Eragon (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Eragon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Stefen Fangmeier |
| Produced by | John Davis Adam Goodman Gil Netter |
| Written by | Christopher Paolini (novel) Peter Buchman (screenplay) |
| Starring | Edward Speleers Jeremy Irons Sienna Guillory Robert Carlyle John Malkovich Joss Stone |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) |      December 14, 2006     December 15, 2006 January 28, 2007 |
| Running time | 103 min. (1hr. 43min) |
| Budget | $100 million (estimated) |
| Official website | |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Eragon is a fantasy/adventure movie based on the novel of the same name by author Christopher Paolini. It was released on December 13, 2006 in Egypt, Indonesia, Kuwait and Singapore, December 14, 2006 in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, U.A.E., The Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Russia, Hong Kong SAR and Malaysia, and December 15, 2006 in the UK, the USA, Canada, Spain, México, Venezuela, Portugal and Taiwan by 20th Century Fox.
The film is directed by Stefen Fangmeier, a first-time director, who has previously worked as a visual effects director on such films as Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. The screenwriter is Peter Buchman, who is best known for his script for Jurassic Park III. The movie began principal photography at the Mafilm Fót Studios in Hungary on August 1, 2005. As of December 25, 2005, the movie entered post-production. Special visual effects and animation by Weta Digital and Industrial Light & Magic.
Contents |
[edit] Plot outline
- See also: Eragon
Eragon is about a farm boy named Eragon. He lives in a village named Carvahall in the fictional and magical world of Alagaësia. At the age of fifteen, he finds a dragon egg. From the egg hatches a sapphire dragon named Saphira. Eragon decides to keep Saphira a secret, but a pair of magical creatures are sent by the King of Alagaesia, Galbatorix, to find Eragon and the dragon. He flees home to find his uncle dead and so sets out on a journey to avenge his Uncle. Accompanied by a wise storyteller named Brom, Eragon and Saphira take up the legacy of legendary Dragon Riders. He learns magic, swordfighting, and dragon-riding to fufill the legend of the dragon riders and his destiny.
[edit] Taglines
- One boy... One dragon... And one world of adventure.
- The next great fantasy.
- You are far stronger than you realize... far wiser than you think... what was once your life... is now your legend.
- When darkness falls ... A hero ... Will ride
- Set the world on fire.
- This Christmas, the next generation will be born.
- As darkness falls, the last dragon will choose its rider.
- What was once your life is now your legend.
- Ancient powers. New Battle.
- What fear began, courage will end.
- The time of the riders will come again.
- Riders wanted.
[edit] Cast
- Edward Speleers as Eragon
- Jeremy Irons as Brom
- Sienna Guillory as Arya
- Robert Carlyle as Durza
- John Malkovich as Galbatorix
- Garrett Hedlund as Murtagh
- Alun Armstrong as Garrow
- Chris Egan as Roran
- Djimon Hounsou as Ajihad
- Rachel Weisz as the voice of Saphira
- Joss Stone as Angela
- Steven Spiers as Sloan
- Gary Lewis as Hrothgar
- Caroline Chikezie as Nasuada
[edit] Filming Locations
- Budapest, Hungary
- Celldömölk, Hungary
- High Tatras, Slovakia
†Source: Pro.IMDb.com[1]
[edit] Reception
The film was received extremely negatively by critics: it garnered only a 15% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes,[2] the 10th lowest of 2006.[3] Critics said that although "technically accomplished",[4] the film was "plodding and dull."[5] The story was labelled "derivative"[6] and "generic";[7] one critic alleged that only "nine-year-olds with no knowledge whatsoever of any of the six Star Wars movies" would find the film original.[8] The acting was called "lame",[9] "stilted",[10] and "lifeless".[11] The dialogue was called "silly".[12]
Critics compared the film to Harry Potter: "the big difference between Harry and Eragon is that the former movies range from not bad to very good, but the latter stinks,[13] and Star Wars: "plays out like a bad Star Wars rip-off"[14] and The Lord of the Rings: "such a clone of The Lord of the Rings it probably could lose a plagiarism suit."[15] "Couldn't spend $100 on latex ears."[16](for the elves)
Above all the film was also not a financial success having to face competition from more successful holiday season films including Charlotte's Web and Night at the Museum.
