I have never read “Eragon” or the sequel, “Eldest.” I knew nothing about a farm boy named Eragon, his dragon, Saphira, or a demonic sorcerer named Durza before taking my seat in the theater the other day. I had no expectations of this film knocking my socks off, which it didn’t, but I didn’t hate it either, which a lot of fans of the books apparently do. I read one review from a dad who said his son cried because of all the things that were wrong in the movie. A friend of mine was sick the day after he saw it. It may have just been a coincidence, but maybe not. Regardless, to the uninitiated, “Eragon” is just a short, wobbly fantasy movie that looks puny and weak when compared to the grand “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, but still delivers a fun escape for an afternoon.

The movie opens with a girl being chased through the woods, she carries a blue stone (an egg) and upon her capture, uses magic to send it to its new owner. The owner is Eragon, a farm-boy who lives with his uncle, and soon the stone hatches and Eragon finds a baby dragon. It turns out that Eragon is the last of the Dragon Riders and his dragon grows up very quickly (too quickly, if you ask me). A man named Brom, played by Jeremy Irons, teaches Eragon about riding dragons and fighting and he also teaches him about his destiny and what his emergence means to a people suffering under an evil king. I know, it sounds a lot like “Star Wars.” All that was missing was a fussy robot and his sidekick.

That’s not to say “Eragon” isn’t without its bright spots. Irons is terrific as Brom and Rachel Weisz gives an excellent voice to Saphira. The kid playing Eragon is kind of blah and Djimon Honsou isn’t great as a Varden king, but Robert Carlyle was a great foil as Durza and hopefully John Malkovich will have more to do in the sequels. I have a feeling that the movie would have been better and wouldn’t have felt so rushed if they had been given another half hour to fill. It may have even made the fans of the books happier, since the makers of the film would have had to cut less. Viewers were spoiled by Peter Jackson’s “Ring” trilogy, which ran as long as Jackson wanted them to and included lots of incredible detail.

So, if you liked the books, word on the street is stay away. If you have never read the books, there are worse ways to spend an hour and a half.

**1/2

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