The creative and financial successes of fantasy novel films nowadays have changed the way fantasy was viewed by movie-goers. So thats why 20th Century Fox released the movie Eragon, based on the bestselling 2003 fantasy novel written by then-teenager Christopher Paolini, who happened to be 15 years old when he wrote the book. The cast includes Edward Speleers in the title role, Jeremy Irons, Garrett Hedlund, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou and Joss Stone. The film was directed by Stefen Fangmeier, a first-time director, who had previously worked as a visual effects director on Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. The screenplay was written by Peter Buchman, who is best known for Jurassic Park III and special visual effects and animation were by Weta Digital and Industrial Light & Magic.
Before the time of Eragon, the land where he lives flourished in peace and prosperity, protected and served by a group of guardians who rode magnificent dragons. Then pride crept into the ranks and ultimately that arrogance led to internal warfare. Almost all of the warriors and their dragons died in the civil strife, allowing one man to appoint himself king, the name was Galbatorix. The kingdom has entered dark times and King Galbatorix becomes savage when the prophecy of a dragon rider destined to arise and free the people from his tyrannical rule begins to circulate and has slaughtered all the legendary dragons and their riders, driven the rebels into hiding, and even taken over the towns of his subjects. However, hope remains. Princess Arya is able to smuggle out the last remaining dragon egg from King Galbatorix. Through a series of chance happenings, the egg ends up in the possession of Eragon, a mere teenage farm boy named who lives in a village named Carvahall in the fictional and magical world of Alagaësia.
The egg hatches and the dragon, named Saphira, immediately bonds with Eragon. Unfortunately this makes him a target for King Galbatorix and his sorcerer henchman, Durza. Eragon soon found himself and his family under attack, but he was rescued by Brom, a warrior with a mysterious past. Brom leads him on a journey to meet with the rebels and along the way teaches him magic, swordfighting, and dragon-riding to fulfill the legend of the dragon riders and his destiny. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire rest in his hands.
The most notable thing about the film is its special effects. When Eragon and Saphira are in flight or in battle, this movie is at its most engaging fun to watch. And considering how director Stefen Fangmeier used to work at ILM, it's not surprising the visual effects are done well. Saphira is the centerpiece of that work and her design is quite unique. She has a combination of scales and feathers that give her a look unlike any other movie dragon. Her animation alone makes Eragon worth checking out. The closing battle scene alone is quite impressive.
Eragon is rated PG for fantasy violence, intense battle sequences and some frightening images. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the USA on March 20, 2007, in Europe on April 16, 2007 and in Australia on April 18, 2007. So grab a copy now and witness the exciting and fun adventure of Eragon in DVD format only at DVD.TV.
