Jeremy Irons = the shit.
Well. I went to see Eragon, and, if you read my last entry, you'll know that I went into it with the lowest of low expectations. Turns out, it wasn't so bad. (!!!!)
The abysmal reviews psyched me out. Twelve percent on the Rotten Tomatoes website is truly dismal. But honestly, if you don't expect much out of the film, it's sort of enjoyable. Sure, they changed the story...ALOT...and sure, there were plenty of horrifyingly cheesy lines of dialogue, but it could have been much worse.
I think my biggest qualm is the fact that Arya's role was way overblown, and Arya herself was completely out of character. Book!Arya is kind of a bitch to Eragon, yet Movie!Arya was totally feeling him. Of course they have to emphasize romance for the purpose of a film, but it came across as really forced and kind of awkward, considering that Arya is decades older than Eragon and supposed to be completely uninterested in him. I had to suppress the urge to vomit throughout that last conversation between them.
There were also some truly devastating omissions; I hated the fact that they didn't show Durza injuring Eragon's back (which is, like, the most important thing in the beginning of the second book...). Also, where was Katrina and how are they going to justify Roran's entire motivation for defending Carvahall in the next movie, if they even decide to make it (doubtful, since this movie is getting smashed by the critics)? And I guess they took a look at the description of Tronjheim and Farthen Dur in the book, went, "Damn...that's a lot of work", and decided to screw it. Because there was maybe a millisecond shot of Tronjheim and it looked like it was OUTSIDE. I was really looking forward to seeing some spectacular images of Tronjheim, which is described beautifully (if way too long-winded) in the book, but they showed literally NOTHING of the city once the battle was going on. Speaking of the battle, what the HELL happened to the Sapphire? That was possibly the most bad-ass scene in the book, and it would have been pretty fantastic on-screen--but I guess that was another case of the producers going, "Too hard, fuck it!"
With that said, I thought the effects were great. Saphira was absolutely GORGEOUS. I detested the scene in which she basically grows from an itty-bitty baby into a gigantic creature in a matter of seconds, but at least it looked moderately convincing. I really appreciated the animation efforts, even though she didn't get nearly enough screen-time.
For once, I have little or no complaints about the acting. Jeremy Irons is, of course, beyond brilliant (I just wish that they had written him a better death scene...) I absolutely loved any scene with Brom because Irons stole the show. John Malkovich is also fantastic, even though we really don't know if that's what Galbatorix looks or acts like since he has yet to appear in the books. I kind of like the fact that we haven't seen Galbatorix; it creates this dreadful suspense that hopefully will culminate in a monstrous showdown in the third book. But I certainly hope that Book!Galbatorix is like Malkovich!Galbatorix. Robert Carlyle's Durza is wonderfully evil, although he had more than a couple of "I AM TEH EVIL SORCERORRRRR" lines that made me roll my eyes (not his fault, obviously). I can't even complain about the actress who played Arya. Most shocking of all, I didn't mind Ed Speleers as Eragon. I know, I am the perpetual hater of all youthful, pretty leading boys, but I was expecting him to be ALOT worse. I don't even have any cringe-worthy crying moments to report, and we all know how I hate crying scenes.
The most perplexing discrepancy between the book and film is the lack of Murtagh on screen. By the time he's even introduced, the credits are pretty much rolling. Garrett Hedlund makes the most of his 3.5 seconds of screen time, and I'm sure he'll be a big fangirl fave (my sister certainly enjoyed him), but I wish they'd found a way to develop the relationship between him and Eragon. I also wish they had shown more of Saphira beyond her role as a mere accessory. There was virtually no complexity to her relationship with Eragon, which is obviously tremendously important in the book.
As far as the overall design, there wasn't much to complain about either. The Varden's costumes were a little puzzling and I don't know why the witch, Angela, was covered in gelt, but alot of the shots of the gorgeous scenery were effective. Much of the book consists of scene after scene of walking...and riding...and more riding...and hey look, it's another mountain, but at least the filmmakers made an attempt to acknowledge these transitional scenes without making them horrifyingly boring.
Anyway, the bottom line is that if you go into this film expecting something on the level of Lord of the Rings, you will be disappointed. The character development and the construction of a compelling story are severely lacking. And even if you have read the books, definitely don't expect to see all your favorite scenes and characters (and be warned that there are plenty of REALLY FREAKING IMPORTANT scenes that are completely eliminated...ummm, blessing the kid in Farthen Dur? Yep. Gone.) But hey, it could have been a whole lot worse.
Plus, there are plenty of very, very good-looking people to hold your interest if all else fails (I won't lie, I found Ed Speleers uncommonly hot).
