Eragon (Fox 2000) is a reasonably diverting, if predictable, fantasy adventure for youngsters set in a mythical kingdom about a naive farm boy Eragon (Ed Speleers) who learns it's his destiny to become a Dragon Rider.
This epiphany comes about when, while hunting in the forest, he stumbles upon a large blue stone which turns out to be an egg that, before long, hatches into a cute CGI-baby dragon. (It's a computer-generated image.) In only a few minutes of screen time, the critter grows into a giant creature named Saphira (voice of Rachel Weisz).
After the baddies ruling the kingdom — evil king Galbatorix (John Malkovich) and his sorcerer sidekick Durza (Robert Carlyle) — slaughter the caring uncle who raised him, Eragon finds himself fulfilling his destiny and coming of age, all the while assisted by the town eccentric, Brom (a grizzled and gaunt Jeremy Irons), who, it turns out, had once been a Dragon Rider himself.
And where would a story like this be without a warrior princess in need of rescue? Eragon provides one in the person of Arya, played by Sienna Guillory, whose pale elegance suggests past epic heroines played by Tilda Swinton and Cate Blanchett.
Peter Buchman's script, based on the first novel in Christopher Paolini's best-selling Inheritance trilogy, trots out every cliché known to this genre, but to its credit, director Stefan Fangmeier's film is well paced, and the special effects, especially those involving the dragon, are well done. Wolf Kroeger's production design and Hugh Johnson's photography are impressive in a B-level Lord of the Rings sort of way.
It's amusing to watch distinguished actors like Irons and Carlyle deliver their hoary dialogue with a reasonable amount of conviction, and emerge with reputations intact, though Djimon Hounsou may need to return some of the statuettes he's been picking up for his good work in Blood Diamond if voters get a look at his silly performance here as head of the rebel Varden.
The film ends on an open-ended note, paving the way for a not necessarily unwelcome sequel or two.
Parents should note that the violence, though noisy and chaotic, avoids overt gore, and happily, there are no sex or language concerns. We've classified the film for adolescents and up, but actually, the level of violence would probably only be problematic for very young children.
The film contains action violence and magical hocus pocus. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
