTR fans will probably find the story a bit too light.

Review by Gavin Burke