Review: Eragon

UK release date: 15th December

It’s set in a world of dragons and sorcery, but Eragon fails to conjure the magic of Christopher Paolini’s bestselling book.

Newcomer Ed Speleers stars (with some initial uncertainty) as the titular farm boy who becomes a “dragon rider”, threatening the tyrannical rule of King Galbatorix (a gnashing John Malkovich). Jeremy Irons employs a dry sense of humour as Eragon’s mentor Brom, which helps to alleviate some of the tedium as the kid struggles to decide what his true mission is. Rachel Weisz voices Saphira, the winged beast that carries Eragon into battle, although getting there proves to be a dizzying ride.

First-time director Stefen Fangmeier provides occasional distraction from the dithering script with adrenaline-fuelled flying scenes. But sadly the CGI effects aren’t good enough to make Saphira an emotionally engaging character, so the relationship between her and Eragon fails to spark.

Radio Times rating:

**

UK cinema certificate PG
Running time 103mins

Review by Stella Papamichael

News: Rachel Weisz

Brit lovely Rachel Weisz is just one of the big names in this week’s kids’ fantasy Eragon, though she’s only on voice duties. We’ll soon be seeing a lot more of her, however, with a number of big parts in big movies due over the next weeks, months and years.

Due in January, after a perhaps appropriately insanely long wait, is oddball director Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain – a much-delayed, hugely ambitious sci-fi/fantasy romance spanning 1,000 years and three separate, if linked, storylines revolving around Hugh Jackman’s efforts to find Weisz, his one true love. It has been slated at least as much as praised by those who have seen it so far, so could prove interesting.

Then will come more standard fare, with Weisz’s turn in the comedy/romance Definitely, Maybe, written and directed by the writer of Bridget Jones 2 and Wimbledon. But then it’s back to the experimental, with a role in cult director Wong Kar-Wai’s My Blueberry Nights, starring Norah Jones as a woman taking a road trip across the US, and co-starring the likes of Jude Law, Tim Roth, Natalie Portman and Ed Harris. She’ll be teaming up with Wong Kar-Wai again in 2008 for a remake of Orson Welles’ classic The Lady From Shanghai, with Weisz set to take the Rita Hayworth role.

Before that, though, it’s back to comedy, with a part in the Paul Giamatti and Vince Vaughan-starring festive bit of fun Fred Claus, due Christmas 2007, as well as another return to Africa following Weisz’s superb, Oscar-winning turn in The Constant Gardener. This time it’ll be a period piece, with Weisz playing the object of Colin Firth’s affections in the 19th century historical drama The Colossus,covering the final years of Cecil Rhodes’ regime in what is now Zimbabwe. Sir Ian McKellen will take on the role of the imperial hero/scoundrel.

News: Robert Carlyle

Carlyle’s been fairly anonymous of late, hardly taking any high-profile film roles since 2001’s rather shoddy The 51st State. This week’s Eragon may not quite see a return to his former starring form, but there is some promise on the horizon. First, after British disaster flick The Flood – with Carlyle as a marine biologist desperately racing to save London from a massive tidal surge – will come 28 Weeks Later, a sequel to 2002’s cult horror hit 28 Days Later, and therefore likely to strike box office gold.

But potentially most interesting in terms of Carlyle’s career revival, is The Meat Trade. Taken from a screenplay by Irving Welsh, the man responsible for Trainspotting, which kick-started Carlyle’s film career, the Scotsman will star alongside Colin Firth in a tale of body-snatching and mayhem on the streets of contemporary Edinburgh. It could be bonkers, by the Welsh brand is still just about strong enough to sell…

News: Djimon Hounsou

Next up for Hounsou, in cinemas this week in Eragon, is Blood Diamond – a tale of African diamond smuggling that’s hotly tipped for Oscar glory. Hounsou himself has already won an award or two for his performance, and some are tipping co-star Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor at the Academy Awards in February. It’s due out in the UK on 26th January 2007.

Despite all this success, Hounsou so far only has one other film in the pipeline, The Trunk, in which he’ll play a young pianist from the ghetto, desperate to get out but held backby his friends. It’s rather low budget, and seems likely to do little business. But who knows? If Oscar comes calling for Blood Diamond, anything could happen…