Positive reviews described the film as "fun"[17] and "the stuff boys' fantasies are made of."[18] The CGI work was called "imaginative" and Saphira was called a "magnificent creation."[19]
Many fans of the book series reacted negatively to the film.[20] The film's rating at IMDB is 4.8 out of 10,[21] with females giving the film a higher rating than males.[22] Users at Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 'rotten' 29% approval rating.[23] Christopher Paolini claimed to enjoy the film, giving praise to Jeremy Irons and Ed Speleers.[24]
[edit] Box Office
Eragon has grossed approximately $73.7 million in the US and $166.8 million elsewhere, totalling $240.5 million worldwide, as of February 8, 2007.[25] Films need to gross roughly twice their production and distribution costs to break even:[26] Eragon, which had a production budget of $100 million and distribution costs of an estimated $30 million,[27] has not yet reached this threshold. Despite this, Eragon is the highest grossing film with a dragon at its focal point.[28] It is the second highest grossing film of the sword and sorcery genre;[29] adjusted for inflation it falls to seventh place behind such films as Willow, Dragonheart, The Dark Crystal and Conan the Barbarian.[30]
Eragon has been in release for 8 weeks in the US, opening on December 15, 2006. It opened in 3020 theaters, earning $8.7 million on opening day and $23.2 million across opening weekend, ranked 2nd behind The Pursuit of Happyness.[31] Eragon's second weekend US box office dropped by almost 70%,[32] the 41st biggest second weekend drop since this statistic was kept.[33] Eragon’s $73 million total US gross is the 31st highest for 2006.[34]
The film earned $30.3 million in its opening weekend across 76 overseas markets, making it the #1 film worldwide.[35] This was attributed to the sheer scope of Eragon's global launch as the film ranked number 1 in less than half of the overseas territories it was released in.[36] The foreign box office competition for the film’s opening week was “soft;”[37] had Eragon been released one year earlier, it would have been placed fourth.[38] Eragon’s UK opening was “a disappointment,”[39] in Australia it was “solid if unimpressive,”[40] but its most impressive market was France,[41] where the film has earned more than $21 million.[42] The film’s $240 million total worldwide gross is the 13th highest for 2006.[43] The film is yet to be released in India and China.
[edit] Trailers
After multiple delays since April 2006 -- citing incomplete work on the CGI Saphira -- the trailer was released on September 14, 2006; attached to Gridiron Gang. The original trailer can be seen at MovieFone, Apple Movie Trailers or IGN.com.
An international trailer was also released on September 24, 2006.
A second trailer was released on October 24, 2006. It can be seen at Apple Movie Trailers.
The first TV Spot for the film was released during the third game of the 2006 World Series. It can be seen at iKilpz. Also, an extended TV Spot for the film was also shown during there, as well as during an airing of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Also, during an episode of The Simpsons a brief scene from the final battle was shown.
There have been several other trailers shown on television, and attached in front of Deck the Halls and Stranger than Fiction.
[edit] Rating
Eragon has received the rating of PG by the MPAA for fantasy violence, intense battle sequences, and some frightening images. The Australian OFLC classified the film 'M' (equivalent of an American PG-13). 20th Century Fox appealed this decision, but the film was still rated M upon review. The Classification Review Board wrote that "the cumulative effect of the repeated violence is such that it requires a mature perspective."[44]
[edit] DVD
Eragon was released on DVD and blu-ray everywhere on March 20th 2007 on a one disc set or on a special edition with two discs. the information about the two disc version is answered below:
[edit] Disc One
- Widescreen Feature (2.35:1 aspect ratio)
- Audio commentary by director Stefen Fangmeier
[edit] Disc Two
[edit] Carvahall
- Inside The Inheritance Trilogy: The Magic Of Eragon featurette
- Prologue: The Storyteller’s Scroll (focusing on turning the novel into a screenplay)
- Chapter One: Realizing Alagaesia (focusing on storyboards, location, scouting and character design)
- Chapter Two: The Destined Roles (casting the actors)
- Chapter Three: From Carvahall To Farthen Dur (behind-the-scenes footage during film production)
- Chapter Four: Hatching The Dragon (from storyboards and concept art to the CGI process of creating the dragons)
- Chapter Five: Just The Beginning (post mortem look at the what’s next in the series)
- Random House Digital Novel featuring the first two chapters of Eldest, the second novel from the Inheritance Trilogy by Christopher Paolini
