Synopsis

Eragon is a fantasy adventure based on the highly successful novel by Christopher Paolini. The first book in the young author’s epic Inheritance Trilogy is a timeless, modern tale. The film’s most fantastical character is a flying dragon named Saphira. Eragon presents a mythology in which Dragon Riders had once brought peace & prosperity to the land of Alagaësia. Dragons gave their Riders magical powers, even immortality. No enemy could defeat them, until one of their own, Galbatorix, decided to take all the power for himself and destroy all the Dragon Riders, until young Eragon’s discovery of a gleaming sapphire egg which hatches a dragon he names Saphira. The time of the Dragon Riders has come again. Today, the mythical creatures are a mainstay of pop culture. Eragon's Saphira is inspired by the rich heritage of the storied winged creatures, but for the first time, the power of state of the art computer generated imagery brings myth to photo-real, emotional life. What "Jurassic Park" was to dinosaurs, Eragon is to dragons. Indeed, Saphira is a step beyond the dinosaurs of "Jurassic Park", as her facial imagery conveys thoughts and feelings.

What The Critics Say

"For those who love the fantasy genre known as sword and sorcery -- and I count myself in their number -- sitting through the movie version of Eragon will suck the will to live right out of you." Chauncey Mabe SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINAL "A sword-and-sorcery tale told without the slightest whiff of screen magic." Colin Covert MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE "A lot of pseudo-medieval, dragon-happy claptrap." Marc Savlov AUSTIN CHRONICLE "In a time of darkness, under the evil reign of John Malkovich... a hero shall rise. But lo, there will be little rejoicing, for this dragon rider (newcomer Edward Speleers) is but a nancy boy." Luke Y Thompson L.A. WEEKLY "Eragon is the stuff boys’ fantasies are made of - a handsome young farm boy turned brave warrior, who can exchange thoughts with a winged, fire-breathing dragon. Beyond the spectacular settings and marvellous special effects from WETA and Industrial Light and Magic, Eragon is a terrific fantasy that the target market will embrace, largely due to the charismatic performance of newcomer Ed Speleers, who all boys will aspire to be, and for whom girls will harbour a crush." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE

"Appropriating all the external trappings of big-budget fantasy but none of the requisite soul, this leaden epic never soars like the CG-rendered fire-breather at the core of its derivative mythology." Justin Chang VARIETY "This year's Christmas fantasy centres around a boy and his dragon. It's unlikely to do the same box office as its illustrious predecessors ("Lord Of The Rings", "Harry Potter", "The Chronicles Of Narnia"). While the visual effects - especially the stomach-churning flight sequences - are state-of-the-art, it's driven by a fairly basic hero myth. 2 1/2 STARS" Vicky Roach DAILY TELEGRAPH "Even fools for fantasy movies (like me) may find the foolishness of Eragon tough going." Eleanor Ringel Gillespie ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION "In the era of fantasy epics like Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, the film adaptation of Christopher Paolini's "Eragon" is merely serviceable. Hammy acting, cheesy dialogue and 'seen-it-all-before' special effects don't help. Was Ed Speleers really the best actor the studio could find from a much-hyped worldwide casting call? ..this movie fails to capture the spirit of an author who has attracted legions of fans at such a young age. 5/10." Mark Beirne BRISBANE WHAT'S ON

The Language of Eragon

Alagaësia: a kingdom stretching from the western coastal wilderness of the Spine into the inland Hadarac desert, which spreads to the southern summits of the Beor Mountains. It is a world of humans, sorcerers, monsters – and mighty dragons. The Ancient Language: a form of communication that enables certain people to use magic. Beor Mountains: a huge mountain range in the southeast of Alagaësia, where the Varden make their home. Carvahall: Eragon’s hometown; a small town near the Spine. Dragon Riders: those who help maintain peace in Alagaësia with the help of their dragons. Gil’ead: a heavily guarded city where Arya is imprisoned by Durza. Ra’zac: demonic mercenaries that serve Durza. Shade: a sorcerer possessed by evil spirits. Spine, The: Vast mountain range covering almost all of Alagaësia’s west coast. Urgals: loathsome and brutish troops who serve Galbatorix. Their faces are grotesquely patterned with scars. Varden: a group of rebels based in Farthen Dûr. Zar'roc: Eragon's sword, given to him by Brom.

