i was obsessed with the books and the movie was SO disappointing. aging Saphira up so fast was so stupid. a good portion of the first book is Saphira and Eragon growing, learning, and getting stronger TOGETHER.
When I first watched the movie as a child, I eventually the book several years later because I remember liking it initially. Then a few years later, I got to watch the movie again and realized just how bad it was, both due to my standards for movies going up with age and me knowing the source material. The worst part was exactly what you mentioned. Robbing us of Saphira's first word was a crime.
one of my fav fantasy books that had a shot on a movie that was better not having lol rly wish Disney comes up with a good lore acurate version of it, cus the world and the development on the books are so well put that not having it just brakes the rest of it
They would have to speed it up honestly but the way they did it was atrocious by just having her grow up instantly in the span of not even two fucking minutes. They didn't even follow the story properly having Brom die the way he does in the movie was fucking insulting because it takes away from the ending. One of the most offensive things was the way they designed the dwarven tunnels and hidden city like the fuck it was in the mountains not on the other fucking side of them. I mean honestly you read it's an underground city plus fucking they're dwarves so you can assume it would be underground even if they didn't read the book at all to any extent like the actual fuck.
6:30 “When you don’t respect the source material, it ends up alienating the diehard book readers that should’ve been the film’s core fan base.” Words to live by.
@@jayw900 In fantasy it is - and it shows on most shows running: "LotR" RoP, the Witcher, StarWars (almost anything recently) and Eragon up here as well. If you disrespect the source/changing it/throwing it away, you look like a cheap copy, fanfiction. And most lore-loving audience, who should absolutely root for you, spread good news about bringing their loved lore to light, will hate you for it. Which is always a bad move, because those should be your allies and are one of strongest if done right.
As a fan of the books, I remember being so confused when I watched the DVD deleted scenes because every single one, literally all of them, we're all important story beats that would set up the beginning of the second book. They cut out whole characters that had important places in the overarching plot. Even if this movie had somehow gotten a sequel, it wouldn't have made any sense.
I could be wrong, since its been a really long time since I've read the books, but as I recall, the Ra'zac (I think thats what they were called? Again, its been a while.) played a pretty significant part in the next book. But they were just kind of unceremoniously killed off in the first movie. So if they tried to make the sequel, they would be desperately trying to find filler content to make up for the content that they made impossible in the first movie.
They fucked up the lore so bad that it was literally impossible to have a second film based on the second book. Core characters killed off, core story beats changed, mechanics of magic completely yeeted
Seriously I think Arya just straight up leaves at the end of the movie? In the book Eragon leaves with her to the land of the elves, so I can't imagine how they expected to do a second movie from that point. That part always felt like a clear message that the creators of the film never intended to adapt the sequels in the first place.
@@jaredcullum117 They also skipped over eragon being crippled by the wraith. His brother roran disappears for ever and is treated like a throw away character despite being a major character. No none human looked none human and i think even the twins where not really a thing either.
I honestly forgot that they had Brom kill the Raz'ac in the movie. By doing so they essentially killed off Roran. Without the Raz'ac he has no reason to join the Varden
Book: Eragon is a year younger and a dirty farmer boy Arya is an elf and actually looks like one Arya does not have a romantic interest in Eragon Eragon gives Saphira her name after he asks Brom for dragon names Later it turns out, Saphira also was the name of Brom's dragon Saphira grows at a natural rate and does not have scales that look like feathers, she has wing membrams like most other dragons Saphira's scales accidentally skin Eragon's legs, the first time he rides her Eragon and Saphira share a very deep mental bond Eragon, Brom and Saphira come by a destroyed village, with all the villagers slaughtered Eragon, Brom and Saphira stop at a city to get informations from Brom's friend Jeod Brom is killed by the Ra'zac, not Durza Saving Arya was not planned, Eragon just ended up in the same prison as her Brom is already dead by the time Arya is saved Arya is unconscious for the whole time of their journey to the varden, she is not awake for even a minute The final battle takes place on the edge of a dwarven city Said city is build in an enormous inactive volcanic crater There are dwarfs, that look like dwarfs Urgals are larger than humans, have horns and leather like skin Shruikan is so large, that he literally is Galbatorix' throne room Shruikan does not make an appearance, until the last book Galbatorix does not make an appearance, until the last book Murtagh is a very interesting character, with lots of unique traits Ra'zac have a beak, wear long coats and are capable of speaking The Ra'zac do not die until the third book and it takes Eragon, Roran and Saphira all together to kill them The Ra'zac have parents, that are as big and dangerous as dragons Nasuada, Solembum and Jeod exist and have important roles Angela is way more mysterious and interesting Durza does not have a shadow dragon There is no air battle Arya rides Saphira in the final battle Eragon and Saphira leave with Arya, to find teachers among the elves I literally could write a hundred more things. This just barely covers the first book and the events that happened in the film. But I won't, because it just makes me more angry, that there is actually a movie named Eragon, that disrespected the heck out of its source material. I remember loving the world and character building in the books. Even small things, like the story of their horses. And I don't even like horses! The film does nothing of that, it feels hollow and empty. It just wears that name, but does nothing to develop the potential. And that is a very sad thing.
Reading your summary makes it all come back to me. I loved the first book but have forgotten most of it because I watched the movie and all I remember is getting so angry my friend had to tell me to calm down. Totally covered up the story in my memory and caused me to never pick up another one of the books. A true tragedy. Maybe I'll read them to my children one day.
@@Leovwin Read them to you before the "maybe one day" the film of the same name can not be allowed to tarnish the beauty of the inheritance cycle. Allowing the disrespect of the film to ruin the books is akin to letting a strangers child cause you to fall out with your best friend because said child has a snotty nose and has the same name as your friend. The may be named the same but they are completely different.
I will say, Saphira’s appearance in the movies wasn’t a huge deal for me, I kind of liked the visual way they went, to make her stand out against a backdrop of already famous dragons, but of course the other issues completely overshadow that
@@WiseOakDakota Actually, I used to like Saphira's appearance in this movie. But looking back at it, not even considering her appearance in the book, she does look off. With those large feather scales, her wings look way too heavy to actually carry her. Also the blue is far off from azure or sapphire. I think she would have looked a lot better, if they had stuck with wing membranes, but still added some feathers to her body, to make her beautiful.
Funny enough Eragon has a Cousin named Roran in the books that just doesn't exist in the movie. He's sweet on the local butcher's daughter and ends up going on his own journey, leading the townspeople to a safer place after their hometown is destroyed. It's been a while so I don't remember all the details, but along the way he fights in iconic battles that tell us more about Galbatorix's rule and the journey eventually brings us to kingdoms outside of his control. Roran's story tells us so much more about the world of Alagesia from the perspective of normal people without magic or dragons.
His story also shows us the other side of magic. While for Eragon and the elves magic is this wonderful tool for good, for anyone without it it's a dangerous and terrifying thing.
I never read the books, but my stepdad brought home the movie and all I could think was, "This is some of the worst writing I've ever heard." My stepdad did read the first book, and even he agreed that the movie sucked.
Alex Pettyfer turned down Eragon only to end up doing Stormbreaker, another attempt to start a franchise based on a novel that also crashed and burned due to a disastrous first movie and failed to launch the actors career
It is SOBERING to think that a movie as incredible as fellowship of the ring was made with a slightly smaller budget than eragon. The two aren’t even comparable in terms of quality. I love the inheritance cycle so much, but the movie just failed us fans completely.
The reason this movie failed was they missed out so much of the lore and changed far too much. Elves didn't look like elves, the city of Farthen Dur is supposed to be a fantastical city inside a mountain and so on.
@@Orquet-qj2nf nothing was plagiarised that is just a myth that defenders of the film try to state as fact. Elf's look the way they do because that is there general appearance in folklore the same is true of dwarfs.
@ that’s just not correct. The strongest comparisons are to Star Wars, but the story takes on its own identity as the author literally grows up. The only real comparisons to LotR are the elves, dwarves, and urgals, but the cultures of each are incredibly different, especially the elves and urgals. If you have specific references, please support your claim ❤️
@@AndrewJamesWilliams I would credit Tolkien with popularizing our modern idea of elves and dwarves (he would fight you on calling them Elfs 😆), but even then he so openly took inspiration from folklore and myth that anyone saying Christopher plagiarized Tolkien for using those races are just highlighting how uneducated they are on the matter. Plagiarizing is usually about story, and there’s really nothing by narratively that resembles LotR, so I don’t know what this guy is on about. I agree, it’s a poor argument. Star Wars would have been a much better argument for this guy to make, but even then, there are plenty of distinctions.
What went wrong with the Eragon movie? Well, they tried to take parts of two books and force it into one movie. When the books were such well crafted fantasy(as well crafted as someone Paolini's age was actually capable, there was a good bit of cliché in his writing, but it was actually written in a fun way, though his lack of refinement is very evident in the first book), they should have focused on telling more of the first story and not trying to rush into the real parts about Dragon Riders until it was actually time to learn about them. I know that is what the Movie is about, the Dragon rider, but the book is about the journey to actually becoming one, and it's about so much more. Paolini did a really good job writing those books. They are examples or really fun fantasy! I wish they would have cared more about telling the story that was written rather than only trying to tell the story about the Dragon Rider which isn't the only thing Eragon is about.
I should give the series a second chance. I only read the first book and when the second book came out I heard that one of the characters was forced to take an oath that forced him to be evil and so never even tried reading the second book.
