Eragon

Based on the first volume of a fantasy series penned by Christopher Paolini, who was a teen himself when he began the novel, this tale of a young farm boy chosen to battle an evil king and his mystical sorcerer henchman by becoming the first new dragon rider in years, is predictably derivative—essentially dropping the Star Wars story into a Lord of the Rings context. The young Eragon (Ed Speleers) is selected for his heroic task when the last dragon egg in the world hatches for him and quickly grows into the high-flying Saphira, with whom he can converse telepathically. Eragon is befriended by Brom (Jeremy Irons), a local coot (like Obi-Wan Kenobi) who turns out to be a former dragon rider himself and trains the lad while escorting him to a group of rebels awaiting a promised warrior who will inspire them to take up arms again. There's a big battle at the end in which Eragon proves his mettle by meeting the evil sorcerer one-on-one (or two-on-two, if you count their dragons), and an epilogue that promises a sequel. Filmmaker Stefen Fangmeier's Eragon may appeal to fans of Paolini's books, but the lame dialogue, over-the-top acting, and unexceptional special effects here won't help broaden the audience. Not recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, or a two-disc widescreen version, DVD extras on the two-disc special edition include audio commentary by director Stefen Fangmeier, the multi-part “Inside the Inheritance Trilogy: The Magic of Eragon” (52 min.), a 45-minute “The Secrets of Algaësia” visual effects documentary, 20 minutes of “The Inhabitants of Algaësia” character profiles, seven deleted/extended scenes with optional commentary (13 min.), the original animatic sequence “Arya's Ambush” with commentary (5 min.), an interview with author Christopher Paolini (4 min.), “Becoming a Dragon Rider” on creating the video game (3 min.), “Saphra's Animation Guide” with commentary (2 min.), storyboards, a pronunciation guide, a conceptual artwork gallery, the text of the first two chapters of the second novel Eldest, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a disappointing film.] (F. Swietek)