Eragon (PG, 2006)

common sense media says

Dragon fantasy falls flat, but kids won't care.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that the movie's content is just right for the target 'tweener audience. It has its scary moments, with several scenes featuring dark woods, eerie wind, abrupt violence, big battles and a frightening evil wizard with red and black makeup. Swords, arrows, and spears produce some bloody wounds and several dead bodies, and one-on-one fight scenes include kicking, punching, swordplay, and falling. Eragon confronts and feels guilty about a family member's death (the corpse is visible, with a bloody face).

Positive messages: Bad king and wizard want to stomp out all independent thought; dragon rider and his friends want their land to be prosperous and free.
Positive role models: Not applicable.
Violence: Violence pushes the PG edge, with bloody injuries and faces, brief sadness following a character's murder, and wraithy figures who swoop around in darkness; battle scenes include huge armies wielding multiple weapons (spears, arrows, flames, swords, knives); battle between two flying creatures (good dragon and bad smoky dark beastie) has them biting at each other, resulting in bloody wounds; riders fall from horses; magic spell leaves victim with black spidery veins and debilitating "illness."
Sex: Mutual attraction between Arya and Eragon is established -- without much spark but with some sensual glances; Eragon's relationship with the dragon is "romantic," though it stops short of being sensual (some lines are comic, whether intentionally or not, as each declares their mutually interdependent "power").
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.

More on Eragon

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about how the movie differs from the book. What worked better in the book and what in the movie? Why? 

  • Those who didn't read the story might talk about Eragon's response to being "chosen" by the dragon.

  • Why are dragons such fascinating creatures in fiction and legends?

  • Families can also talk about the movie's similarities to (and differences from) other fantasy and sci-fi classics, like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. What elements of Eragon's story are unique? Which ones have you seen before?

What's the story?

What's the story?

When Eragon (Edward Speleers) goes hunting in the forest, he discovers a glowing blue stone. Little does he know that it's a dragon egg, and that the beast about to hatch has selected him (and only him) to be her rider. He meets a wise former rider named Brom (Jeremy Irons) and helps regain the kingdom of Alagaesia from the gnarly, paranoid, seldom-seen King Galbatorix (John Malkovich).

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

For a movie about flying dragons, ERAGON is disappointingly flatfooted. With plot points borrowed from a range of other movies -- whether great like Star Wars or dismal like Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker -- it tells the tale of an ordinary-seeming boy, Eragon, who's destined for great things.

It's hardly a good sign that much of the back story must be narrated (by Irons) before the movie really begins. The unnecessarily talky set-up names some of the different types of creatures in Alagaësia (bad Urgels and Ra'zac, mostly good humans), then goes on to describe Eragon's reactions and feelings, even when you can see them yourself. At 17, he's not exactly a child, but he still grows up quickly under the auspices of Obi-Wan-like Brom and flying, fire-breathing, cranky dragon Saphira (voiced somewhat stiffly by Rachel Weisz). Their approaches to his education are different, but both intend to get him ready to reintroduce the grandeur of the dragon riders back into current lore.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Director: Stefan Fangmeier
Cast: Edward Speelers, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Guillory
Genre: Fantasy
Run time: 104 minutes
Theatrical release: December 14, 2006
DVD release: March 20, 2007
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: battle sequences and frightening moments
Watch our review

This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
 
 

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What parents & educators say

8

Most useful reviews by all members

sek98
teen, 14 years old
 
AWESOME!!!!
I have one word for you, AWESOME!!! This movie is definetly worth watching!! It was even better than the book, and has AMAZING special effects!! It was very close to the book also!! The movie is so good, you may want to watch it at least twice!!

Sapphire Fire
teen, 17 years old
 
Amazing and Clean Movie
This was a great movie. I think that it isn't exactly like the book, story-wise, but the elements of the characters are perfect. The graphics are great, the story is fast ands suspenseful, and the good is identified as good and the bad is clearly bac. I think it odes a good job of seperating the two- there is no gray areas. Everyone has a side that they're on, the side they pick is apparent. I loved this movie, but younger kids should be cautious- the violence is intense.

 
Very dissapointed.
This is nowhere near on par with the book. It was ok, but it could have been so much better.

VOXPOPBOX
teen, 17 years old
 
NOT ANY GOOD
YOU SHOULD JUST RENT LORD OF THE RINGS. YEA IT'S THAT BAD

sangefraier
parent of 3 and 10 year old
 
More of a pg 13...
Wow. This movie made me a new mom. My step son was I think 6 maybe 7 when this came out and there was SO MUCH violence for a pg movie. I mean there was arrows flying into the bad guy's face. There was something with the girl.. I can't remember anymore. The battle scenes were so intense for pg. He was terrified...

Coral reef
kid, 12 years old
 
Perfect for tweens
This movie is very good the only thing that is a bit scary is the bug mummy things....

