Before I get into this week's movie, I have to spread the good news that Snow Cake (one of my favorite festival movies) is finally out in theaters. Unfortunately, not all theaters are showing it but if you live in Toronto you can catch it at the Cumberland. I highly recommend checking it out. If you want to refresh your memory, click here to read the blog on it from October.

Now, onto the new review! This past weekend I got to check out the fantasy flick Eragon:



It's based on the novel of the same name written by 23 year old Christopher Paolini, who was 15 when he penned the book. It was adapted to screen by someone else and I haven't read the novel so I can't really comment on the integrity of the adaptation but it seemed pretty straightforward.



The basic plot is about a farm boy who finds a stone that turns out to be a dragon egg and when it hatches he's drawn into a battle of rebellion against the evil king who thought he exterminated dragons and dragon riders years ago. Think Star Wars (A New Hope) with classic fantasy/quest elements as per Lord of the Rings and a bit of The Matrix thrown in for fun and then add some dragons... Voila, Eragon. There's virtually nothing original about it. Even the name reminds me too much of Aragorn from Lord of the Rings. The main actor also reminded me of Heath Ledger from A Knight's Tale but a but more full in the lips:




Despite its juvenile plot structure, I got totally swept up into the story. I happen to love dragons (I am one according to the Chinese zodiac) and the visual effects were pretty fantastic. Plus, Jeremy Irons is in it and that adds a bit of clout in my book. He was awesome as Eragon's Yoda.



Unfortunately I can't say that John Malcovich's appearance in it was worthwhile. It wasn't. Usually I do like him, but in this case, he sucked. I just didn't buy him as the evil king. Way miscast.



He was almost as bad as the guy who played the evil shade. I'm surprised Robert Carlyle got picked for that role. It's so not right for the guy who got his kit off in The Full Monty. I heard Guy Pearce was up for the same part. He would've nailed it. Too bad about those 2 characters- they brought the level of the movie down lower than it needed to go.

So, what's my conclusion? If you're a die-hard fan of Star Wars or LOTR you may be offended by the pilfering of plot points from those masterpieces. If you're a general sci-fi/fantasy fan you'll appreciate that all the stories are essentially the same, it's about the details, the characters, and the way its told that makes it special. If you know a pre-teen who likes dragons, they'll probably eat up Eragon with relish. Most people will want to skip this film. I liked it, but I didn't love it and I won't be adding it to my DVD collection.

Happy Holiday Movie Hopping!

-Minx.

PS. In case you do want to get me any movies for Christmas, here's the ones I do want: Little Miss Sunshine, Take the Lead, Stick It, Devil Wears Prada, Little Mermaid special edition, Pirates 2, Lucky Number Slevin, Accepted, Clerks special edition, Clerks 2.... and many more!