Meet The Author Upon its initial release in hardcover by Knopf in August 2003, the novel Eragon became a worldwide publishing phenomenon. The book was an instant bestseller and has since spent 87 consecutive weeks on The New York Times Bestseller List, and 21 consecutive months on Publisher’s Weekly Young Adult Fiction Bestseller List, including nine months at #1. Eragon has sold 2.5 million copies in hardcover and paperback in North America alone, and the book has been published in 38 countries. "Eragon" is the first novel of a trilogy written by Christopher Paolini. The second book, "Eldest", was published in the United States and Canada in August 2005, and quickly became the number-one selling book in the United States. It has sold over one million hardcover copies, was number-one on The New York Times Children’s Best Seller list, and was a USA Today Top-50 Bestseller. It won the Young Adult/Teen 2006 Quill Book Award. At the time of release of the ERAGON motion picture, the novel Eragon held the number-one slot on The New York Times Children’s Paperback Best Seller List, and Eldest was number-one on the Times’ Children’s Hardcover Best Seller List. Sales of both books increased steadily with the release of the Eldest Limited Edition the move tie-in books – and with the help of the film’s promotional activities. Paolini’s own story is a fantasy in itself. The first edition of Eragon was self- published by his family. The following year, Alfred A. Knopf published the novel worldwide, to huge acclaim. Paolini, now 22, grew up in Paradise Valley, Montana – a location which inspired much of the story’s fantastic environments. His novels reflect his personal experiences growing up in a valley of the Beartooth Mountains of Montana, not unlike the valley that Eragon called home. At the center of both novel and film is the bond between Eragon and Saphira. The Inside Story "Christopher came up with this wonderful idea of a young man who develops a bond with a dragon," says "Jurassic Park III" screenwriter Peter Buchman. "That relationship is at the core of the book, and that’s what we had to translate to film." Buchman’s script drew the attention of Stefen Fangmeier. "I found it to be an exciting read," he says. "With the book’s fantastical aspects, people would look at me in terms of the visual effects requirements. However, my first reaction to the material was that it was a great story that had an emotional arc." Stefen Fangmeier is one of the motion picture industry's true visual effects geniuses. During his tenure at Industrial Light & Magic, Fangmeier supervised films such as "Saving Private Ryan", "Twister", "The Perfect Storm" and "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World." He is a three-time BAFTA Award winner, and is a four-time Oscar nominee. Central to the story are a teenage boy named Eragon and his Dragon Saphira, who connects telepathically with her Rider. Saphira is voiced by Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz. Eregon is played by Ed Speleers who evidently was chosen after a huge search for the right young actor to take the lead role. "Ed came in, and we just looked at each other and said, 'That’s Eragon, that’s the guy from the book.' I got a strong sense of Ed’s sparkle, of his life. It’s the kind of thing where you just know he’s destined to become a movie star," says Fangmeier. Speleers says he couldn’t help but be awed by this, his professional acting debut. "During production in Slovakia, we were lifted by helicopter to the top of a large mountain surrounded by incredible scenery," he remembers. "I stood at the edge of this mountain, thinking, 'What’s going on here? I’m supposed to be at school taking my exams, and I’m here having the best time of my life.' If I continue to make movies, which I would love to do, I don’t think I will ever get that same, overwhelming feeling." In fact it was a huge step for the young actor to take. "I had a well-structured life, doing regular things, and then I was suddenly thrown into this incredible world, starring in a movie," he said. "It’s been a great time for me to find myself (as Eragon does in the story), meet new people, and have new experiences." One of those experiences was to work alongside Jeremy Irons. "Jeremy always provided words of advice, and always nurtured me," Speleers recalls. "He was doing so out of the kindness of his heart, but at the same time so much of Brom was in Jeremy." Irons says he was "ready to tackle a big action adventure picture. "Eragon" reaches an audience that I haven’t reached in a while. Equally important, Brom appealed to me; he has a wryness and fierceness, but at the same time he’s a good man." Taking the role meant reading the novel and practicing the method of swordplay Paolini describes in his book. "It’s a specific style of fighting," Irons notes. "It’s like Eastern swordplay, and is more esoteric than English medieval styles. I practiced almost every day to build the wrist strength necessary to realistically play the fighting scenes." Speleers quickly gathered a following during shooting. Oscar-nominee John Malkovich, who plays the evil King Galbatorix recalls, "Before leaving for Budapest, a friend of mine told me that he had a bunch of kids who wanted Ed’s autograph. I hadn’t experienced anything like that since working with Leonardo DiCaprio." Speleers recalls his meeting with award winning actor Robert Carlyle. "Our first meeting was intense," says