The unfortunate trend of good literature being adapted into bad films is a phenomenon that continues to plague Hollywood. Even books that may not be particularly well-crafted but have managed to achieve commercial success can fall prey to this cinematic curse. A prime example of such a misfire is the 2006 film adaptation of Christopher Paolini's 2003 young adult fantasy novel, Eragon.
The story unfolds in the fictional realm of Alagaësia, which is governed by the ruthless King Galbatorix (played with characteristic gravitas by John Malkovich). A former member of the order of Dragon Riders, he now seeks to maintain his tyrannical grip on the land. Rebel elf princess Arya (played by Sienna Guillory), while running from Galbatorix's sorcerer, Durza (played by Robert Carlyle), teleports giant blue egg to the vicinity of Eragon (played by Ed Speelers), a humble farm boy. Upon hatching, the egg reveals a dragon that forms an extraordinary bond with Eragon, whom it comes to call Saphira (voiced by Rachel Weisz). Their union is further strengthened by Brom (played by Jeremy Irons), a wise storyteller who assumes the role of Eragon's mentor and accompanies them on their perilous journey to join the rebel forces known as Varda.
Paolini's novel did not garner much critical acclaim upon its release. However, the fact that it was written by a teenager garnered significant attention, leading to its eventual publication by Alfred A. Knopf after being self-published by Paolini and his parents. This unexpected success led 20th Century Fox to acquire the film rights, with executives believing they had stumbled upon a new Lord of the Rings-style blockbuster. The substantial budget allocated for the project, equivalent to that of Peter Jackson's epic trilogy, only served to exacerbate expectations.
Eragon represented the directing debut of Stefen Fangmeir, a respected visual effects expert. Unfortunately, he showed a relative lack of directing skills, resulting in a film that lacks the proper epic look. The movie was shot on locations in Hungary and Slovakia but still fails to capture the grandeur and spectacle that would be expected from a fantasy epic like this one. The visual effects, while decent for its time, look underwhelming, which further detracts from the overall experience.
Another issue with the film is the mediocre script by Peter Buchan, which makes most of the characters one-dimensional. The rich plot of the original novel is compressed and oversimplified, becoming quite apparent in the scenes of the final showdown. The final battle looks not only underwhelming but utterly forgettable, a far cry from the epic confrontations that would be expected from a film of this calibre.
The film's problems are made worse by some questionable cast decisions. British actor Ed Speelers, apparently given the title role because of his good looks, is utterly unconvincing in the lead role. The rest of the cast mainly sleepwalks through their respective roles, with John Malkovich playing a cliched uber-villain and Robert Carlyle unrecognizable under heavy makeup. Jeremy Irons provides one of the few bright spots as Brom, bringing a little spark of life to his character. His performance is apparently an attempt to make amends for his abysmal showing in Dungeons & Dragons, another dragon-themed film.
Just like the novel, the film was greeted poorly by critics and, just like the novel, it had commercial success. However, the numbers weren't too spectacular, and the fans of the novel were openly hostile to the adaptation. This was enough for 20th Century Fox to ditch plans for a film series. Paolini, however, wasn't discouraged and continued to write new books and build his fictional world. Recently, he joined an initiative for Eragon to receive its proper treatment in the form of a television series reboot.
RATING: 3/10 (+)
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