@@teresaellis7062why would that make you not even try? If memory serves, it was more of an oath of service to an evil man, not to make themselves evil.
I read the first three books by the time I saw the movie...and damn... I was actually kinda disgusted with how disappointing the movie was. Massive fumble.
To be fair, the first book IS basically a by-the-numbers heroes' journey, we don't get the more dynamic and interesting plot until the later books. But the thing I like most about Eragon is the magic system and the way the worldbuilding wraps around it. For those that haven't read it, I'll just say that I love how Eragon learning and understanding the magic system is what enables the climax and conclusion of the series to work. He doesn't just "level up" as a generic fantasy character enough to fight the badguy, he actually does something really cool and unique (but not an ass-pull) using the rules of the system. SPOILERS: Eragon is able to defeat Galbatorix because he knows that it's possible to use magic without the ancient language, allowing him to bypass what Galbatorix did using the name. His understanding of the nature of magical protections also allows him to find a weakness in the wards, and his association with the dragons allowed them to empower his spell in ways that Galbatorix could never achieve without the willing participation of his captured hearts. Nothing that happens in the climactic battle comes out of nowhere, from Murtaugh breaking out of Galbatorix's control by changing his true name to Galbatorix annihilating himself in a nuclear blast everything was based on something established before in some other situation. It all comes together in a very satisfying way.
Well, if you read Sousou no Frieren and watch the anime, it is a "hero's" journey (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) While I know anime and movies are different, there was no excuses to butcher the movielike they did.
@@Deca777-g3o Yes, he does used magic, "ancient" magic. From what I remember, he also breaks some of the rules of the universe that govern how magic work
The irony of this film failing for being too derivative and trying to appeal to the widest possible audience is that the entire identity of the book series is built on that. Nearly every aspect of the books is blatantly pulled from other works. However, Paolini's prose is easy to engage with, and he makes all the derivative elements mesh in a manner that allows them to stand on their own merits. This movie just has the derivation. Also, what saddens me about this film is how perfect so many actors were to play their characters, both in terms of appearance and their ability to capture the essence of how their character was in the books. Jeremy Irons was a perfect Brom, Robert Carlyle was a perfect Durza, and Djimon Houndou was a perfect Ajihad. I even think John Malcovich could have been perfect for Galbatorix if he'd been given book material to work with (rather than all the scenes he got, which were made up for the film).
The magic system was different from any other fantasy I've ever engaged with though, and I think especially in later books it ended up being used very cleverly.
I agree with all of these points, seeing JM ham it uo as a true villain the mad king woukd have been fun, I've been trying to fan cast and I can't think of anyone I'd want in that role
Just gonna hop on here and add that the Ra'zac in the books were actually scary and a real threat, whereas the movie graced us with what I can only describe as "humanoid walking compost piles with blades sticking out of their arms."
It''s worth noting that Christopher Paolini has said in interviews that he deliberately based the novel on Star Wars and followed its plot closely. The book is an intentionally derivative work. Star Wars is noted as being a quintessential example of the classic "Hero's Journey", and this is why Paolini's fomula resembles it so closely. Paolini was able to add plenty of flavour and colour around the edges, which is why the books sold so well. The movie took the formula but ignored all the flavour and yeah the movie is balls as a result.
@DoritoBot9000 tolkien defined the standard for modern fantasy. It doesn't need to be said that anything remotely fantastical draws inspiration from Tolkien's work! That said, Paolini's elves and dwarves are blatant ripoffs haha
Murtagh actually got really screwed over he is "like a brother" to Eragon they grew close during their travels to the Varden and he was set free for the climactic battle because up till that point he was considered to be a security risk but when the battle was about to arrive the leader of the Varden, Ajihad, decided that Murtagh wouldn't be much more of a threat than what they were already facing and it could be a good test of character for him. Also "the twins" that were also cut out of the story were the ones that did the interrogation of Eragon, Murtagh and Saphira, and were important to the plot.... As were the Dwarves and many other characters...... * sigh * It could have been such an amazing epic but turned out to be a pile of turds.....
This video is how I found out there even was early development on another Eragon project. That series was a staple of my middle school and early high school years. I will always have a soft spot for it.
I was a fan of the books as a very young kid ( under 10 years old, some of the first books I read ). They were given to me by my uncle, once I found out about the movie, I asked him for the movie. He replied : let’s not watch it, alright ?
I loved this series as a kid and was excited when I found out there was an Eragon movie. In the opening scene John Malkovitch (Galbatorix) is being pissy about losing the dragon egg BUT instead says "I want the STONE" instead. He knew it was an egg, his lieutenant knew it was an egg, the only people who didn't know that for a fact was the audience and the script chose to play to the "woah it's a dragon egg!!" reveal for the viewers that hadn't heard of the series before. The only thing that did was alienate the fans of the book bc it makes it immediately obvious they don't care about the integrity of the worldbuilding, which is kinda a major draw for what is supposed to be a high fantasy setting!! I stuck it out for a little longer, but once Saphira flew up in the sky and came back down completely aged up I got up and ejected the disk. First movie I chose to not finish.
My dad downloaded the movie somewhere and when i watched it, i told him there was something wrong with the file, because half of the story from the book was missing. Years later it aired on tv and i realised the movie was just bad
The only thing that was done pretty good was the overall CGI model of Saphira, although I still don’t like that they gave her feathers. If I remember correctly the creature designers wanted her to stand out against the other dragons and to look more angelic. While I like the overall idea, I think it could be executed in a different way. Considering how much happens in the book, Eragon is far better suited as an tv series, so I think this has potential. I just hope that they don’t animate the dragons like those in Game of Thrones, since the dragons in Eragon have four legs and a pair of wings
I remember reading somewhere that the author, when asked what he thought about the movie adaptation replied something along the lines of “What Movie adaptation?”
When the movie first came out he was interviewed by someone and he completely sidestepped the question of whether or not he liked the movie by instead talking about about hearing lines of dialogue he wrote being spoken by the actors feeling surreal; or something similar.
I will mever forget this movie for being the reason I first started thinking critically about the media I consume. I was 9 years old and Eragon was my favorite book. I had read it multiple times already and I was so excited for the movie. It was my first real taste of disappointment. Usually as a 9 year old, just about any movie is fun. What 9 years old doesnt like bright colors, cool action scenes, and magic? But this movie was the first time I thought "hmm, this is bad actually and I'm not enjoying watching it"
I was the right age to enjoy this and a work friend gave me the book in anticipation of seeing the midnight showing of the film. I devoured the book and went to the movie. I've never experienced a circle of raging nerds/fans like the one that formed at the front of the theater after that turd ended! Haven't had a desire to see it ever again.
I told my family after seeing this movie that they wouldn't make the sequel. Because, *spoiler*, one big plot point of the next book is the main character's brother killing people with a hammer. The way they handled this movie, they couldn't go to that in the next.
Not only that, but the whole problem of the Dwarves being background characters that weren't referred to, or acknowledged outside of like, 3 sentences and some quick b roll shots. They become a huge part of the story at the end of book 1 and book 2, so the fact they're not mentioned at all, is bothersome.
I remember I was living in the country when this came out so I hadn't heard about it. I was already a fantasy fan and when someone brought this movie home I was excited about the cover with the dragon. I popped it in and was pretty disappointed, even as a younger teen.
So funny story, my family watched a LOT of movies together. it was like a weekly occurrence to pick up a bargain bin movie and watch it. This film ended up being one of them, a solid B tier movie that never ended up getting re-watched because it just wasnt *that* good... fast forward 2-3 yrs later when I found the book on my library's shelves and started reading it. I fell in love with it. I was mid way through book 3 when i was walking past the movie shelf and the Title of "Eragon" caught my eye. I remember looking at it, tilting my head and trying to recall the plot of the movie before a look of sheer *horror* came over my face as i realized THAT movie, was supposed to be THIS book. (or the first book in this series anyway) They were so drastically different (and the movie so unmemorable) that it took me 3 books and mere chance to realize they were the same story.
3:35 Yep! The Inheritance Cycle went from a trilogy to a quadrilogy, and now with the release of the fifth full-length novel last year, it's a full-on _pentology._
@@Michael-bn1oi Well, the terminology used in the first two books was "book 1/book 2 of the Inheritance Trilogy) because it was planned to be one. When the third came out, it said "Inheritance Cycle) and he talked in an authors note in it about how he needed to split the last book into two, and then left it as is for about a decade before deciding that he wanted to write more books in the series. We use the terms because those are the terms the books themselves used as they were coming out
@@marsjaninzmarsa Murtagh came out last November, and the short story collection from the same universe, The Fork The Witch & The Worm, came out in 2021 I think
It's been years since I watched this movie as well as read the books themselves but I still remember the moment when I knew this was a bad adaptation, and it was when they said Eragon was 17 years old and not 15. The issue is that his 16th birthday is a big plot point in one of the sequels (I've forgotten why) so to fly past it at the very start told me that there wasn't any care in keeping with the source material. As for the derivative hero's journey story, like others have said, that part is pretty accurate. But the book did more to stand out via lots of pages, and it forms its own identity by the second book. Like you mentioned, the author was young when he wrote the first book so I feel it gets a pass for being a bit derivative plus it still had unique ideas which is what you're supposed to do with that kind of story. It wasn't a simple copycat like "Star Wars with dragons" but when you boil it down to the essentials like the movie does, you lose most of the unique stuff. I honestly didn't know that Disney acquired the rights (forgot 20th Century Fox had them) nor did I hear a new adaptation is happening. And better yet it'll be a TV show with the author having more control like what happened with Percy Jackson. Along with PJ, this IP was another one that I was constantly hoping would get another adaptation after a decade had passed. Hollywood constantly wants to recapture old success with remakes when it's the failures that should be remade. Learn from the mistakes and you'll have a better outcome (like letting the author oversee the adaptation, why do studios keep failing at this?)