Speleers. "Robert wore a long wig, contact lenses and full-flowing outfit. I didn’t need to get into character to react opposite Robert as Durza. He was Durza!" "Robert came in very much wanting to do "Eragon", and his approach to Durza was to not make the character obvious and over-the-top in his villainy," says producer Wyck Godfrey. "Durza has an agenda and with his red eyes and hair, and pale skin, there are things visually apparent about the character; you don’t need to work hard to force him to be evil." So how does Eragon come by his Dragon? Thanks to the character Arya, a female warrior who is on a mission to find the next Dragon Rider. "Arya has been entrusted with a dragon egg stolen from Galbatorix, carrying it across Alagaësia looking for its owner," says actress Sienna Guillory. "Her warrior side uses a Zen-like fighting style. Because she’s an elf, she understands nature, the trees, light and wind, and is capable of seeing danger before it happens. It’s great to play a female action role that’s not all 'hero' and that's not rough and unfeminine. I love horses and this was a film where I got to ride a horse and fight with a sword. Brilliant! And what of Saphira? In order to pull off such a character, the filmmakers realized they needed someone to completely 'own' Saphira, both creatively and technically, and to serve as the point person between themselves and the facilities. "Bringing Saphira to life was a huge undertaking that required my full attention and energies," says Visual Effects Supervisor Michael McAlister. "Much as a live action character requires the full attention of an actor. There were thousands and thousands of specific decisions to be made in terms of how she would look, how she would act, how she would feel, and how she would fly. I did not invent her nor decide what her character would be, but I was responsible for understanding her, inside and out, and deciding specifically how we would achieve her." "The tricky part in creating the performance was that Saphira was never meant to be a monster or creature," notes Industrial Light & Magic's Glen McIntosh who worked with ILM's Samir Hoon. "She is a character and one of the stars of the movie. She delivers a nuanced, layered performance." As for the author of "Eragon", he always hoped his work would make it to the big screen. "I originally conceived "Eragon" as a movie," he pointed out. "I saw the characters and action clearly in my mind. But since I didn't have the money to produce a film, I ended up writing the story as a book." The Verdict "Those who are fans of the two novels written by author Christopher Paolini will probably see "Eragon" through different eyes than those who are going along armed only with the knowlege of what they have seen in the trailers. Those who are easily please will no doubt see this as an entertaining film. In the cold hard light of day it couldn't be further from the truth. While the special effects involving Saphira are worthy of some praise, overall "Eragon" is a very ordinary effort. It lacks real punch and, with the exception of Jeremy Irons and Robert Carlyle, the acting is, to say the least pretty wooden. Away from Saphira, Irons and Carlyle, there's a total lack of spirit. "Eragon" unfortunately fails to connect on any level. It's like eating poor quality cheese. You know, the kind that leaves one with a soapy taste in the mouth which is hard to swallow. Uninspiring, wooden performance and a distinct lack of oomph ensures this production truly fails to inspire. A real Pity. 2 1/2 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "ERAGON" stars .......
Ed Speleers ["Eragon"]; Drama League and Tony Award Best Actor winner Jeremy Irons ["The Mission", "The French Lieutenant’s Woman" and "Die Hard with a Vengeance"]; Sienna Guillory ["Hearts of the Earth", "Late Night Shopping" and "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang"]; Robert Carlyle ["The World Is Not Enough", "Angela’s Ashes" and "The Full Monty"]; Djimon Hounsou ["Amistad", "Gladiator" and "The Island"]; Emmy Award and Obie ® winner John Malkovich ["The Dancer Upstairs", "Art School Confidential" and "Ripley’s Game"] and Academy ® Award winner Rachel Weisz ["Confidence", "The Mummy I & II", "Runaway Jury" and "The Constant Gardener"] as the 'voice' mind of Saphira.
"ERAGON" was .......
directed by Stefen Fangmeier [VFX Supervisor on "Terminator 2: Judgment Day", "Saving Private Ryan", "Glaxay Quest" and "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events"]; original story by Christopher Paolini ["Eragon" and "Eldest"]; production design by Wolf Kroeger ["The Last of the Mohicans", "The Three Musketeers", "Year of the Dragon" and "Ladyhawke"]; director of photography Hugh Johnson ["White Squall" and "The Chronicles of Riddick"]; original music by Patrick Doyle ["Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", "Gosford Park", "Calendar Girls" and "Bridget Jones’s Diary"] costume design by Kym Barrett ["William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet", "The Matrix Reloaded", 'The Matrix Revolutions", "Gothika" and "Monster-in-Law"] and edited by Roger Barton ["Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith", "Bad Boys 2" and "Pearl Harbor"]. Run Time 104 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2006 - Twentieth Century Fox - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2006 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved