"ERAGON"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Edward Speleers as ERAGON Jeremy Irons as BROM Sienna Guillory as ARYA Robert Carlyle as DURZA John Malkovich as KING GALBATRIX Rated PG Studio: Fox 2000 Pictures Directed by: Stefan Fangmeier Back to DVD Review Home |  |
The widespread use and development of CGI in Hollywood is like the advent of desktop publishing and the explosion of digital video editors. Just because there are tools out there that allow anyone to do something doesn’t mean that everyone should.
That pretty much sums up my opinion of the film “Eragon.” I know it was funded and made by a major film corporation in America, but I will always questions the necessity of making the movie.
Back when I was a child, no one would have even tried to make a live-action film like this. When they did, with movies like “Dragonslayer” and the animated “Lord of the Rings,” these movies failed miserably. Every few years, Hollywood tried another, but in the 80s heyday of “Star Wars,” there was no hope for fantasy.
Now the special effects have caught up to the vision of the authors. That doesn’t mean that every fantasy film was good. “Dragon Heart” had a kick-ass dragon in it, but it was a lame film. Likewise, the effects of “Reign of Fire” were gritty and powerful, but not even the future Batman could save the weak story.
However, with “Harry Potter” and “Lord of the Rings” searing box office records over the past six years, the fantasy film has been legitimized.
Sadly, when movies like “Eragon” come out, they are nothing more than a rehash of other films. I’d like to say that “Eragon” was like the dreadful “Dragonslayer” of 1981. Instead, it’s a not-so-subtle rip-off of “Star Wars.”
The original book was written by a 16-year-old kid, and I respect the hell out of this young tyke. Although I haven’t read it, I would bet that it is far better than anything I could have written at that age, and it has all the elements of a great story. (Why wouldn’t it? He stole from “Star Wars,” which incidentally stole from the films of Akira Kurosawa.)
I seem to be in the minority of the public, if not the minority of the critics, on this one. The film managed to bank $75 million domestically, and it brought in more than twice that overseas. The film is a bona fide hit, so I suppose the subsequent “Eragon” sequels will make the leap from page to screen soon enough.
If you’re one of those “Eragon” fans, wanting more of the story and characters, you’re only hope beyond reading the books is to check out the 2-disc DVD of the movie.
While the film was a bit tired for my tastes, I found quite a bit of cool things on the DVD (and if you’re gonna spring for it, go for the two-disc edition rather than the single disc which really only contains the film for your enjoyment).
With the commentary being the only feature of note on the first disc, the second disc contains most of the treasures. It’s laid out as a map to the fantasy world of Alagaesia. There are extended and deleted scenes, as well as a feature-length in-depth documentary taking the viewer through the filmmaking process from pre-production and casting to on-set filming. There’s also detailed information for all the creatures that inhabit the land of Alagaesia.
“Eragon” fans – of either the book or the film – are going to love this DVD. If you want to learn more beyond the film, there’s a lot to glean from the second disc. And even if you didn’t like the movie, it offers a nice selection of behind-the-scenes information.
Specifications: Dolby Digital Sound. English subtitles.