In the books it was written off a little, just a little lore dump like the previous person said. Brom died a month before and Eragon was traveling to Gil'ead with Murtagh. He didn't even mention it to him just due to the everything that had and was happening.
I remember back in middle school or high school I noticed that Eragon had basically the same plot as Star Wars but in a different setting, and I thought I was really smart for noticing that because I didn't know anything.
Tronjheim, the fortress where the final battle takes place, is supposed to be a mountain-city made of solid, white marble, enormous in size, which itself is seated in the hollow basin of a long-dead volcano called Farthen Dûr that is miles high and miles across. It is the heart of the dwarven kingdoms, an immense spectacle of natural splendor, architecture and engineering, of elegant artistry and technical ingenuity. They turned it into a couple of caves. CAVES!!!! I’ll never get over it.
So I just got to the part where you said the movie was trying to go for realistic instead of a more fantastical and while I do agree, I also want to point out that they kind failed at that too. The costumes especially, they look all new and... Idk, store bought? xD So it doesn't look neither fantastical, nor really realistic. xD Just one of many issues, I guess xD That was a GREAT video btw. Thank you for it! I'm glad youtube dropped you on my Main Page, am already following now! See ya!
I seldom go to the movies and these analyses of unsatisfactory films don't make me want to go either! However I enjoy your study of them, of what works and what doesn't, and how they compare with ones that have been artfully created. It helps deepen the understanding of the intricacies of this art form. Thanks for the eye opening into deeper appreciation.
Watched the movie before I read the books. And I can honestly say that the books were more superior than the dumpster fire that was the movie. The movie has a nostalgic feel to it for me, but if I had to choose, I would choose the books over the movie any day of the year.
it’s such a stain if you ever tell anyone about the book series you use the inheritance cycle and if they ever hear the name of the first book they are like oh I remember that film and your like ugh their opinion is already soured We all hope the Disney series will be good but it’s up in the air and time will tell
I loved this film when I first saw it. Then I read the books (the two that were out at the time) and I can't watch this movie anymore. I love the inheritance cycle as a whole, it's absolutely got better over time as Paolini grew up and got more experience.
Eragon gave us one of the best Rifftrax of all time. "e-Ragon, the online Ragon merchant you can trust" is embedded into my brain anytime I hear the title.
The bit about how unimportant Murtagh is is great because in the books he’s insanely important. He’s basically the series’ Darth Vader in that he’s the enforcer of the evil emperor who has family ties to the hero and gets a redemption at the end. (He’s Eragon’s half brother)
I've never read the book, but I watched the film shortly after it came out with my father. My dad is/was a MASSIVE fan of the Eragon series, when we were getting ready to watch the movie he was ranting and raving at how amazing the books are and how he was looking forward to the film. After the movie this man was devastated, crushed, mad that they had just completely changed it. He used to have so much passion for the books and had them proudly displayed. I haven't seen those books in my parents house since LOL, that's how upset he was with the movies. As for me? I don't remember a single thing, I remember liking it but I was just a little kid so I saw dragon and went "wow!" and that's about it!
there might be a disney sponsored reboot as a tv-series, with Paolini as a co-producer. They writing the script at this stage, so might still be a few years. but I'm just glad we get a chance.
I love these books. This movie made me so mad. It was so poorly done they wouldn't have been able to make a second movie from it with any relation to the second book. Pushing this film through production was the worst thing they could have done when they didn't have any context for the second book. I will always hate this film and it would have been better if it was never made. I remember being so mad when I left that theater because they wasted my time as well on that crap.
I have all of the books. I remember being at an airport with my mum and realizing I had packed my gameboy in my luggage, not my carryon. I had NOTHING to do for a 17 hour flight back to my dad's. My mum took pity on me and with only about 20 minutes before boarding, we went to a bookstore and I saw Eragon in the new releases. I -loved it-. I absolutely consumed all of the following books. When I found out they were making a movie of it, I actually went to see it in theater. And was so pissed by the way they butchered it that I walked out. Didn't actually see the ending for almost a decade, and that's time in my life I'll never get back. I resent that this film exists, because the odds that anyone well ever come back and try again are next to zero.
I found this movie kinda good because I was like 10 at the time and I enjoyed anything related to dragons. I read the books like 2 years ago and wow the differences were huge. The books are amazing, the lore was astounding and Eragons journey was very unique and interesting. His brother Roran's story is even more epic in some ways than his. Like hands down one of the best leader archetypes I have seen and read about. What made it so interesting was that you did not know if he was going to be a hero or a villain. If he was a hero then you saw those traits and if he became a Villain you saw the evil traits. He didn't had special powers, or masters just his won skill, grit and strength. Murtagh is also another great character which a very compelling story. In the books you had all this characters that made the plot interesting and unexpected. That moved the plot in ways that you didnt see coming and that made you wonder what would happen if they met. Some characters had lore that was further developed after their death. They had characters that were like the same coin in different sides, characters that inspire, characters that had powerful magic, betrayal, and redemption. Eragon even became something more than a human.
Funny is, the exposition in the actual books (which I absolutely LOVE to this day) is not that hard to adapt into a movie. In the books, we get Eragon listening to Brom as he tells the stories of the betrayal of Galbatorix, BECAUSE Brom is the actual bard or storyteller of the village. You could have just had that exact scene, just Brom talking, but could have overlayed it with filmed scenes to show what happened. You could have also animated it, and portrayed it as Eragons imagination just running along with the story or something. Anything, really. And I didnt even remember how short that movie was. Crazy, if you think about it. The (german) audiobook for that first part is somewhere between 20 and 25 hours long. (Yes I know, a movie MUST always be shorter, especially since you can show things you would have to describe in the book version, but still)
I read the series through many times before I watched this movie. I was severely disappointed. The darker tone was mostly removed, the pacing was rushed while managing to stay boring, and super important stuff was just cut. I mean, shit that is really important throughout the series. There are brief glimpses of how amazing a film adaptation could be, but this isn't something I'll ever feel the need to revisit.
My family was poor, so going to the movies was super rare. I got my parents to take me to see Eragon, and I, as a child who could barely tell a good movie from a bad one, apologized to them on the way out of the theater.
Saw this in theaters when I was in high school with my family. My sister was excited for it because she had read the book (and she isn't a book reader, but she loved THIS book). I hadn't read the book, but I found it to be confusing and rushed, like they were skipping stuff and flying through it. My sister was mad because they had changed so much of the story, saying it wasn't recognizable. However, giving how Disney makes series, I wouldn't be too hopeful that it'll be much better.
The soundtrack is amazing at least. And we needed more Jeremy Irons playing mentor figures. And the dragon design was cool. The film was so ... Hollywoodified. The cuts and changes felt mandated by pennypinchers and execs who didnt read the book. And in hindsight the books weren't even that good.
It has been at a minimum 15 years since I read the first book Eragon. I was a huge reader growing up, huge into fantasy books, and this series was my favorite. It had a great balance (especially at the age I was and time) of in depth world building of the LOTR series (although clearly nowhere near Tolkien) with a faster pacing and more in depth character development of Harry Potter. I personally thought it was better than both (although now older and having reread all, I think LOTRs wins). Also, I was a young kid and I read up on Christopher Paolini and realized how young he was when he started writing and it was an inspiration. Really all around impactful series of my childhood. That being the case, I was ecstatic when I heard this movie was being made. That elation lasted literally until seeing the first trailer. From the trailer alone a simmering rage built in me that still lasts to this day. This movie (as other commenters have mentioned) is not an Eragon movie. It is an abomination that used the Eragon name as a Hannibal Lector skin mask to try and fool people into becoming a box office success. I cannot put to words how big of a tragedy this movie was and how horrible it truly was. Also, although having the author on is a great sign, I have no interest in a Disney show. They’ll fuck it up just as bad. They’re focused on pleasing way too many people, and every production where that goal is seemingly raised to the #1 priority ends up pleasing absolutely no one. If Apple or HBO produced the show I would be absolutely thrilled. Disney does not have what it takes.
I've read the books and always wanted to see the main battles or plot points developed. From guerilla warfare to enourmous clashes, the other books had a lot to show, plus the worldbuilding was really good
I read the books before the movie came out. I was so excited for the movie. I went to see it in theaters and was so angry, upset, and sad that they messed it up so badly that it was unable to be salvaged. I literally cried.
I enjoyed reading the books and found his writing improved with each one. It was nice to see an author grow with their story. I remember being excited when the movie came out, but I so disappointed with the movie I couldn't enjoy any part of it.
