Saw Eragon Tonight

[Feralpeg]

I really liked it, however it does deviate from the book. If that will bother you, don't see it.

 

[rascalmom]

My dd & I LOVED the book - glad to hear you liked the movie. It has been long enough since I read the first book that I don't think any deviations will bother me.

Was it well cast? Will have to add it to my "must see" list.

 

[Feralpeg]

My dd & I LOVED the book - glad to hear you liked the movie. It has been long enough since I read the first book that I don't think any deviations will bother me.

Was it well cast? Will have to add it to my "must see" list.

I like the cast. Of course, I'm a big Jeremy Irons fan!

 

[texasthree]

my husband is out seeing it right now. I just finished the book so I dont know if I will like the deviations. I guess we shall see tomorrow when I go and see it!
(were doing kid swap since we couldnt get our sitter this weekend)

 

[DisnyMama]

I didn't go to see Eragon (went actually to see The Pursuit of Happyness) and the line for the late afternoon show was really long. I was very surprised how it seemed to even "out-line" Chalotte's Web.

 

[stevenpensacola]

Apparently you're the only one who has liked this movie:


http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/eragon/

only 14% of the reviews have been positive.

 

[robinb]

I think we're going to see it tomorrow. We just finished the first book on audio (from audible.com). If it makes the main character less of a teen-ager with no brain, I'm all for it, LOL!

 

[spazzyjazzy]

We are going to go see it next weekend. I already hear about it deviating from the book from my son. I guess the previews they show for the movie show something that's not in the book.

 

[Just2554]

I really hated this movie, which is a shame because I enjoyed the book. I took my sister to see it on Friday night, as it was her birthday and we had free tickets. It was just...stupid. The script was poorly written and the movie just moved too fast, never really explaining anything. I was really disappointed, because the book was good and the movie could have been fantastic and really capitalized on the following the fantasy genre has developed as of late.

Btw, the shade/sorceror guy cracked me up. Toward the end, his face got all white and his lips started cracking and stuff...he looked like Reagan after she's been possessed in The Exorcist. I was waiting for his head to start spinning.

 

[letterdavidman]

I have no plans to see this movie, as I found the book an unreadable hack job that was obviously written by teenager, and only got published because Mommy and Daddy were already in the business, and knew what/whose strings to pull. To me, it's an uninspired, outright theft (with zero panache) of Star Wars (Ep. IV), The Lord of the Rings, and Dragonriders of Pern.

And, to me, the trailer made the movie look just as hack-ish.

 

[darrose]

My son loved the book and the movie. (I havent seen it, but I enjoyed the book too. My favorite part of the book was him trying to decide what name the Dragon wanted ).

 

[Feralpeg]

Apparently you're the only one who has liked this movie:


http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/eragon/

only 14% of the reviews have been positive.

I never pay attention to what reviews say about movies. I didn't like it as well as the book. I was actually a bit disappointed by the second book, Eldest, so I don't know how I will feel about that movie. My sister went with me and she hadn't read the book. She liked it.

Movies rarely are as good as the books, IMHO. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy them. Could it have been better? Yes, but it would have had to be a much longer movie.

 

[texasthree]

Well DH didnt care for the movie. He said it has some of the same charectors as the book but nothing else is the same.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

DH and DS12 went and saw it this evening and enjoyed it. DS now wants to read the book. I think that may answer my problem of his last gift for Christmas!

DD7 and I went to see Unaccompanied Minors. DD7 didn't think she would understand Eragon and I didn't have much interest in it either, so it worked for all involved. Our theatres were side by side and started within 10 minutes of each other.

Best of both worlds.

 

[robinb]

We saw it tonight with our 7-year old DD. She hid her head under my arm and peeked out for about half the movie. Honestly, I thought that the visuals in the movie were much tamer than the descriptions of the blood and gore in the book. I didn't mind the changes to the book as I didn't think they changed the outcome of the story. My only problem was with the elf, Aria (sp?). The movie made her out to be almost weak while she could kick Eragon's butt both magically and physically in the book. She was more of a "love interest" in the movie.

Yeah, some of the towns changed and some characters were shrunk or cut out entirely but I still think it was a fun movie. It was action-packed and the dragon whelp was wayyyy toooo cute!

 

[Feralpeg]

I have no plans to see this movie, as I found the book an unreadable hack job that was obviously written by teenager, and only got published because Mommy and Daddy were already in the business, and knew what/whose strings to pull. To me, it's an uninspired, outright theft (with zero panache) of Star Wars (Ep. IV), The Lord of the Rings, and Dragonriders of Pern.

And, to me, the trailer made the movie look just as hack-ish.

Sour Grapes? Most books are a rip off of ideas from other books, movies, etc. The job of an author is to take the inspiration ideas and make them their own. I've taken many courses on creative writing and journalism over my years and have a degree in English, so I've read many genres. The same basic concepts are used repeatedly in great literary works but are given little twists to make them unique to the work. If you don't believe me, re-read Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings Trilogy. You'll find that George Lucas borrowed a few ideas for Star Wars from these works.

Yes, some of the characters (creatures) in Eragon do bear a strong resemblance to LOTRs (I've read these books at least once a year since I was in my twenties), but not to the point that it bothered me in Eragon. For a 17 year old kid, I think Christopher Paolini did an amazing job. I teach high school English and am very familiar with how high school kids write. Paolini is very talented.

