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B+ |
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N/A |
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| Acting: |
N/A |
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| Direction: |
N/A |
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| Visuals: |
N/A |
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Missed the Target, Shot a Blank
by kristina (movies profile)
Dec 14, 2006
119
of
149 people found this review helpful
As the theatre lights dimmed and the last preview faded from the screen, the Twentieth Century Fox studio logo appeared and danced before me as I sat in the auditorium and awiated an epic movie experience. Unfortunately for "Eragon," the Fox fanfare was as close to greatness as I got.
The film's first failure occurred with its poor characterization - and by poor, I truly mean piss-poor. There was no single point at any time where I felt a connection to any of the characters. For example, Eragon (the main character) was incredibly static throughout the whole movie. He was cocky and unmoving, and he didn't respond well to the situation or the other characters. He certainly didn't exhibit "greatness." In addition, Brom (played by Jeremy Irons) never truly connected with the audience. He never had me convinced that he was a mentor. An unfortunate event happens to him shortly into the film, and I can honestly say that I felt absolutely no emotion during that scene. This emotional detatchment from the characters played a large part in making the movie a disappointment.
Not only was the characterization inadequate, but the story line also needed some major re-tooling. The writers had some good ideas, but there was very little substance to them. I feel that there easily could have been another hour or so added on to the run time to elaborate more on the interesting story lines. In one scene, for example, Eragon decides to go into the evil castle to save the princess. This whole ordeal takes place in about five minutes. There were so many loose ends in this scene, it was ridiculous. The same is true for many of the other major action scenes; the audience never has a chance to get into the story before it changes gears.
While the characterization and storyline might have been problematic, there were a few good things happening in this movie. Perhaps the most prominent and impressive of these are the computer generated effects. The dragon was truly convincing, especially in some of the close-up scenes. In addition, the photography was brilliant, and the scenery was well chosen; however, movie audiences are well aware that such things only contribute minimally to the greatness of a movie.
Overall, this movie will definitely have more appeal to younger audiences as they will be able to overlook many of the imperfections because they will be more easily entertained. Attempts were certainly made to make the movie less intimidating to the younger audiences. The violence was at an all-time minimum, especially considering the type of movie this is.
Bottom line: bring the kids, but if you're looking for an adventurous, "Lord of the Rings" type experience, it's best to keep looking. |
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