My blog output has shrunken these last weeks, as the exams are drawing nearer. I'm very busy studying; but tonight I thought I should see a movie. Did I pick a good one? Well... read on.
I heard rumours about a new fantasy movie, and I figured I ought to see it. I'm a fan of fantasy and science fiction; not to the extent that I would dress up in a klingon suit and recite Hamlet, but here and there I like a good science fiction/fantasy book or movie. I don't really consider fantasy movies/books as an art form in the sense of art bringing some deeper insight into the meaning of life. They can be very complex, beautifully written (as in the beauty of the laguage used), and they take you somewhere else; everytime I read a fantasy book or see a movie I'm somewhere else; not only that - I'm in another time also... I'm back in my childhood, experiencing a fairytale. Mayhap it is exactly this what's making me enjoy fantasy - real word is sometimes just to real for me, and sometimes I need a break from reality.
This is what I was expecting when I popped Eragon on my computer. But what happened is as follows: I did get transported to another place. One where I was up to my knees in bull-shit.
Yes, that might seem very harsh at first... But,... No, it's quite adequate. This movie really is bad. I will not elaborate on the story here; every interested party can check the movie itself. Or better yet - don't check it. You will waste two precious hours of your life you could invest better in having a headache.
But every statement has a why, that I understand. What is so bad about the movie? It certainly isn't the effects - they are good (not on par with Lord of the rings, but still); but every fantasy movie has to have good effects if it has any pretension to be called a fantasy movie. The story (though not vital in this genre) has left much to be desired. Let's look at the time frame first; it happens only in three days. In these three (3!) days, that is 72 hours, our hero turns from a farm boy to a professional warrior and wizard. Haloa? Even God took a 6 day sabbatical to create the universe, and he was all-powerful. It all just seemed to easy... the elements that keep the story flowing were missing - depiction of fear, despair, danger. Yes, they were present, but not in such a way as to influence the viewers to live and feel as part of the story.
And dragons - big, cold lizards spewing fire at will. Not exactly the first choice when it comes to ideal, housebroken companions. In Eragon they are depicted as warm, friendly (even motherly) figures. Somehow this just seems implausible to me. Yes, true, this is fantasy... but what we experience in our imagination is tightly connected to our existence in the real world. It is very hard to imagine a whole new world completely different than ours, maybe even impossible. And I, for myself, can't imagine to ever pet the cold skin of reptiles.
I could go on, but I choose not to: In short - the narrative just has isn't convincing; the adjective I'd use is "ludicrous". But let's move on - the characters. At best they seemed one-dimensional, at worst just simply plain. Creating the dynamic in a movie are the relationships between characters; these relationships have to be evident, or at least hinted at. The characters in Eragon simply feel unrelated even though they are all part of the same space-time continuum. Everyone has it's own story and problems, but they have hardly any effect on other characters or the narrative. I just didn't feel any social dynamics; it's like looking at a group of people talking aloud without talking together; there is no question - response, or statement - response, situation. Just noise, made of individual human voices.
Every movie has to have comic suspense-dischargers. But unluckily the authors's idea of sarcasm is limited to insipid and boring situation humor. There is only one type of joke, and it wasn't funny even the first time it appeared.
My recommendation? Stear clear. This movie lacks all the magic a good fantasy story needs; it won't take you places; it won't show you things. You won't feel enchanted. Kolatkar
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