I watched this in theaters and was so excited! I bought a bag of vanilla clodhoppers and to this day whenever I remember the movie I think of the awful taste of too many vanilla clodhoppers in a row. I was 11 years old and my friends laughed hysterically at certain perfomances but I couldn’t have fun because I was just hoping it would get better but it never did 😢
Great analysis. It’s definitely not better than the books but i enjoyed the show for what it was. They definitely have alot of improvement for the incoming seasons
11:33 in. Yup, that describes the book, too. I read a spoof of the last showdown in the book where the John Malkovitch character was rewritten as dead. Literally nothing else had to change. If your villian can be rewritten as dead and the exact same events would happen anyways, you did a bad job writing your villian. The main characters are driven by dreams of fame, fortune, and glory. The bad guys are bad only because they insist citizens pay some taxes. The main character was a complete Gary Stu and sociopath who conveniently forgets he can erase memories when there's witnessess who need silencing so he can go stabby stab on them instead.
i haven't read the books, so when i saw the movie, 3yrs old dragon obsessed me loved it, i still do, it feels so nostalgic and i just love everything about it, including Sapphiras design, i understand the criticism and that's kind of why i shy away from the books, i love it too dearly to shatter my views on it
This movie made my young self curious enough to read the books which lead to me basically never wanting to watch the movie again. The same can also be said for mortal instruments city of bones. I think they tried to cram the ultimate finale of all the books into the end of the movie. Another adaptation I simply dislike is ella enchanted. They turned a really interesting book into an unserious comedy. Sure there are people who like that, but I'll never be satisfied until someone makes a faithful adaptation.
Both I and my boyfriend separately had the experience of watching this movie as kids, thoroughly enjoying it, reading the book to experience more of the world and then coming to hate the movie 😂 Eragon is his favourite book series now, he’s slowly making his way through Murtagh.
My dad took me to see the movie. When he would question where the story was going he would look at my face and know that what was happening on screen wasn't how it was supposed to go.
at least eragon is trying to come back now. with the current kickstarter for an official Saphira figure for backers that has reached a goal where you get a small Eragon to go with her. Honestly I'm hopeful with the resurgence in books and merch that maybe something might happen be it a tv series or something else. I was actually introduced to the movie first as a dragon loving child and fell in love with it (due to the dragon) and then read the books and fell in love with it even more
Love the books. HATED the movie. For absolutely everything that you said and has been said in the comments. To add my own bit, when I was a kid reading these books, I was a major dragon nerd, to the point of pedantry. I’ve never been so incensed when watching the first few minutes of exposition about dragons and the film had the AUDACITY to show me a drawing of a griffon! I was 15, at peek pedant and super offended. Honestly, it still bothers me that they added feathers to the dragons. They didn't have feathers in the book. but at the time, the discovery of dinosaurs possibly having feathers was all the rage… so they had to cash in on that i guess? it was so stupid.
They desperately want people to believe the nonsense of dinosaurs turning into birds. Despite the utter impossibility of such a feat, gullible children believe anything and then they grow up still believing fairy tales that were renamed science and programmed to place "science" above logic.
The book was one giant plagiarism monstrosity. Paolini was fortunate enough that he ripped off authors that were old or unalive which is how he got away with it. Also, Brom teaching Eragon how to read: "This is the letter A. Learn it."
I only love the movie for one reason, it got me into books. No, not just the Inheritance Series, but all books. I was around 8 when the movie came out, and I was obsessed with Dragons after finding the Dragonology book at our Library and making my poor father read it to me over and over again until I had the pages memorized myself... Then my Father read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to me before I was allowed to watch the movies. It made me realize how different things could be between the two medias. (Gandalf Losing to the Witch King in the movie is an utter travesty and I will not ever forgive it.) I was horrible at reading, and with no motivation other than school to push me I hadn't ever really tried to do it myself, despite enjoying listening to the stories read to me. Then Eragon came out in Theaters... I pestered my parents into taking me to see it at least three times, and some other relatives a couple more times. I loved it, I thought Saphira was the coolest dragon ever. My dad, for Christmas that year got me the book. I was beside myself, I glared at that book for three days before I finally got fed up and decided "I want to know what really happens in this story." It was off to the races from there, my teachers said they'd never seen a student improve their reading skill and comprehension so quickly. I went from Pre-K to 3rd grade reading level in under a month. Thus the great war with my teachers taking books away began. Love American Schools /s
The world building builds on top of why the plot is happening. We learn about the world and its people and why we got here. Its such a vital part of long story telling
The Star Wars thing is very evident in the original book as well. It follows along a bit less closely in the second book, then the third one goes off completely in its own direction (though almost nothing necessary to the overall plot happens in that book: "Yoda's" death aside), and then the final book is quite different, though I got the feeling the original plan would have stuck much closer to Star Wars. The author was though, as you say, very young when he started.
I remember seeing this movie with my dad when I was in 8th grade. I don’t hate it like a lot of people do. I still rewatch every now and then for some nostalgia. But I know it’s not a good movie. It did get me to read the books though!
I saw the movie before reading the books and liked it. I read three of the four books and now can't stand the movie. I'm glad you complimented on how well Sapphira looks, because I think she looked fantastic.
The only thing I remember about this movie is the song Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne made for it. Middle school was the prime age for AL, ah the go ol days
My cousin and I went to the midnight showing of this (being huge fans of the book at the time). We left the theater with such disappointment that we spent the more time criticizing everything about it than the duration of the film itself. It was so bad, I have never returned to the book series. Which is terribly sad to say. Maybe I would have liked the rest of the books, but that movie was a serious disservice to its source material.
I would love to see a proper adaptation of this. I read this series as a kid and liked it so much that I got the 4th book before French translations even became available (I had read the first 3 books in French). In an ideal world, a new adaptation could even fix some of the issues, like the goofy way they end up defeating Galbatorix. Serioisly, I hated that ending.
I loved this movie as a kid. And honestly, as an adult, I still love this movie but more so for the nostalgia it brings. I really hope this story gets a second chance with a new adaption.
I remember as a kid being struck by the fact that I felt no familiarity in the movie. I was a die hard fan of the books, and there was no nostalgia or recognition whatsoever. It didn’t call up my love for the characters, nothing. The only other movies that were like that to such an extent for me were Percy Jackson and the live cation avatar the last air bender
What I find weird is that I loved this movie as a kid, but never read the books and never understood why people hated it. Problem is, I never saw it again after watching it in theaters the first time. I loved it for the dragon and thought the action was cool, especially since there weren't like any dragon movies out at the time. I'm pretty sure if I watched it as an adult, I'd have a different opinion of it
i was obsessed with the books and the movie was SO disappointing. aging Saphira up so fast was so stupid. a good portion of the first book is Saphira and Eragon growing, learning, and getting stronger TOGETHER.
When I first watched the movie as a child, I eventually the book several years later because I remember liking it initially. Then a few years later, I got to watch the movie again and realized just how bad it was, both due to my standards for movies going up with age and me knowing the source material. The worst part was exactly what you mentioned. Robbing us of Saphira's first word was a crime.
I hope you've come across the Earthsea series!
that looked like pokemon's evolving
one of my fav fantasy books that had a shot on a movie that was better not having lol
rly wish Disney comes up with a good lore acurate version of it, cus the world and the development on the books are so well put that not having it just brakes the rest of it
They would have to speed it up honestly but the way they did it was atrocious by just having her grow up instantly in the span of not even two fucking minutes. They didn't even follow the story properly having Brom die the way he does in the movie was fucking insulting because it takes away from the ending. One of the most offensive things was the way they designed the dwarven tunnels and hidden city like the fuck it was in the mountains not on the other fucking side of them. I mean honestly you read it's an underground city plus fucking they're dwarves so you can assume it would be underground even if they didn't read the book at all to any extent like the actual fuck.
6:30
“When you don’t respect the source material, it ends up alienating the diehard book readers that should’ve been the film’s core fan base.”
Words to live by.
Not really. You are paid to do a job, not respect it. Sure, respecting it helps but it is not a requirement to do a competent job.
@@jayw900 In fantasy it is - and it shows on most shows running: "LotR" RoP, the Witcher, StarWars (almost anything recently) and Eragon up here as well. If you disrespect the source/changing it/throwing it away, you look like a cheap copy, fanfiction. And most lore-loving audience, who should absolutely root for you, spread good news about bringing their loved lore to light, will hate you for it. Which is always a bad move, because those should be your allies and are one of strongest if done right.
The source material wasn’t all that good to begin with too.
@@gantz22ify it was workable with and big enough to make a good movie out of it.
@@jayw900 And the Braindead Take Award goes to Jay
As a fan of the books, I remember being so confused when I watched the DVD deleted scenes because every single one, literally all of them, we're all important story beats that would set up the beginning of the second book. They cut out whole characters that had important places in the overarching plot. Even if this movie had somehow gotten a sequel, it wouldn't have made any sense.
I haven't seen any deleted scenes, who did they cover?
@@sethlaske6338i remember Katrina and the twins
I could be wrong, since its been a really long time since I've read the books, but as I recall, the Ra'zac (I think thats what they were called? Again, its been a while.) played a pretty significant part in the next book. But they were just kind of unceremoniously killed off in the first movie. So if they tried to make the sequel, they would be desperately trying to find filler content to make up for the content that they made impossible in the first movie.
durza is also in the sequels and much harder to replace LOL
I know the one about the baby (can't remember her name) he gives that dragon rider blessing thing to. Not surprised they cut out others
They fucked up the lore so bad that it was literally impossible to have a second film based on the second book. Core characters killed off, core story beats changed, mechanics of magic completely yeeted
Seriously I think Arya just straight up leaves at the end of the movie? In the book Eragon leaves with her to the land of the elves, so I can't imagine how they expected to do a second movie from that point. That part always felt like a clear message that the creators of the film never intended to adapt the sequels in the first place.