[edit] Daret
- The Inhabitants of Alagaësia character profiles – with director Stefen Fangmeier as your guide, journey through the process of bringing the characters from the world of Alagaësia to life
- The Dragon Riders
- Saphira
- Arya
- Durza
- The Urgals
- The Ra’zac
[edit] Gil’ead
- Seven extended / deleted scenes (with optional commentary by director Stefen Fangmeier)
- The Butcher's Daughter
- Farm Fight / "We Don't Take Charity"
- Roran and Katrina Say Goodbye / The Butcher Changes His Mind
- Milking the Cow
- "We Can Learn A Lot From Each Other"
- The Son of a Traitor / The Twins' Test
- The Magic of Blessings
[edit] Uru baen
- Eldest – Christopher Paolini Interview - exclusive interview with the author talking about the second novel and some hints about what will happen in the third and final story
[edit] Farthen-Dur
- The Secrets of Alagaësia – visual effects showcase for 19 separate film sequences with commentary by visual effects supervisors Michael McAlister and John Van Vliet
- Dragon Battle
- Fire in the Forest
- Baby Dragon
- Summoning the Ra’zac
- Unhappy Landing
- Durza Disappears
- Over the Edge
- Happy Flight
- Ra’zac Attack
- Durza’s Prisoner
- Gil’ead Approach
- Getaway at Gil’ead
- Brom’s Grave
- A Grand Entrance
- Durza’s Army
- Breath of Fire
- Battle in the Sky
- A Fallen Saphira
- The Land of Alagaesia
[edit] The Spine
- The Vision of Eragon
- Arya’s Ambush – Original Animatic Sequence (with optional commentary by director Stefen Fangmeier)
- Conceptual Artwork Gallery
[edit] Hadarac Desert
- Saphira’s Animation Guide (with commentary by director Stefen Fangmeier)
[edit] Teirm
- Pronunciation Guide
- Original Storyboards
- Saphira Hatches
- Raising The Ra’zac
- A Hard Journey
- Durza’s Scouts
- Brom’s Tale
- Battle in the Sky
- The Lost Storyboards – from four sequences not included in the final film
- Hearing Voices
- Smashing the Hut
- Name Your Dragon
- Catch The Bird
[edit] Beor Mountains
- Become The Dragon Rider – Creating the Video Game
- Trailers
It will be released on a single-layer Blu-Ray disc on the same day. It will also be released in Europe on April 16th, 2007.
[edit] Soundtrack
The score for the movie was composed by Patrick Doyle who also did the score of 2005's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The sountrack also included two songs one of which is the hit single "Keep Holding On" by Avril Lavigne.
Tracklisting:
- "Eragon"+
- "Roran Leaves"
- "Saphira's First Flight"
- "Ra'zac"
- "Burning Farm"
- "Fortune Teller"
- "If You Were Flying"
- "Brom's Story"
- "Durza"
- "Passing The Flame"
- "Battle For Varden"
- "Together"
- "Saphira Returns"
- "Legend Of Eragon"
- "Keep Holding On"++ - Avril Lavigne
- "Once In Every Lifetime"+++ - Jem
+ - Not featured on the film. This track and track 7 is almost the same but track 7 is like an shorter/edited version of track 1.
++ - Written by Avril Lavigne and Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald. A different version of the song will be featured on Avril Lavigne's 3rd album "The Best Damn Thing."
+++ - Written by Jem Griffiths, Lester Mendez and Patrick Doyle. The song has the same melody featured on the score.
Both "Keep Holding On" and "Once In Every Lifetime" are featured in the credits.
The album was produced by Maggie Rodford and Patrick Doyle.
[edit] Sequel
There is a possibility that Eragon's sequel, Eldest, will be made into a film. When asked whether there would be a movie adaptation of Eldest at the premiere of Eragon, Christopher Paolini replied, "I think we'll know after opening weekend."[45] Many critics have considered the possibility of a sequel in their reviews of Eragon. One critic said that 20th Century Fox's plans to adapt Eldest was "jumping the gun" and that "they will have a tough time convincing anyone but the most die-hard fans to return for another helping."[46] Even some critics who gave the film positive reviews were skeptical towards the possibility of a sequel: "That the studio hopes to build a franchise on this, now that—that is expecting way too much."[47]
[edit] Trivia
- Paolini, author of the original novel, had expressed his wishes to be featured in a cameo role in the film - specifically, as a warrior who is beheaded in the battle of Farthen Dûr. However, he was unable due to his European book tour.[48]
- Avril Lavigne recorded the theme song for the movie, entitled "Keep Holding On," which was featured in the credits and on the soundtrack.[49]. The track was released as a single and reached 17 on Billboard Hot 100 singles charts in America.[50]
- Orange County Choppers built an Eragon-themed bike based on the movie, the construction of which is documented on the show American Chopper. It was originally planned to be unveiled at the movie's premiere as with the I, Robot Bike, but complications led to the unveiling being held at OCC's store instead.
