Eragon, Lost in Adaptation ~ The Dom

The book was written by a 15 year old boy and the film was backed by the same distribution company as Percy Jackson... What could possibly go wrong?

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[VoodooGremlin]

I remember reading a review of Eragon which was two sentences (paraphrasing) "My son is a huge fan of the Eragon books so I brought him with me to the critics screening of this film. I cannot recommend this movie because it made my son cry."

[TheLadyLiddell]

What pissed me off most about the movie was actually watching in the special features section of the DVD the director says, and I quote, "I didn't want my elves to have pointed ears because then they'd be just like everyone else's elves." Like... what kind of utter bullcrap is that?!?! That's like saying I don't want my humans to have arms because then they'd be like everyone else's humans! The director had NO business directing a fantasy movie.

[SnivyTries]

Basically: This movie single-handedly stopped any possibility of the other books being made into movies.

Also, lying in the ancient language doesn't kill you. It's just NOT POSSIBLE. Eragon attempts to do so at one point to Arya about his feelings towards her, the words stick in his throat, and he has to skirt the truth.

[saphirfelup]

I recently realized how to put into words what I liked about the magical system: because you cannot lie in the ancient language, using magic is basically forcing reality to adhere to what you just said. Eragon says that the stone is rising and because that must be the truth, the magic drains his energy to maintain the truth of his statement.

[BlakLite]

The best part of book-Eragon's character was that he was an angsty teenager in the best possible way. He understands that people have high expectations of him, but he struggles to understand the scope and nature of those expectations. Furthermore, he constantly doubts himself and his ability to do what is expected of him, especially as he becomes increasingly surrounded by people who are probably better suited to the task. He had all the hallmarks of a moody teenager, but it was all done in a way that enhanced his character and made him more sympathetic.

Also, book-Saphira was one of my favorite characters. Despite coming across as wise and patient, she was still immature and inexperienced. She and Eragon made for a wonderful dynamic as each one awkwardly tried to act as the other's surrogate family.

Film-Eragon is told to do a thing. He mopes about it for a while and then just does the thing. Film-Saphira has the personality of a cinder block. Quality writing!

[patrickfrost]

I'm sorry, but the Fortune-Teller was possibly the best character in the book.
"Oh, we're in the same battle? What a coincidence!"
"Yes, my best friend IS a shapeshifting werecat. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, you lost your sword? Here have this sword made from some weird crystal that can cut through ANYTHING. Just don't prop it up against anything that you want in one piece, because it WILL find a way to cut it."

[oatmealcoloured]

Killing the Razac was also just dumb from a storytelling perspective because they return later and have significant impact on his cousin's story

[MattFyrm]

You don't die when you lie in the ancient language, its simply imposible, you literally couldnt lie even if you wanted to

[artieartesian]

Have you thought of a category called "I read the back cover and I'm pretty sure I know how it goes".  That's what I have always felt this movie was like.

[SkulShurtugalTCG]

2:58 Christopher Paolini is partially color-blind, so he sees the color blue almost exclusively. That's why Saphira is blue.

[LightWingStudios]

I actually met Mr. Paolini and got my copy of inheritance signed by him. I asked him his thoughts of the film and he said "It was their version of the story and I was quite happy that they made the version they wanted" Quite a humble guy....

[emilycaballero]

I have to confess, I adore Eragon. The later books especially—Brisingr and Inheritance are my comfort books, and I love them to death. You see, they aren't perfect, and they are basically Lord of the Rings/Star Wars mashup fanfic, but if you're a teenager looking for a long, detailed ya fantasy with some fun characters, Eragon is almost perfect. Unlike a lot of the books I liked as a kid, these ones have stood the test of time because of their intricacy and characters. And also, the audiobooks are wonderful.

[williamnissen]

If you ask me the only thing the Eragon movie did right was casting Jeremy Irons as Brom.

[brianbays]

One of my favorite things about this series is the whole plot is to try and kill the Mad King Galbatorix and rebuild the Riders. A four book series but you don't see Galbatorix until halfway through the final book. All that build up and mystery surrounding him for 3 and 1/2 books. Its like how the Emperor isnt introduced until RotJ.
....The movies show him right away in his "lair" yelling and loosing his temper. Galbatorix in the books speaks slow, gently with a booming voice. He's reserved with an air of command to him, he doesn't need to scream and throw stuff for his men to follow orders he only has to look at them and they KNOW. They did him dirty in that movie 😰.

[solomonschaos]

Me: *ready to watch someone appropriately bash the Eragon movie!*
The Dom: "...my feelings on the book are mixed at best..."
Me: "oh no."
The Dom: "to me...it's not like they are ruining a good story." "Underwhelming book". "Forget about the book and the film".
Me: "It's okay childhood-me, everyone has their own opinions. This doesn't change how we feel about the Inheritance Cycle."


To be fair, I got my somewhat movie bashing. I still watched the whole video and thoroughly enjoyed it even though The Dom is not a fan of the series. Do not worry for I am still subscribed!

[CynicalPete]

the book may not have been very original, but at least a) the sequels did get better and b) Chris Paolini went out of his way to make the world he created feel as big and detailed as he could manage. yes there is a lot of padding because of this, but I didn't mind it as much as I normally would because it made Alagaesia so alive. love the book or hate, I think people should at least respect that much effort

[Buck]

They also cut out a baby girl he "blessed"... which leads to fucking huge consequences in the later books.

[chocobros]

My dear dom... You must be mistaken. As a lifelong Eragon fan I can tell you that this movie never happened. It simply just does not exist, so there is nothing worth making a video about.


*goes to sit and cry in a corner while muttering "Eyddr eyreyra onr" repeatedly

[JoshtheOverlander]

I will forever find it endlessly hilarious how much more loyal to the books the fucking licensed GBA game for the movie was than the movie itself.

[blooddragon]

I encourage anyone who’s only read the first book, to read the rest of the series.
As it’s been said, the first book was written by a 15 year old, a fantasy-loving 15 year old, and it shows.
But the rest of the books were written a few years later, and you can actually sense that the author has done some analysis on his own writing and influences, straying away from them and fleshing out his own universe. The books start focusing on secondary characters (and there’s a bunch of very interesting ones), alternating point of view from chapter to chapter, and, even though he’s a cliché hero, continue to make Eragon relatable.

The most interesting thing about Eragon is the fact that he consistently screws up, learns from his mistakes, only to be confronted to a bigger threat. Eragon has very few real individual victories in the series : he is constantly helped by others, but never refuses help, he is, sometimes painfully, conscious of his own limitations. This underlines the biggest theme of the book : Eragon is NOT supposed to win alone, to be the sole hero, because the most important thing is his relationship, his fusion, with Saphira. We just spend more time with him because he is human, and Saphira being a dragon, she doesn’t think the same way, making him more relatable. This is addressed multiple times, especially when humans see him as basically the chosen one, and considering Saphira as a stylish mode of transportation.