@@jaredcullum117 They also skipped over eragon being crippled by the wraith. His brother roran disappears for ever and is treated like a throw away character despite being a major character. No none human looked none human and i think even the twins where not really a thing either.
@@masonhill5157 *shade* and *cousin/adopted brother* but I totally agree, whoever wrote that script needs to be fed to the Ra'zac
I honestly forgot that they had Brom kill the Raz'ac in the movie. By doing so they essentially killed off Roran. Without the Raz'ac he has no reason to join the Varden
@@jaredcullum117she leaves and eragon doesnt care
Book:
Eragon is a year younger and a dirty farmer boy
Arya is an elf and actually looks like one
Arya does not have a romantic interest in Eragon
Eragon gives Saphira her name after he asks Brom for dragon names
Later it turns out, Saphira also was the name of Brom's dragon
Saphira grows at a natural rate and does not have scales that look like feathers, she has wing membrams like most other dragons
Saphira's scales accidentally skin Eragon's legs, the first time he rides her
Eragon and Saphira share a very deep mental bond
Eragon, Brom and Saphira come by a destroyed village, with all the villagers slaughtered
Eragon, Brom and Saphira stop at a city to get informations from Brom's friend Jeod
Brom is killed by the Ra'zac, not Durza
Saving Arya was not planned, Eragon just ended up in the same prison as her
Brom is already dead by the time Arya is saved
Arya is unconscious for the whole time of their journey to the varden, she is not awake for even a minute
The final battle takes place on the edge of a dwarven city
Said city is build in an enormous inactive volcanic crater
There are dwarfs, that look like dwarfs
Urgals are larger than humans, have horns and leather like skin
Shruikan is so large, that he literally is Galbatorix' throne room
Shruikan does not make an appearance, until the last book
Galbatorix does not make an appearance, until the last book
Murtagh is a very interesting character, with lots of unique traits
Ra'zac have a beak, wear long coats and are capable of speaking
The Ra'zac do not die until the third book and it takes Eragon, Roran and Saphira all together to kill them
The Ra'zac have parents, that are as big and dangerous as dragons
Nasuada, Solembum and Jeod exist and have important roles
Angela is way more mysterious and interesting
Durza does not have a shadow dragon
There is no air battle
Arya rides Saphira in the final battle
Eragon and Saphira leave with Arya, to find teachers among the elves
I literally could write a hundred more things. This just barely covers the first book and the events that happened in the film.
But I won't, because it just makes me more angry, that there is actually a movie named Eragon, that disrespected the heck out of its source material. I remember loving the world and character building in the books. Even small things, like the story of their horses. And I don't even like horses!
The film does nothing of that, it feels hollow and empty. It just wears that name, but does nothing to develop the potential. And that is a very sad thing.
Reading your summary makes it all come back to me. I loved the first book but have forgotten most of it because I watched the movie and all I remember is getting so angry my friend had to tell me to calm down. Totally covered up the story in my memory and caused me to never pick up another one of the books. A true tragedy. Maybe I'll read them to my children one day.
@@Leovwin Read them to you before the "maybe one day" the film of the same name can not be allowed to tarnish the beauty of the inheritance cycle. Allowing the disrespect of the film to ruin the books is akin to letting a strangers child cause you to fall out with your best friend because said child has a snotty nose and has the same name as your friend. The may be named the same but they are completely different.
I will say, Saphira’s appearance in the movies wasn’t a huge deal for me, I kind of liked the visual way they went, to make her stand out against a backdrop of already famous dragons, but of course the other issues completely overshadow that
@@WiseOakDakota Actually, I used to like Saphira's appearance in this movie. But looking back at it, not even considering her appearance in the book, she does look off. With those large feather scales, her wings look way too heavy to actually carry her. Also the blue is far off from azure or sapphire.
I think she would have looked a lot better, if they had stuck with wing membranes, but still added some feathers to her body, to make her beautiful.
Hell you can write alot about Murtagh alone and how he contributes to the plot of the book as a recurring character
There is no Eragon movie.
There is no war in ba sing sa lol
@@everfall1075 There is no spoon
The cake is a lie
There are two spoons
The hell is a spoon anyway
Funny enough Eragon has a Cousin named Roran in the books that just doesn't exist in the movie. He's sweet on the local butcher's daughter and ends up going on his own journey, leading the townspeople to a safer place after their hometown is destroyed. It's been a while so I don't remember all the details, but along the way he fights in iconic battles that tell us more about Galbatorix's rule and the journey eventually brings us to kingdoms outside of his control. Roran's story tells us so much more about the world of Alagesia from the perspective of normal people without magic or dragons.
you obviously didnt watch the movie at all, Roran is in the movie.
His story also shows us the other side of magic. While for Eragon and the elves magic is this wonderful tool for good, for anyone without it it's a dangerous and terrifying thing.
I remember Roran in the movie wym?🧐
I never read the books, but my stepdad brought home the movie and all I could think was, "This is some of the worst writing I've ever heard." My stepdad did read the first book, and even he agreed that the movie sucked.
Read the books.
I was a big fan of the books as a kid. This was the first movie I can remember actively disliking.
This movie is basically the step-child of Y.A. Novel movie adaptations
@@BenSmith-qw4kdI've even had an Eragon movie poster in my room. Then I've watched the movie…
Mostly like made him hate the film more
Alex Pettyfer turned down Eragon only to end up doing Stormbreaker, another attempt to start a franchise based on a novel that also crashed and burned due to a disastrous first movie and failed to launch the actors career
He was also in I Am Number Four.
I Am Number Four.
Also in I Am Number Four.
He also starred in I Am Number Four.
I Am Number Four.
It is SOBERING to think that a movie as incredible as fellowship of the ring was made with a slightly smaller budget than eragon. The two aren’t even comparable in terms of quality.
I love the inheritance cycle so much, but the movie just failed us fans completely.
Lord of the rings also deviates significantly from the books, but their essence is still there, eragon did not capture the world of the books at all!
Comparing the LOTR books (it’s actually one book split into 3 by the first publisher) to Eragon is like comparing a Ferrari to a wheel barrel.
Ferrari to a wheel barrel 😂
There isn’t much to capture honestly…
@@DoritoBot9000 tell me you havent read the books without telling me. You don't need 4 chapters to describe a tree and to be good fantasy.
The reason this movie failed was they missed out so much of the lore and changed far too much. Elves didn't look like elves, the city of Farthen Dur is supposed to be a fantastical city inside a mountain and so on.
More importantly, Farthen Dur is a DWARVEN kingdom. They didn’t have dwarves at all. They completely obliterated very important elements
They were trying to hide how much was plagiarized from LotR.
@@Orquet-qj2nf nothing was plagiarised that is just a myth that defenders of the film try to state as fact. Elf's look the way they do because that is there general appearance in folklore the same is true of dwarfs.
@ that’s just not correct. The strongest comparisons are to Star Wars, but the story takes on its own identity as the author literally grows up.
The only real comparisons to LotR are the elves, dwarves, and urgals, but the cultures of each are incredibly different, especially the elves and urgals.
If you have specific references, please support your claim ❤️
@@AndrewJamesWilliams I would credit Tolkien with popularizing our modern idea of elves and dwarves (he would fight you on calling them Elfs 😆), but even then he so openly took inspiration from folklore and myth that anyone saying Christopher plagiarized Tolkien for using those races are just highlighting how uneducated they are on the matter.
Plagiarizing is usually about story, and there’s really nothing by narratively that resembles LotR, so I don’t know what this guy is on about. I agree, it’s a poor argument.
Star Wars would have been a much better argument for this guy to make, but even then, there are plenty of distinctions.
As bad as the movie might be you gotta love the main Dragon: Saphira's design and CGI's quality (only her by the way the rest of the CGI is bad)
What went wrong with the Eragon movie? Well, they tried to take parts of two books and force it into one movie. When the books were such well crafted fantasy(as well crafted as someone Paolini's age was actually capable, there was a good bit of cliché in his writing, but it was actually written in a fun way, though his lack of refinement is very evident in the first book), they should have focused on telling more of the first story and not trying to rush into the real parts about Dragon Riders until it was actually time to learn about them. I know that is what the Movie is about, the Dragon rider, but the book is about the journey to actually becoming one, and it's about so much more. Paolini did a really good job writing those books. They are examples or really fun fantasy! I wish they would have cared more about telling the story that was written rather than only trying to tell the story about the Dragon Rider which isn't the only thing Eragon is about.
Two books? It doesn't touch on Eldest at all.
I should give the series a second chance. I only read the first book and when the second book came out I heard that one of the characters was forced to take an oath that forced him to be evil and so never even tried reading the second book.
Cliches are cliche for a reason, often times, they work. Don’t dismiss them outright, just be careful how you approach them.
@@teresaellis7062 if u read it u gonna understand that better, is not as simple, the books are really nice, one of my fav fantasy books
@@teresaellis7062why would that make you not even try? If memory serves, it was more of an oath of service to an evil man, not to make themselves evil.
I read the first three books by the time I saw the movie...and damn... I was actually kinda disgusted with how disappointing the movie was. Massive fumble.
To be fair, the first book IS basically a by-the-numbers heroes' journey, we don't get the more dynamic and interesting plot until the later books. But the thing I like most about Eragon is the magic system and the way the worldbuilding wraps around it. For those that haven't read it, I'll just say that I love how Eragon learning and understanding the magic system is what enables the climax and conclusion of the series to work. He doesn't just "level up" as a generic fantasy character enough to fight the badguy, he actually does something really cool and unique (but not an ass-pull) using the rules of the system.