 
Worst Movie Ever
The only reason i would recommend this movie is so people would see how much they murdered an outstanding book. it is nothing like the book, terrible, just terrible. i geuss if no one has read the book it might be an alright movie because it is a bit interesting. but for someone looking for a quality movie to watch and enjoy, this is not it. the acting is terrible, the story is really choppy, it just dosent make much sense. i say lets kill the guy who directed it and get peter jackson to remake the first and continue with the second and third. and Recast the while movie. seriously. this was a big story for an inexperienced director to take on.

ratgirrl
teen, 16 years old
 
Not the best movie.
I loved the books, but the movie was not good. Didn't stick to the story very well...If you like the books I suggest seeing it. But not a movie I would see over and over again.

siennadog
teen, 15 years old
 
Don't Buy This Movie!!
I love the book, but the movie was such a huge dissapointment I almost cried. IT WAS AWFUL! I wish it could have been better...

Firebirds Daughter
teen, 16 years old
 
Give it a Rest, Folks
I must concede, I've never read the books. I have no intention of doing so. They seem just not my thing. However, the movie I liked. I know people who read the book and that made them prejudiced against the movie. I thought the movie would be outright horrible. I was wrong. It was actually alright. There were, indeed, some problems with it, I'll admit, and I don't think it's suitable for nine-year-olds. However, I think there should be a law that if you end a movie with a cliff-hanger like THAT one. I mean, REALLY people? I would have gone and seen it. I think what I think with most things is that people need to stop railing on them so much and actually look at them. Just step back for a moment and see what you think then. Be rational, and not prejudiced by what others told you. This movie was actually quite nice, if you just appreciate it for itself.

ERAGON
adult
 
THE BEST MOVIE AND HISTORY IN THE WORLD
THE MOVIE ISN'T THE BEST INTHE WORLD BUT IF READ THE BOOK I THINK YOU WILL BE CRAZY (ALAGAEZIASFUN GREECE)

trubo
adult
 
There's no need for a second movie to be made only a remake of the first!
If anyone who watched it without reading the book it was an ok movie. I f by chance you did read the book and noticed that the plot of the book was not only screwed it was non existent and to make it worse it was the opposite of the book removing characters say for instance Jeod who is a major character not to mention they have to write a different script cause Roran pernounced Rora in the movie was Fd up in this role not to mention Eragon has brown hair as discribed in book 2. This movie should be banned and destroyed because it isn't a movie that has merrit in fact any movie made in the last 50 years could do better in fact the movie was compared to Lord of the Rings which means the movie should have been 2 or 3 hours long not barely enough to call it a movie which is the only reason Paolini agreed to the trash on screen, but the facte is the book isn't meant for 9 year olds it should be a iffy R movie where all the joy of the book was where all the language that is used in the book is cut out which makes it an a PG-13 movie even without language since there are injuries like in a real battle with blood time to put merrit in a movie not just money.

ocie14
teen, 14 years old
 
Ugh
This review messed up. The movie is NOT for 9 year olds. It's dark, and scary, and violent. Just okay film.

sasuke the awsome
teen, 13 years old
 
I really do not like this movie.
I looovvveeedd the book but the movie sucked i think that if they did every little detail in the book it would be 7 hours long and at least rated R and it would be one of the coolest movies ever but this was awful they even said that eragon had a romance with saphira? i must have missed that part, anyway when i saw this movie my IQ dropped so much that now i have negitave 32623856088548439474894374843738 IQ and i have to eat out of a dog bowl!!!!!!!!!!!The only thing i liked in this movie is that it wasnt so long. the only bad meassage in this movie is do not make a movie like this. so all you fans of eragon out there just watch scooby dooby doo or something anything is better than this.

knkk458
adult
 
Scary
I believe it is too scary (some scenes) for young children. My 13 year old found the bad guys quite evil looking. Use caution- we can not erase what we see

schuymarch1
teen, 17 years old
 
My favorite movie...
This movie is my favorite movie, or at least for a while.

chapterbookreader
kid, 9 years old
 
great for 11 and up
pretty good movie with a lot of violence that would suit older kids especially at the end. and i got kind of bored in the middle where he was just learning about his dragon and stuff. But i still kept watching it and it was worth it especially at the end there was a lot of action (i like action) But overall a pretty good movie.

dylank
teen, 17 years old
 
.........
Probably the reason why it didnt include all the gory stuff is because the movie was designed for kids since most of the readers are kids. Do you really think they would make this an R movie. Kids would complain and the movie would be like 4-5 hours long to explain everything. I do disagree about the part when Roran leaves to get a job to support his betrothed Katrina in the book but in the move it says he leaves to join the army which the family hates in the book. Also they skip Terim where Brom meets up with one of the rebels which is his best friend. The second and third movies are going to be screwed up...

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