It is true that he has connections. Good luck in this day and age without them. How do you think half of the young stars in the movies today got started? They have parents in the business. For instance, Daniel Radcliff's (Harry Potter) parents are casting agents. Believe me...if I had the connections, I'd be using them for my writing and DD's acting career. Connections are a foot in the door. After that, you have to stand on your own two feet. I think Paolini will be able to do that just fine.

Sorry to go off on you, but it really bothers me when people put down others doing things that they have most likely never tried themselves. Creative writing is hard. Get published is harder! By the way, Paolini didn't write the screenplay. He sold the writes to the studio who hired a writer. If you want to critique the movie, lay the blame where it belongs...with the studio.

 

[letterdavidman]

Sour Grapes? Most books are a rip off of ideas from other books, movies, etc. The job of an author is to take the inspiration ideas and make them their own. I've taken many courses on creative writing and journalism over my years and have a degree in English, so I've read many genres. The same basic concepts are used repeatedly in great literary works but are given little twists to make them unique to the work. If you don't believe me, re-read Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings Trilogy. You'll find that George Lucas borrowed a few ideas for Star Wars from these works.

Yes, some of the characters (creatures) in Eragon do bear a strong resemblance to LOTRs (I've read these books at least once a year since I was in my twenties), but not to the point that it bothered me in Eragon. For a 17 year old kid, I think Christopher Paolini did an amazing job. I teach high school English and am very familiar with how high school kids write. Paolini is very talented.

It is true that he has connections. Good luck in this day and age without them. How do you think half of the young stars in the movies today got started? They have parents in the business. For instance, Daniel Radcliff's (Harry Potter) parents are casting agents. Believe me...if I had the connections, I'd be using them for my writing and DD's acting career. Connections are a foot in the door. After that, you have to stand on your own two feet. I think Paolini will be able to do that just fine.

Sorry to go off on you, but it really bothers me when people put down others doing things that they have most likely never tried themselves. Creative writing is hard. Get published is harder! By the way, Paolini didn't write the screenplay. He sold the writes to the studio who hired a writer. If you want to critique the movie, lay the blame where it belongs...with the studio.

Whoah, there. I've done plenty of writing (none of it published--not that I'm blaming Paolini or his publishers for this, just so you know) in my life, from poems, to short stories, to screenplays. I mentioned the fact that Paolini was an adolescent when he wrote the book merely to point out the fact that the style of writing was very amateurish. Do I doubt the fact that there have been, are, and will be young people who can produce quality written work? Not for a second. Do I believe that Christopher Paolini is one of them? Again, no.

And, yes, I'm also very aware that most stories written are derivative of earlier works, to some degree or another. The trick, though, is to borrow with style and panache, and to do it with a unique voice. In my estimation, Paolini failed miserably at doing that.

As for my post, I assure you, if my attitude had an air of "sour grapes" to it, it was only because Paolini's hackwork got published (and heavily promoted) ahead of, I'm sure, many other, much more deserving authors, of all ages.

 

[Feralpeg]

Whoah, there. I've done plenty of writing (none of it published--not that I'm blaming Paolini or his publishers for this, just so you know) in my life, from poems, to short stories, to screenplays. I mentioned the fact that Paolini was an adolescent when he wrote the book merely to point out the fact that the style of writing was very amateurish. Do I doubt the fact that there have been, are, and will be young people who can produce quality written work? Not for a second. Do I believe that Christopher Paolini is one of them? Again, no.

And, yes, I'm also very aware that most stories written are derivative of earlier works, to some degree or another. The trick, though, is to borrow with style and panache, and to do it with a unique voice. In my estimation, Paolini failed miserably at doing that.

As for my post, I assure you, if my attitude had an air of "sour grapes" to it, it was only because Paolini's hackwork got published (and heavily promoted) ahead of, I'm sure, many other, much more deserving authors, of all ages.

I apoligize. I guess it was the use of the phrase "unreadable hackjob" that got me started. It seemed a bit over the top.

I do feel the same way often with DD's acting. I see kids all the time that are not as talented getting jobs due to people they know over DD. Yes, I am biased, but I've been told by some very talented people that DD is a very actor. It's hard to have this happen. It is just part of the business.

I hope to someday see your work in print! Mine too!

 

[Temair]

It was a good movie. I think they left out some key events but you never know. I admit they could have put pointy ears on the elf. For the budget and time they had they did a great job.

 

[letterdavidman]

I apoligize. I guess it was the use of the phrase "unreadable hackjob" that got me started. It seemed a bit over the top.

I do feel the same way often with DD's acting. I see kids all the time that are not as talented getting jobs due to people they know over DD. Yes, I am biased, but I've been told by some very talented people that DD is a very actor. It's hard to have this happen. It is just part of the business.

I hope to someday see your work in print! Mine too!

That's quite all right.

I'll be the very first to admit that my opinions can rub others the wrong way. It's just that when I tried to read the book, I was amazed/appalled at how blatantly and boldly he stole from Tolkein, and I could not get past that fact at all--it pulled me right out of the narrative (such as it is) and wouldn't let me back within 100 feet of it. The surprising thing, for me, is the fact that even my wife (who has hardly come in contact with a fantasy book she wasn't overtly enthusiastic about) found it unreadable.

But, in the end, you know what they say opinions are like. And this is just mine.

And, yes, best of luck to both of us, as far as getting published. And also to your DD for her acting. I've dabbled in that a bit, myself. Too bad DW and I live in the middle of Bumpkinville, Ohio. I'd love to pursue the acting thing full time. BUT I'm not getting any younger, either...