SPOILERS: Eragon is able to defeat Galbatorix because he knows that it's possible to use magic without the ancient language, allowing him to bypass what Galbatorix did using the name. His understanding of the nature of magical protections also allows him to find a weakness in the wards, and his association with the dragons allowed them to empower his spell in ways that Galbatorix could never achieve without the willing participation of his captured hearts. Nothing that happens in the climactic battle comes out of nowhere, from Murtaugh breaking out of Galbatorix's control by changing his true name to Galbatorix annihilating himself in a nuclear blast everything was based on something established before in some other situation. It all comes together in a very satisfying way.
Well, if you read Sousou no Frieren and watch the anime, it is a "hero's" journey (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End)
While I know anime and movies are different, there was no excuses to butcher the movielike they did.
Wait Eragon has Magic?!?!?
@@Deca777-g3o Yes, he does used magic, "ancient" magic. From what I remember, he also breaks some of the rules of the universe that govern how magic work
The irony of this film failing for being too derivative and trying to appeal to the widest possible audience is that the entire identity of the book series is built on that. Nearly every aspect of the books is blatantly pulled from other works. However, Paolini's prose is easy to engage with, and he makes all the derivative elements mesh in a manner that allows them to stand on their own merits. This movie just has the derivation.
Also, what saddens me about this film is how perfect so many actors were to play their characters, both in terms of appearance and their ability to capture the essence of how their character was in the books. Jeremy Irons was a perfect Brom, Robert Carlyle was a perfect Durza, and Djimon Houndou was a perfect Ajihad. I even think John Malcovich could have been perfect for Galbatorix if he'd been given book material to work with (rather than all the scenes he got, which were made up for the film).
The magic system was different from any other fantasy I've ever engaged with though, and I think especially in later books it ended up being used very cleverly.
Yeah the cast for this movie was bomb, it had so much potential.
John would have been AMAZING in Galby's final moments. "BE NOT!!!!"(forget the spelling in the ancient language)
I agree with all of these points, seeing JM ham it uo as a true villain the mad king woukd have been fun, I've been trying to fan cast and I can't think of anyone I'd want in that role
@@houndofculann1793 Nope, it was taken from the Earthsea series.
If I remember right, in the movie they killed a pair of Villains that were INTEGRAL to the plot of the second book, which probably didn't help
Just gonna hop on here and add that the Ra'zac in the books were actually scary and a real threat, whereas the movie graced us with what I can only describe as "humanoid walking compost piles with blades sticking out of their arms."
It''s worth noting that Christopher Paolini has said in interviews that he deliberately based the novel on Star Wars and followed its plot closely. The book is an intentionally derivative work. Star Wars is noted as being a quintessential example of the classic "Hero's Journey", and this is why Paolini's fomula resembles it so closely. Paolini was able to add plenty of flavour and colour around the edges, which is why the books sold so well. The movie took the formula but ignored all the flavour and yeah the movie is balls as a result.
He didn’t even need to say it honestly, it’s blatantly obvious. Yet, he never admitted the Tolkien part, or did he?
@DoritoBot9000 tolkien defined the standard for modern fantasy. It doesn't need to be said that anything remotely fantastical draws inspiration from Tolkien's work!
That said, Paolini's elves and dwarves are blatant ripoffs haha
Murtagh actually got really screwed over he is "like a brother" to Eragon they grew close during their travels to the Varden and he was set free for the climactic battle because up till that point he was considered to be a security risk but when the battle was about to arrive the leader of the Varden, Ajihad, decided that Murtagh wouldn't be much more of a threat than what they were already facing and it could be a good test of character for him.
Also "the twins" that were also cut out of the story were the ones that did the interrogation of Eragon, Murtagh and Saphira, and were important to the plot....
As were the Dwarves and many other characters...... * sigh *
It could have been such an amazing epic but turned out to be a pile of turds.....
This video is how I found out there even was early development on another Eragon project. That series was a staple of my middle school and early high school years. I will always have a soft spot for it.
I was a fan of the books as a very young kid ( under 10 years old, some of the first books I read ). They were given to me by my uncle, once I found out about the movie, I asked him for the movie. He replied : let’s not watch it, alright ?
Good call.
smart uncle
You are fast becoming my favorite content creator on UA-cam. I just love the output.
Ha I commented that a while ago too. He's doing great!
Thank you, glad you enjoy it!
I loved this series as a kid and was excited when I found out there was an Eragon movie. In the opening scene John Malkovitch (Galbatorix) is being pissy about losing the dragon egg BUT instead says "I want the STONE" instead. He knew it was an egg, his lieutenant knew it was an egg, the only people who didn't know that for a fact was the audience and the script chose to play to the "woah it's a dragon egg!!" reveal for the viewers that hadn't heard of the series before. The only thing that did was alienate the fans of the book bc it makes it immediately obvious they don't care about the integrity of the worldbuilding, which is kinda a major draw for what is supposed to be a high fantasy setting!! I stuck it out for a little longer, but once Saphira flew up in the sky and came back down completely aged up I got up and ejected the disk. First movie I chose to not finish.
My dad downloaded the movie somewhere and when i watched it, i told him there was something wrong with the file, because half of the story from the book was missing. Years later it aired on tv and i realised the movie was just bad
Haha
The only thing that was done pretty good was the overall CGI model of Saphira, although I still don’t like that they gave her feathers. If I remember correctly the creature designers wanted her to stand out against the other dragons and to look more angelic. While I like the overall idea, I think it could be executed in a different way.
Considering how much happens in the book, Eragon is far better suited as an tv series, so I think this has potential. I just hope that they don’t animate the dragons like those in Game of Thrones, since the dragons in Eragon have four legs and a pair of wings
I liked the feathers
I remember reading somewhere that the author, when asked what he thought about the movie adaptation replied something along the lines of “What Movie adaptation?”
He commented on Jeremy Irons alone.
When the movie first came out he was interviewed by someone and he completely sidestepped the question of whether or not he liked the movie by instead talking about about hearing lines of dialogue he wrote being spoken by the actors feeling surreal; or something similar.
Paolini in a UA-cam video I watched once referenced the movie with something like "when the thing that did not happen happened".
The movie was prophesy and a warning.
It showed us what almost all hollywood adaptations are today.
I will mever forget this movie for being the reason I first started thinking critically about the media I consume.
I was 9 years old and Eragon was my favorite book. I had read it multiple times already and I was so excited for the movie.
It was my first real taste of disappointment.
Usually as a 9 year old, just about any movie is fun. What 9 years old doesnt like bright colors, cool action scenes, and magic? But this movie was the first time I thought "hmm, this is bad actually and I'm not enjoying watching it"
I’m sorry this movie made you grow up faster than you had to haha
I was the right age to enjoy this and a work friend gave me the book in anticipation of seeing the midnight showing of the film. I devoured the book and went to the movie.
I've never experienced a circle of raging nerds/fans like the one that formed at the front of the theater after that turd ended! Haven't had a desire to see it ever again.
Neat fact paolini has launched a kickstarter for his official rendition of Safira in a statue format and she looks absolutely badass
Saphira*
I told my family after seeing this movie that they wouldn't make the sequel. Because, *spoiler*, one big plot point of the next book is the main character's brother killing people with a hammer. The way they handled this movie, they couldn't go to that in the next.
Not only that, but the whole problem of the Dwarves being background characters that weren't referred to, or acknowledged outside of like, 3 sentences and some quick b roll shots. They become a huge part of the story at the end of book 1 and book 2, so the fact they're not mentioned at all, is bothersome.
No his brother tho. They were cousins.
I remember I was living in the country when this came out so I hadn't heard about it. I was already a fantasy fan and when someone brought this movie home I was excited about the cover with the dragon. I popped it in and was pretty disappointed, even as a younger teen.
So funny story, my family watched a LOT of movies together. it was like a weekly occurrence to pick up a bargain bin movie and watch it.
This film ended up being one of them, a solid B tier movie that never ended up getting re-watched because it just wasnt *that* good...
fast forward 2-3 yrs later when I found the book on my library's shelves and started reading it. I fell in love with it. I was mid way through book 3 when i was walking past the movie shelf and the Title of "Eragon" caught my eye. I remember looking at it, tilting my head and trying to recall the plot of the movie before a look of sheer *horror* came over my face as i realized THAT movie, was supposed to be THIS book. (or the first book in this series anyway)
They were so drastically different (and the movie so unmemorable) that it took me 3 books and mere chance to realize they were the same story.
Calling it Eregon when Aragorn was so famous is what did it for me as a kid ha
Yup! The first book was published a year after the first Lord of the Rings movie came out, so the parallels were super obvious.
3:35
Yep! The Inheritance Cycle went from a trilogy to a quadrilogy, and now with the release of the fifth full-length novel last year, it's a full-on _pentology._
If it isn't finished then it is just a "series"
The terms you are using refer to *finished* series.
@@Michael-bn1oi well I certainly thought it was finished
@@Michael-bn1oi Well, the terminology used in the first two books was "book 1/book 2 of the Inheritance Trilogy) because it was planned to be one.
When the third came out, it said "Inheritance Cycle) and he talked in an authors note in it about how he needed to split the last book into two, and then left it as is for about a decade before deciding that he wanted to write more books in the series.