- John Malkovich and Jeremey Irons also had a strong connection as Musketeers in the Movie The Man in the Iron Mask. However in this film, despite their connection as Dragon Riders, the two men do not actually share a scene with one another.
- Even though Nasuada is presented in the movie she is never addressed by name.
[edit] References
- ^ "Eragon (2006)". pro.imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/eragon/
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/features/rtawards/movie_2006.php?r=10&mid=1159341&type=m
- ^ http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/artsentertainment/2003476247_eragon15.html
- ^ http://www.oneguysopinion.com/Review.php?ID=2072
- ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?node=cityguide/profile&id=1111248&categories=Movies&nm=1
- ^ http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=118741
- ^ http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/ny-eterag5014666dec15,0,228990.story?coll=ny-moviereview-headlines
- ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?node=cityguide/profile&id=1111248&categories=Movies&nm=1
- ^ http://www.orlandoweekly.com/film/review.asp?rid=12096
- ^ http://www.orlandoweekly.com/film/review.asp?rid=12096
- ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16192526/
- ^ http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/entertainment/movies/16239619.htm
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/eragon/about.php#consensus
- ^ http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/295961_eragon15q.html
- ^ http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/295961_eragon15q.html
- ^ http://www.crazedfanboy.com/npcr06/moviereviewpcr351.shtml
- ^ http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=12634&s=Reviews
- ^ http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/295961_eragon15q.html
- ^ http://inheritanceforums.com/index.php?showtopic=21238&st=
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449010/
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449010/ratings
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/eragon/reviews_users.php
- ^ http://media.shurtugal.com/movieviewer.php?type=rev&id=119486
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=eragon.htm
- ^ http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/?p=21
- ^ http://www.omgili.com/preview/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5qb2Jsby5jb20vZm9ydW1zL3Nob3d0aHJlYWQucGhwP3RocmVhZGlkPTEwNjQ3OQ==
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=dragon.htm
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=swordandsorcery.htm
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/about/adjuster.htm
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2006&wknd=50&p=.htm
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2006&wknd=51&p=.htm
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/drops.htm?page=1&p=.htm
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2006&p=.htm
- ^ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i16891de0eed2dafe81a7b3b2da45259f
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2220&p=.htm
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/2006-12-27
- ^ http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117956327.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2220&p=.htm
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2220&p=.htm
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2236&p=.htm
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=eragon.htm
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2006&p=.htm
- ^ http://www.oflc.gov.au/resource.html?resource=938&filename=938.pdf
- ^ http://media.shurtugal.com/movieviewer.php?type=rev&id=119486
- ^ http://themovieboy.com/directlinks/06eragon.htm
- ^ http://www.reel.com/movie.asp?MID=142841&buy=open&Tab=reviews&CID=13#tabs
- ^ http://www.canmag.com/news/4/3/4743
- ^ http://www.avrillavigne.com/
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=485926&model.vnuAlbumId=628482
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Eragon at the Internet Movie Database
- Eragon at Rotten Tomatoes
- Eragon at Metacritic
- Eragon at Box Office Mojo
| Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Trilogy | |
|---|---|
| Books | Eragon | Eldest | Book 3 |
| Films | Eragon |
| Games | Eragon |
| Main Characters | Eragon | Brom | Arya | Galbatorix | Murtagh | Roran | Durza | Ajihad | Nasuada | Angela | Saphira | Oromis | more... |
| Places | Alagaësia | Beor Mountains | Ellesméra | Farthen Dûr | Teirm | Inheritance Trilogy locations | more... |
| Events | Blood-Oath Celebration | Battle of the Burning Plains | Battle for Carvahall | Battle under Farthen Dûr | Dagshelgr Invocation | The Fall |
