What I Rented - Eragon

Eragon tells the story of a young man, Eragon, who is magically given a dragon by a captured princess. After his uncle is murdered, he finds that he is part of a thought-dead group of mystical warriors called The Jedi....sorry....The Dragon Riders. Under the guidance of an old disgruntled Dragon Rider named Obi-Wan....wait....Brom (Jeremy Irons) he has to rescue the princess, join a rebel alliance, and take down an evil empire.

So, yeah...originality isn't Eragon's strong point, and the constant feeling of "Haven't-I-Seen-That-Before" intrudes on the movie at least once every two minutes. On top of being two steps away from a plagiarism lawsuit, there is absolutely no sense of pacing. Big moments arrive with little buildup (including a final battle that feels incredibly rushed) and characters have no time to be anything other than "good" or "bad".

That being said, there's still a goofy charm at work in Eragon, and while it isn't particularly good, it is at least entertaining and watchable. Jeremy Irons has fun as the wise elder, and his relationship with Eragon provides many of the film's best moments. The director, Stefen Fangmeier, allows the fast paced action to take a break during their scenes, and Irons manages to inject a bit of life into a thinly written character.

When the film finally decides to venture out from endless Star Wars references and create a mythology of its own it's actually quite clever. I liked the rules of the Dragon Riders; how the life of the dragon is linked with the rider; how they have a telepathic link; how magic can arise from their connection. It's enough to make the relationship between Eragon and the dragon unique; which in this movie is the equivalent of being given a glass of cold water in the desert.

Eragon never really finds its own voice, and that keeps it from being anything more than a pleasant Friday evening rental.

Star Rating ** out of 4