My exams are done on Wednesday at 10 a.m.! Until then, I must return to my hermetical life of studystudystudy.
The abysmal reviews psyched me out. Twelve percent on the Rotten Tomatoes website is truly dismal. But honestly, if you don't expect much out of the film, it's sort of enjoyable. Sure, they changed the story...ALOT...and sure, there were plenty of horrifyingly cheesy lines of dialogue, but it could have been much worse.
I think my biggest qualm is the fact that Arya's role was way overblown, and Arya herself was completely out of character. Book!Arya is kind of a bitch to Eragon, yet Movie!Arya was totally feeling him. Of course they have to emphasize romance for the purpose of a film, but it came across as really forced and kind of awkward, considering that Arya is decades older than Eragon and supposed to be completely uninterested in him. I had to suppress the urge to vomit throughout that last conversation between them.
There were also some truly devastating omissions; I hated the fact that they didn't show Durza injuring Eragon's back (which is, like, the most important thing in the beginning of the second book...). Also, where was Katrina and how are they going to justify Roran's entire motivation for defending Carvahall in the next movie, if they even decide to make it (doubtful, since this movie is getting smashed by the critics)? And I guess they took a look at the description of Tronjheim and Farthen Dur in the book, went, "Damn...that's a lot of work", and decided to screw it. Because there was maybe a millisecond shot of Tronjheim and it looked like it was OUTSIDE. I was really looking forward to seeing some spectacular images of Tronjheim, which is described beautifully (if way too long-winded) in the book, but they showed literally NOTHING of the city once the battle was going on. Speaking of the battle, what the HELL happened to the Sapphire? That was possibly the most bad-ass scene in the book, and it would have been pretty fantastic on-screen--but I guess that was another case of the producers going, "Too hard, fuck it!"
With that said, I thought the effects were great. Saphira was absolutely GORGEOUS. I detested the scene in which she basically grows from an itty-bitty baby into a gigantic creature in a matter of seconds, but at least it looked moderately convincing. I really appreciated the animation efforts, even though she didn't get nearly enough screen-time.
For once, I have little or no complaints about the acting. Jeremy Irons is, of course, beyond brilliant (I just wish that they had written him a better death scene...) I absolutely loved any scene with Brom because Irons stole the show. John Malkovich is also fantastic, even though we really don't know if that's what Galbatorix looks or acts like since he has yet to appear in the books. I kind of like the fact that we haven't seen Galbatorix; it creates this dreadful suspense that hopefully will culminate in a monstrous showdown in the third book. But I certainly hope that Book!Galbatorix is like Malkovich!Galbatorix. Robert Carlyle's Durza is wonderfully evil, although he had more than a couple of "I AM TEH EVIL SORCERORRRRR" lines that made me roll my eyes (not his fault, obviously). I can't even complain about the actress who played Arya. Most shocking of all, I didn't mind Ed Speleers as Eragon. I know, I am the perpetual hater of all youthful, pretty leading boys, but I was expecting him to be ALOT worse. I don't even have any cringe-worthy crying moments to report, and we all know how I hate crying scenes.
The most perplexing discrepancy between the book and film is the lack of Murtagh on screen. By the time he's even introduced, the credits are pretty much rolling. Garrett Hedlund makes the most of his 3.5 seconds of screen time, and I'm sure he'll be a big fangirl fave (my sister certainly enjoyed him), but I wish they'd found a way to develop the relationship between him and Eragon. I also wish they had shown more of Saphira beyond her role as a mere accessory. There was virtually no complexity to her relationship with Eragon, which is obviously tremendously important in the book.
As far as the overall design, there wasn't much to complain about either. The Varden's costumes were a little puzzling and I don't know why the witch, Angela, was covered in gelt, but alot of the shots of the gorgeous scenery were effective. Much of the book consists of scene after scene of walking...and riding...and more riding...and hey look, it's another mountain, but at least the filmmakers made an attempt to acknowledge these transitional scenes without making them horrifyingly boring.
Anyway, the bottom line is that if you go into this film expecting something on the level of Lord of the Rings, you will be disappointed. The character development and the construction of a compelling story are severely lacking. And even if you have read the books, definitely don't expect to see all your favorite scenes and characters (and be warned that there are plenty of REALLY FREAKING IMPORTANT scenes that are completely eliminated...ummm, blessing the kid in Farthen Dur? Yep. Gone.) But hey, it could have been a whole lot worse.
Plus, there are plenty of very, very good-looking people to hold your interest if all else fails (I won't lie, I found Ed Speleers uncommonly hot).
My exams are done on Wednesday at 10 a.m.! Until then, I must return to my hermetical life of studystudystudy.