We use the terms because those are the terms the books themselves used as they were coming out
Wait WHAT FIFTH NOVEL I MUST READ IT
@@marsjaninzmarsa Murtagh came out last November, and the short story collection from the same universe, The Fork The Witch & The Worm, came out in 2021 I think
It's been years since I watched this movie as well as read the books themselves but I still remember the moment when I knew this was a bad adaptation, and it was when they said Eragon was 17 years old and not 15.
The issue is that his 16th birthday is a big plot point in one of the sequels (I've forgotten why) so to fly past it at the very start told me that there wasn't any care in keeping with the source material.
As for the derivative hero's journey story, like others have said, that part is pretty accurate. But the book did more to stand out via lots of pages, and it forms its own identity by the second book. Like you mentioned, the author was young when he wrote the first book so I feel it gets a pass for being a bit derivative plus it still had unique ideas which is what you're supposed to do with that kind of story. It wasn't a simple copycat like "Star Wars with dragons" but when you boil it down to the essentials like the movie does, you lose most of the unique stuff.
I honestly didn't know that Disney acquired the rights (forgot 20th Century Fox had them) nor did I hear a new adaptation is happening.
And better yet it'll be a TV show with the author having more control like what happened with Percy Jackson.
Along with PJ, this IP was another one that I was constantly hoping would get another adaptation after a decade had passed. Hollywood constantly wants to recapture old success with remakes when it's the failures that should be remade. Learn from the mistakes and you'll have a better outcome (like letting the author oversee the adaptation, why do studios keep failing at this?)
In Carvahall, turning 16 is the coming of age ceremony and village-wide celebration for their residents.
In the books it was written off a little, just a little lore dump like the previous person said. Brom died a month before and Eragon was traveling to Gil'ead with Murtagh. He didn't even mention it to him just due to the everything that had and was happening.
I remember a friend reading the books and telling me that the movie failed big time
I remember back in middle school or high school I noticed that Eragon had basically the same plot as Star Wars but in a different setting, and I thought I was really smart for noticing that because I didn't know anything.
Really happy to see your channel grow! Another engaging and great video! The novels are some of my favourite from when I was younger!
Tronjheim, the fortress where the final battle takes place, is supposed to be a mountain-city made of solid, white marble, enormous in size, which itself is seated in the hollow basin of a long-dead volcano called Farthen Dûr that is miles high and miles across. It is the heart of the dwarven kingdoms, an immense spectacle of natural splendor, architecture and engineering, of elegant artistry and technical ingenuity.
They turned it into a couple of caves. CAVES!!!! I’ll never get over it.
LITERALLY! it’s not even hidden in the mountain! AAAAGH
Talk about 2007’s The Golden Compass in the next “the franchise that never was”
If you didn't know, HBO Max did Golden Compass/His Dark Materials and it's pretty good
I hope the upcoming show does better. The books are such a fun read, with such a cool universe. Hope Paolini takes care of that.
So I just got to the part where you said the movie was trying to go for realistic instead of a more fantastical and while I do agree, I also want to point out that they kind failed at that too. The costumes especially, they look all new and... Idk, store bought? xD So it doesn't look neither fantastical, nor really realistic. xD
Just one of many issues, I guess xD
That was a GREAT video btw. Thank you for it! I'm glad youtube dropped you on my Main Page, am already following now! See ya!
I seldom go to the movies and these analyses of unsatisfactory films don't make me want to go either! However I enjoy your study of them, of what works and what doesn't, and how they compare with ones that have been artfully created. It helps deepen the understanding of the intricacies of this art form. Thanks for the eye opening into deeper appreciation.
"What is that?"
>"Dark Magic"
Is burned into my fucking mind despite only seeing this film once
Watched the movie before I read the books. And I can honestly say that the books were more superior than the dumpster fire that was the movie.
The movie has a nostalgic feel to it for me, but if I had to choose, I would choose the books over the movie any day of the year.
As someone who read the Inheritance Cycle voraciously, the movie was an insulting stain on Paolini's record that I HOPE Disney does not repeat.
it’s such a stain if you ever tell anyone about the book series you use the inheritance cycle and if they ever hear the name of the first book they are like oh I remember that film and your like ugh their opinion is already soured
We all hope the Disney series will be good but it’s up in the air and time will tell
@7:00 you have not read the books even…. You’re even worse than the studio trying to cash in on the IP without giving it due work
I loved this film when I first saw it. Then I read the books (the two that were out at the time) and I can't watch this movie anymore. I love the inheritance cycle as a whole, it's absolutely got better over time as Paolini grew up and got more experience.
Eragon gave us one of the best Rifftrax of all time.
"e-Ragon, the online Ragon merchant you can trust" is embedded into my brain anytime I hear the title.
The bit about how unimportant Murtagh is is great because in the books he’s insanely important. He’s basically the series’ Darth Vader in that he’s the enforcer of the evil emperor who has family ties to the hero and gets a redemption at the end. (He’s Eragon’s half brother)
I've never read the book, but I watched the film shortly after it came out with my father. My dad is/was a MASSIVE fan of the Eragon series, when we were getting ready to watch the movie he was ranting and raving at how amazing the books are and how he was looking forward to the film. After the movie this man was devastated, crushed, mad that they had just completely changed it. He used to have so much passion for the books and had them proudly displayed. I haven't seen those books in my parents house since LOL, that's how upset he was with the movies.
As for me? I don't remember a single thing, I remember liking it but I was just a little kid so I saw dragon and went "wow!" and that's about it!
I remember my dad renting this video for a family movie night.
Boy did it go in one ear and out the other.
there might be a disney sponsored reboot as a tv-series, with Paolini as a co-producer. They writing the script at this stage, so might still be a few years. but I'm just glad we get a chance.
I love these books. This movie made me so mad. It was so poorly done they wouldn't have been able to make a second movie from it with any relation to the second book. Pushing this film through production was the worst thing they could have done when they didn't have any context for the second book. I will always hate this film and it would have been better if it was never made. I remember being so mad when I left that theater because they wasted my time as well on that crap.
I have all of the books. I remember being at an airport with my mum and realizing I had packed my gameboy in my luggage, not my carryon. I had NOTHING to do for a 17 hour flight back to my dad's. My mum took pity on me and with only about 20 minutes before boarding, we went to a bookstore and I saw Eragon in the new releases.
I -loved it-. I absolutely consumed all of the following books.
When I found out they were making a movie of it, I actually went to see it in theater. And was so pissed by the way they butchered it that I walked out. Didn't actually see the ending for almost a decade, and that's time in my life I'll never get back. I resent that this film exists, because the odds that anyone well ever come back and try again are next to zero.
The fifth Element is another basic hero's journey.
Multi Pass.
I found this movie kinda good because I was like 10 at the time and I enjoyed anything related to dragons. I read the books like 2 years ago and wow the differences were huge. The books are amazing, the lore was astounding and Eragons journey was very unique and interesting. His brother Roran's story is even more epic in some ways than his. Like hands down one of the best leader archetypes I have seen and read about. What made it so interesting was that you did not know if he was going to be a hero or a villain. If he was a hero then you saw those traits and if he became a Villain you saw the evil traits. He didn't had special powers, or masters just his won skill, grit and strength. Murtagh is also another great character which a very compelling story. In the books you had all this characters that made the plot interesting and unexpected. That moved the plot in ways that you didnt see coming and that made you wonder what would happen if they met. Some characters had lore that was further developed after their death. They had characters that were like the same coin in different sides, characters that inspire, characters that had powerful magic, betrayal, and redemption. Eragon even became something more than a human.
Funny is, the exposition in the actual books (which I absolutely LOVE to this day) is not that hard to adapt into a movie. In the books, we get Eragon listening to Brom as he tells the stories of the betrayal of Galbatorix, BECAUSE Brom is the actual bard or storyteller of the village. You could have just had that exact scene, just Brom talking, but could have overlayed it with filmed scenes to show what happened. You could have also animated it, and portrayed it as Eragons imagination just running along with the story or something. Anything, really.
And I didnt even remember how short that movie was. Crazy, if you think about it. The (german) audiobook for that first part is somewhere between 20 and 25 hours long. (Yes I know, a movie MUST always be shorter, especially since you can show things you would have to describe in the book version, but still)
I read the series through many times before I watched this movie. I was severely disappointed. The darker tone was mostly removed, the pacing was rushed while managing to stay boring, and super important stuff was just cut. I mean, shit that is really important throughout the series. There are brief glimpses of how amazing a film adaptation could be, but this isn't something I'll ever feel the need to revisit.
Have you ever thought about doing a collaboration with Filmento?
that would be awesome he's one of my favorite youtubers and a big inspiration for this channel. maybe someday!
The Only thing i like from the Movie is Saphira. LOVE Her Design/Voice
My family was poor, so going to the movies was super rare. I got my parents to take me to see Eragon, and I, as a child who could barely tell a good movie from a bad one, apologized to them on the way out of the theater.
Saw this in theaters when I was in high school with my family. My sister was excited for it because she had read the book (and she isn't a book reader, but she loved THIS book). I hadn't read the book, but I found it to be confusing and rushed, like they were skipping stuff and flying through it. My sister was mad because they had changed so much of the story, saying it wasn't recognizable. However, giving how Disney makes series, I wouldn't be too hopeful that it'll be much better.
The soundtrack is amazing at least. And we needed more Jeremy Irons playing mentor figures. And the dragon design was cool. The film was so ... Hollywoodified. The cuts and changes felt mandated by pennypinchers and execs who didnt read the book. And in hindsight the books weren't even that good.
