So, this was one Zach really wanted to see too. Would have posted it yesterday, except we escaped from the desert for the weekend to actually enjoy ourselves for a bit (more on that later this week). So, I hadn't been in front of a computer since Thursday afternoon. Wonderful, really. :)
Anyway, details of our trip will be coming later, and for now, we have thoughts on Eragon, which we watched before our little escape over the weekend.
First up, plot summary. Eragon, a young farm boy, discovers a dragon's egg. He lives in a land ruled by a tyrant, Galbatorix, who has eliminated the dragon riders who opposed his rise to power. Upon the hatching of the egg, Eragon learns that he is now the last of the dragon riders, the one named in prophecy, chosen to oppose Galbatorix. And so, his adventures begin. This is based on the book by Christopher Paolini, the first in the Inheritance Cycle (Eldest is the second book, and the third book Brisingr comes out this month. A 4th book is in the works).
Pretty standard fantasy fare, actually. Not exceptional, but not horrible (and as a fan of the fantasy genre, there certainly horrible ones out there, and yes, I have watched some of them). The script wasn't great, but it didn't have anything particularly corny or grating either.
The acting was inconsistent - some good performances, and some not so strong. Jeremy Irons is a good voice, always (Scar, anyone?). The script didn't give him tons to work with, but he did very well with what he was given. And Rachel Weiz (the voice of Saphira, the dragon) was excellent as well. I normally really like John Malkovich, but here he seemed out of place. Too modern, too American, I guess. Had the right sense of malevolent power (he's good at that) but just not the right sound to fit the movie, if you understand what I mean. Edward Seelers was obviously inexperienced. For the title character, he didn't have quite enough presence to really pull it off well. Not bad, just not quite ready to carry a movie on his own yet - probably would have been better in a more ensemble-cast sort of movie.
The CG work was very well done. Saphira's animation was beautiful. I loved that she was provided facial expressions, and subtle ones at that. They worked very well with Weiz's voice. CG effects in a live action movie usually start to bother me after a while (the 3 new Star Wars, for example, particularly the 3rd). Basically start to give me a headache, as animators tend to go overboard trying to show what they can do. This was a movie where the CG was obviously needed, but wasn't overdone. Like Lord of the Rings, honestly. The script didn't have the depth that the LotR movies did, but in terms of effects, it was similar - enough CG to make the fantasy come to life, but not so much as to turn it into a flat-out animated movie.
The biggest problem with the movie was trying to cram the entire book into a 2 hour film. It just felt like huge chunks of background or description or explanation were being glossed over. Made the movie feel oddly paced, like a skippy fast-forward sort of feel. The sort of feeling that "hey, I bet they explained this better in the book." Kinda the same feeling as the first Harry Potter movie - squeezing a very long book into a 2 hour movie isn't easy! The biggest feeling that left me, was that I wanted to read the book. I liked the characters, but felt like I would like them more if they were given more time, more description. In other words, if they were in the book. So yes, it (and it's 2 sequels, and 3rd to come) are now on my to-read list :)
Overall: 3 of 5. Not a bad movie, but not a great one. Does make me want to read the book though. I liked the characters enough that I want to see them actually fleshed out as they deserve to be.
Pretty standard fantasy fare, actually. Not exceptional, but not horrible (and as a fan of the fantasy genre, there certainly horrible ones out there, and yes, I have watched some of them). The script wasn't great, but it didn't have anything particularly corny or grating either.
The acting was inconsistent - some good performances, and some not so strong. Jeremy Irons is a good voice, always (Scar, anyone?). The script didn't give him tons to work with, but he did very well with what he was given. And Rachel Weiz (the voice of Saphira, the dragon) was excellent as well. I normally really like John Malkovich, but here he seemed out of place. Too modern, too American, I guess. Had the right sense of malevolent power (he's good at that) but just not the right sound to fit the movie, if you understand what I mean. Edward Seelers was obviously inexperienced. For the title character, he didn't have quite enough presence to really pull it off well. Not bad, just not quite ready to carry a movie on his own yet - probably would have been better in a more ensemble-cast sort of movie.
The CG work was very well done. Saphira's animation was beautiful. I loved that she was provided facial expressions, and subtle ones at that. They worked very well with Weiz's voice. CG effects in a live action movie usually start to bother me after a while (the 3 new Star Wars, for example, particularly the 3rd). Basically start to give me a headache, as animators tend to go overboard trying to show what they can do. This was a movie where the CG was obviously needed, but wasn't overdone. Like Lord of the Rings, honestly. The script didn't have the depth that the LotR movies did, but in terms of effects, it was similar - enough CG to make the fantasy come to life, but not so much as to turn it into a flat-out animated movie.
The biggest problem with the movie was trying to cram the entire book into a 2 hour film. It just felt like huge chunks of background or description or explanation were being glossed over. Made the movie feel oddly paced, like a skippy fast-forward sort of feel. The sort of feeling that "hey, I bet they explained this better in the book." Kinda the same feeling as the first Harry Potter movie - squeezing a very long book into a 2 hour movie isn't easy! The biggest feeling that left me, was that I wanted to read the book. I liked the characters, but felt like I would like them more if they were given more time, more description. In other words, if they were in the book. So yes, it (and it's 2 sequels, and 3rd to come) are now on my to-read list :)
Overall: 3 of 5. Not a bad movie, but not a great one. Does make me want to read the book though. I liked the characters enough that I want to see them actually fleshed out as they deserve to be.
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