Eragon

Day 204-208 - 7/23-7/27/09 - Movie #204

BEFORE: Day 2 of Comic-Con, or the end of the first full day, last night was the Preview Night, during which time I sold exactly 1 book, taking in $5. I could have gone to the SDCC 40th Anniversary party, but it probably would have been packed - so I ate dinner with my booth-mates at the Tin Fish, then schlepped back up the hill to my hotel, with a quick stop at the CVS to load up on snacks and supplies for tomorrow.

(Break)

And, actually I was UN-successful in finishing this movie while in San Diego. There was no DVD player in my room this year, and the volume was so low on the laptop computer (and I was so tired from working at the booth) that I was lulled to sleep after about 10 minutes of the film. There was just no way for me to watch films while at the Con - I could have gone to the late-night film screenings at the convention center, but that would have made it difficult to stay on NYC time and get up in time to set up the booth for the next morning's business. Plus I wanted to spend my evenings at my usual haunts - brewpubs, mostly. I'm back in NYC now, and I can give this movie a proper viewing - but now I'm four days behind schedule. My penance will be to watch a chain of fantasy films, then some comic-book films, in honor of the Con.

So how was the Con? The usual blend of work + fun, celebrities and nobodies, tedium and excitement. Our booth-neighbors were the same as last year on all sides, so it mostly felt like being in a recurring dream (or perhaps waking up from one...). For more commentary and photos, please visit my Flickr site at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66064297@N00/sets/72157621745804571/

THE PLOT: In his homeland of Alagaesia, a farm boy happens upon a dragon's egg -- a discovery that leads him on a predestined journey where he's the one person who can defend his home against an evil king.

AFTER: This is the story of a lowly blond farmboy, who finds out he has a mystical ability, and then his uncle gets murdered by the villain's men as he sets out to rescue a princess. Seems like I've seen that storyline before somewhere else... Instead of the Force, however, his ability is dragon-riding, and telepathy with a blue dragon. Interesting how mental communication with the dragon probably cut the film's animation budget significantly - is that too cynical of me?

Jeremy Irons takes the Kenobi-like mentor role, and John Malkovich and Robert Carlyle play the villains. It's still essentially "Star Wars" recast in the medieval fantasy world of "Lord of the Rings", with bits of "Harry Potter" thrown in - so why wasn't it a bigger hit? Admittedly, there are some story problems - like how can one dragon signal the return of the dragon riders (plural). Don't you need, like a male and a female dragon to make more baby dragons?

I know this movie was adapted from a book, maybe they left a lot of little details out? The film clearly sets up a sequel, but who knows if it will ever get made...

RATING: 6 out of 10 orcs - oops, I mean Urgals.