Eragon was a fun movie to watch. Once I go deeper, as someone who takes the fantasy genre seriously (wow, what an oxymoron!), every bit of it had been done so many times before. It was very predictable. Cliche, if we're being mean.
But, to borrow the words of a critic I read while researching for my Big Animal Movie rant the other day, it was a good "popcorn movie."
It was funny, though, because coming out of the theatre, we were behind a boy of about eight, and he was mad. "That," he said of Eragon, "was actually worse than Harry Potter!" Dude, at that age, anything with color and motion could hold my attention. I called him a little Roger Ebert. :)
Bobby and I chatted about the movie afterwards, and we both agreed that we will forever be tainted by LotR, and there will simply never be another LotR for us. Eragon moved much too fast for me; I never felt immersed in the world, and even now, reflecting back after having seen it about a month ago, I feel no lingering emotion towards it. Even five (!!!) years after seeing FotR, I still get this quivery, nostalgic feeling for that world; it is something that I don't believe that I'll ever lose. And so fantasy movies forever after will lose part of their magic. :^/ Plus, it's always jarring to hear how far away a place is and--next scene!--you're there. I realize that Eragon entertained a different audience than LotR, but part of the magic of fantasy, for me, is being able to just roam around in these magical places, not to feel like a movie version of Supermarket Sweep...with dragons. "How many things can I grab in these two hours! Off we go!"
A far better fantasy--though not sword-and-sorcery--that came out around the same time was The Fountain. I found it a little overwrought in places, but it was a beautiful movie...and the only other time I've seen my beliefs on the afterlife portrayed so well. I told Bobby after that one, "If I die before you, I want you to plant a monkey ball on my grave." Hee!
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rosecarmine
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Date: 2007-01-19 10:02 pm (UTC)But, to borrow the words of a critic I read while researching for my Big Animal Movie rant the other day, it was a good "popcorn movie."
It was funny, though, because coming out of the theatre, we were behind a boy of about eight, and he was mad. "That," he said of Eragon, "was actually worse than Harry Potter!" Dude, at that age, anything with color and motion could hold my attention. I called him a little Roger Ebert. :)
Bobby and I chatted about the movie afterwards, and we both agreed that we will forever be tainted by LotR, and there will simply never be another LotR for us. Eragon moved much too fast for me; I never felt immersed in the world, and even now, reflecting back after having seen it about a month ago, I feel no lingering emotion towards it. Even five (!!!) years after seeing FotR, I still get this quivery, nostalgic feeling for that world; it is something that I don't believe that I'll ever lose. And so fantasy movies forever after will lose part of their magic. :^/ Plus, it's always jarring to hear how far away a place is and--next scene!--you're there. I realize that Eragon entertained a different audience than LotR, but part of the magic of fantasy, for me, is being able to just roam around in these magical places, not to feel like a movie version of Supermarket Sweep...with dragons. "How many things can I grab in these two hours! Off we go!"
A far better fantasy--though not sword-and-sorcery--that came out around the same time was The Fountain. I found it a little overwrought in places, but it was a beautiful movie...and the only other time I've seen my beliefs on the afterlife portrayed so well. I told Bobby after that one, "If I die before you, I want you to plant a monkey ball on my grave." Hee!