Thank Saphira, Christopher is actually handling the screenplay for the new ERAGON TV series
It has been at a minimum 15 years since I read the first book Eragon. I was a huge reader growing up, huge into fantasy books, and this series was my favorite. It had a great balance (especially at the age I was and time) of in depth world building of the LOTR series (although clearly nowhere near Tolkien) with a faster pacing and more in depth character development of Harry Potter. I personally thought it was better than both (although now older and having reread all, I think LOTRs wins). Also, I was a young kid and I read up on Christopher Paolini and realized how young he was when he started writing and it was an inspiration. Really all around impactful series of my childhood.
That being the case, I was ecstatic when I heard this movie was being made. That elation lasted literally until seeing the first trailer. From the trailer alone a simmering rage built in me that still lasts to this day. This movie (as other commenters have mentioned) is not an Eragon movie. It is an abomination that used the Eragon name as a Hannibal Lector skin mask to try and fool people into becoming a box office success. I cannot put to words how big of a tragedy this movie was and how horrible it truly was. Also, although having the author on is a great sign, I have no interest in a Disney show. They’ll fuck it up just as bad. They’re focused on pleasing way too many people, and every production where that goal is seemingly raised to the #1 priority ends up pleasing absolutely no one. If Apple or HBO produced the show I would be absolutely thrilled. Disney does not have what it takes.
I've read the books and always wanted to see the main battles or plot points developed. From guerilla warfare to enourmous clashes, the other books had a lot to show, plus the worldbuilding was really good
same vibes as Pretty Much It and CinemaSins. Love your content man, keep this up it’s hella entertaining 🧘🏾
Thanks! Will do!
Except these videos have more thought put into them than CinemaSins. Jeremy is intentionally unpleaseable when he wants to sin a movie.
I can say one good thing about this movie. It got me to read the books and the inheritance cycle is what got me into reading as a kid.
I read the books before the movie came out. I was so excited for the movie. I went to see it in theaters and was so angry, upset, and sad that they messed it up so badly that it was unable to be salvaged. I literally cried.
i remember falling asleep five times in a row trying to watch the movie, and because of that i ended up picking up the book.
I enjoyed reading the books and found his writing improved with each one. It was nice to see an author grow with their story. I remember being excited when the movie came out, but I so disappointed with the movie I couldn't enjoy any part of it.
I watched this in theaters and was so excited! I bought a bag of vanilla clodhoppers and to this day whenever I remember the movie I think of the awful taste of too many vanilla clodhoppers in a row. I was 11 years old and my friends laughed hysterically at certain perfomances but I couldn’t have fun because I was just hoping it would get better but it never did 😢
Great analysis. It’s definitely not better than the books but i enjoyed the show for what it was. They definitely have alot of improvement for the incoming seasons
Wow. I literally forgot this was a thing. Amazing.
11:33 in. Yup, that describes the book, too.
I read a spoof of the last showdown in the book where the John Malkovitch character was rewritten as dead. Literally nothing else had to change. If your villian can be rewritten as dead and the exact same events would happen anyways, you did a bad job writing your villian.
The main characters are driven by dreams of fame, fortune, and glory. The bad guys are bad only because they insist citizens pay some taxes.
The main character was a complete Gary Stu and sociopath who conveniently forgets he can erase memories when there's witnessess who need silencing so he can go stabby stab on them instead.
i haven't read the books, so when i saw the movie, 3yrs old dragon obsessed me loved it, i still do, it feels so nostalgic and i just love everything about it, including Sapphiras design, i understand the criticism and that's kind of why i shy away from the books, i love it too dearly to shatter my views on it
What’s funny is reading the next books where almost out of spite every single scene they cut is a major plot point.
This movie made my young self curious enough to read the books which lead to me basically never wanting to watch the movie again.
The same can also be said for mortal instruments city of bones. I think they tried to cram the ultimate finale of all the books into the end of the movie.
Another adaptation I simply dislike is ella enchanted. They turned a really interesting book into an unserious comedy. Sure there are people who like that, but I'll never be satisfied until someone makes a faithful adaptation.
Both I and my boyfriend separately had the experience of watching this movie as kids, thoroughly enjoying it, reading the book to experience more of the world and then coming to hate the movie 😂
Eragon is his favourite book series now, he’s slowly making his way through Murtagh.
My dad took me to see the movie. When he would question where the story was going he would look at my face and know that what was happening on screen wasn't how it was supposed to go.
at least eragon is trying to come back now. with the current kickstarter for an official Saphira figure for backers that has reached a goal where you get a small Eragon to go with her. Honestly I'm hopeful with the resurgence in books and merch that maybe something might happen be it a tv series or something else.
I was actually introduced to the movie first as a dragon loving child and fell in love with it (due to the dragon) and then read the books and fell in love with it even more
Unbelievably not the worst film with dragons starring Jeremy Irons.
Dungeon and Dragons?
Love the books. HATED the movie. For absolutely everything that you said and has been said in the comments. To add my own bit, when I was a kid reading these books, I was a major dragon nerd, to the point of pedantry. I’ve never been so incensed when watching the first few minutes of exposition about dragons and the film had the AUDACITY to show me a drawing of a griffon! I was 15, at peek pedant and super offended.
Honestly, it still bothers me that they added feathers to the dragons. They didn't have feathers in the book. but at the time, the discovery of dinosaurs possibly having feathers was all the rage… so they had to cash in on that i guess? it was so stupid.
They desperately want people to believe the nonsense of dinosaurs turning into birds. Despite the utter impossibility of such a feat, gullible children believe anything and then they grow up still believing fairy tales that were renamed science and programmed to place "science" above logic.
The book was one giant plagiarism monstrosity. Paolini was fortunate enough that he ripped off authors that were old or unalive which is how he got away with it.
Also, Brom teaching Eragon how to read: "This is the letter A. Learn it."
I only love the movie for one reason, it got me into books.
No, not just the Inheritance Series, but all books.
I was around 8 when the movie came out, and I was obsessed with Dragons after finding the Dragonology book at our Library and making my poor father read it to me over and over again until I had the pages memorized myself...
Then my Father read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to me before I was allowed to watch the movies. It made me realize how different things could be between the two medias. (Gandalf Losing to the Witch King in the movie is an utter travesty and I will not ever forgive it.)
I was horrible at reading, and with no motivation other than school to push me I hadn't ever really tried to do it myself, despite enjoying listening to the stories read to me.
Then Eragon came out in Theaters... I pestered my parents into taking me to see it at least three times, and some other relatives a couple more times. I loved it, I thought Saphira was the coolest dragon ever.
My dad, for Christmas that year got me the book.
I was beside myself, I glared at that book for three days before I finally got fed up and decided "I want to know what really happens in this story."
It was off to the races from there, my teachers said they'd never seen a student improve their reading skill and comprehension so quickly. I went from Pre-K to 3rd grade reading level in under a month.
Thus the great war with my teachers taking books away began.
Love American Schools /s
The world building builds on top of why the plot is happening. We learn about the world and its people and why we got here. Its such a vital part of long story telling
The Star Wars thing is very evident in the original book as well. It follows along a bit less closely in the second book, then the third one goes off completely in its own direction (though almost nothing necessary to the overall plot happens in that book: "Yoda's" death aside), and then the final book is quite different, though I got the feeling the original plan would have stuck much closer to Star Wars.
The author was though, as you say, very young when he started.
I remember seeing this movie with my dad when I was in 8th grade. I don’t hate it like a lot of people do. I still rewatch every now and then for some nostalgia. But I know it’s not a good movie. It did get me to read the books though!
I saw the movie before reading the books and liked it. I read three of the four books and now can't stand the movie. I'm glad you complimented on how well Sapphira looks, because I think she looked fantastic.
The only thing I remember about this movie is the song Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne made for it. Middle school was the prime age for AL, ah the go ol days
i didnt know it was written for this movie LOL hey that song was popular at least one part was a success
Disneys attempt coming late 2025 apparently. Looking forward to Saphira being basically a scaly cat for the first season. The internet will adore her.
My cousin and I went to the midnight showing of this (being huge fans of the book at the time). We left the theater with such disappointment that we spent the more time criticizing everything about it than the duration of the film itself. It was so bad, I have never returned to the book series. Which is terribly sad to say. Maybe I would have liked the rest of the books, but that movie was a serious disservice to its source material.
I would love to see a proper adaptation of this. I read this series as a kid and liked it so much that I got the 4th book before French translations even became available (I had read the first 3 books in French). In an ideal world, a new adaptation could even fix some of the issues, like the goofy way they end up defeating Galbatorix. Serioisly, I hated that ending.
I loved this movie as a kid. And honestly, as an adult, I still love this movie but more so for the nostalgia it brings. I really hope this story gets a second chance with a new adaption.
I remember as a kid being struck by the fact that I felt no familiarity in the movie. I was a die hard fan of the books, and there was no nostalgia or recognition whatsoever. It didn’t call up my love for the characters, nothing. The only other movies that were like that to such an extent for me were Percy Jackson and the live cation avatar the last air bender
What I find weird is that I loved this movie as a kid, but never read the books and never understood why people hated it. Problem is, I never saw it again after watching it in theaters the first time. I loved it for the dragon and thought the action was cool, especially since there weren't like any dragon movies out at the time. I'm pretty sure if I watched it as an adult, I'd have a different opinion of it
The one thing this movie did right though: the score.
The music absolutely slapped. Deserved to be in a better movie.
0:50 five book series now (with a sixth on the way), if you don't count the short story collection