Eragon (2006)

In his homeland of Alagaesia, a farm boy happens upon a dragon's egg -- a discovery that leads him on a predestined journey where he realizes he's the one person who can defend his home against an evil king.

Director:

Stefen Fangmeier

Writers:

Peter Buchman (screenplay), Christopher Paolini (novel)

Stars:

Ed Speleers, Sienna Guillory, Jeremy Irons

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ed Speleers	...	Eragon
Jeremy Irons	...	Brom
Sienna Guillory	...	Arya
Robert Carlyle	...	Durza
John Malkovich	...	Galbatorix
Garrett Hedlund	...	Murtagh
Alun Armstrong	...	Uncle Garrow
Christopher Egan	...	Roran (as Chris Egan)
Gary Lewis	...	Hrothgar
Djimon Hounsou	...	Ajihad
Rachel Weisz	...	Saphira (voice)
Richard Rifkin	...	Horst
Steve Speirs	...	Sloan
Joss Stone	...	Angela
Michael Mehlmann	...	Villager #1 (as Michael A. Mehlmann)

Storyline

The Kingdom of Alagaesia is ruled by the evil King Galbatorix, a former dragon rider that betrayed his mates and his people in his quest for power. When the orphan farm boy Eragon finds a blue stone sent by Princess Arya, he sooner realizes that it is a dragon egg. When the dragon Saphira is born, Eragon meets his mentor Brom, and becomes the dragon rider foreseen in an ancient prophecy that would set his people free from the tyrant Galbatorix. Eragon meets the rebels Varden and together they fight against the evil sorcerer Durza and the army of Galbatorix in a journey for freedom.

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Plot Keywords:

dragon | dragon rider | teenage hero | sword and fantasy | fictional war | 

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Taglines:

When darkness falls, a hero will ride.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for fantasy violence, intense battle sequences and some frightening images

Details

Country:

USA UK Hungary

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 December 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Eragon

Filming Locations:

Tatabánya, Hungary

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$23,239,907, 17 December 2006, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$75,030,163

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$174,400,164

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox 2000 Pictures, Davis Entertainment, Dune Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White (DVD) Color (Metrocolor) Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many fans of the book were upset at Stefen Fangmeier's decisions to take out crucial characters and plot lines.

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Goofs

When Eragon fires an arrow into Durza's forehead in the prison in Gil'ead, the wide shot of the impact shows a long length of shaft protruding from Durza's head, then the close-up shows only a short length, then the next wide shot as Durza dissolves, shows a long length of shaft again.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Brom: [narrating] There was a time when the fierce and beautiful land of Alagaësia was ruled by men astride mighty dragons. To protect and serve was their mission, and for thousands of years, the people prospered. But the Riders grew arrogant, and began to fight among themselves for power. Sensing their weakness, a young Rider named Galbatorix betrayed them, and in a single bloody battle, believed he had killed them all, Riders and dragons alike. Since then, our land has been ruled by ...

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Connections

Featured in Everything Wrong with...: Everything Wrong with Eragon in 14 Minutes or Less (2019)

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Soundtracks

Once in Every Liftime
Written by Patrick Doyle, Jem and Lester Mendez
Performed by Jem (as Jem)
Produced by Lester Mendez
Jem performs courtesy of ATO Ventures

User Reviews

So very, very sad...

How to describe a movie based on a lovely book, that could have had a wonderful franchise, but was so hurriedly done, and so poorly directed as to become a horrible flop? First lets say that while the book has some flaws, this movie is really a disservice to it; a more or less complex plot is reduced to its bare elements making it a very predictable ordeal (as any other story would), the photography doesn't reach the standard set by LOTR or HP, becoming quite bland, the casting -while good on the stronger characters (Brom, Durza, Galbatorix)- is really lacking, particularly on critical characters like Murtagh and Arya, and the music -so critical to convey the emotions of the movie- is so corny and clumsily placed that rather than enhance takes away from the experience. So little works on this movie and so many details are ruined using the cheapest tricks, that any sequel would never make it to the big screen (more so when critical plot points were stripped from the movie).

Having read and enjoyed the books with my 11 year old son, we had high hopes and were both devastated with this ... thing promoted as a movie.

It is indeed a sad, sad adaptation, a proof that some movie execs in its eagerness to make a quick buck have indeed killed what could have been a geese of golden eggs.

Hopefully Mr. Fangmeier will go back to do special effects and never return as a movie director. At least I know that I will never see a movie made by him again.