| Eragon | |
|---|---|
| |
| Riffed by | RiffTrax |
| Riffers | Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy |
| Series | None |
| Date Released | May 11, 2007 |
Eragon is a 2006 fantasy-adventure film based on the novel of the same name by author Christopher Paolini. The cast includes Edward Speleers in the title role, Jeremy Irons, Garrett Hedlund, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou, Alun Armstrong, Joss Stone, and the voice of Rachel Weisz as Saphira the dragon. The film was directed by Stefen Fangmeier, a first-time director, who had previously worked as a visual effects director on Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. The screenplay was written by Peter Buchman, who is best known for Jurassic Park III. Principal photography took place at the Mafilm Fót Studios in Hungary, starting on August 1, 2005. Visual effects and animation were by Weta Digital and Industrial Light & Magic. RiffTrax released their riff in May 2007.
Synopsis[]
[Spoilers Begin]
Eragon (Ed Speleers) is a 17-year-old farm boy who lives in the small village of Carvahall in the fictional country of Alagaësia. The story begins with Arya, an elf & princess of Ellesméra, running for her life with a "stone" stolen from the evil king, Galbatorix. She is surrounded by a ring of fire created by a shade (dark sorcerer) called Durza, and to protect the stone from him she uses her magic to send it to a distant forest where the young farmer Eragon is hunting for food. The stone magically appears before Eragon who then takes it to his hometown in hopes of trading it for food. After he brings it home, he realizes it is an egg as a blue dragon hatches from it. As he reaches to touch the dragon, a magical mark is burned into his palm, magic that is felt all across the land by those who have a connection to legend of the dragon, mainly Arya, a former dragon rider named Brom, and Galbatorix himself. Eragon tries to keep the dragon & take care of it until Galbatorix sends the Ra'zac (his monster minions) to capture Eragon and his new dragon. Eragon sends the dragon into the sky so she may learn to fly, which she succeeds before returning to him fully grown due to her magic. She reveals herself to him as Saphira & that they are able to hear each other's thoughts. After seeing the Ra'zac in town, Eragon hurries home to protect his uncle, but Saphira picks him up and tells him that the monsters are after him. When he finally gets home, Eragon finds his uncle dead and blames Saphira, sending her away. As he mourns over his uncle's body, Brom arrives, asking Eragon to call his dragon. After a brief scuffle, Brom implores Eragon to leave town, in which they do after Brom sets fire to his uncle's barn, burning his remains.
On the way to the Varden (rebel freedom fighters devoted to destroying Galbatorix), Eragon learns that he and Saphira have a special attachment like other dragon riders, and if he dies, she will die as well. Brom also tells him that he is not fully ready to face the Ra'zac or Durza, and starts training him in sword-fighting and magic. On the way they take shelter in a small village, where a fortune-teller tells Eragon that a woman is calling her name so that he can save her and his path is full of deadly obstacles. Soon they are attacked by Urgals, but Eragon unintentionally produces magic, which wipes them out & causes him to go unconscious from the strain of the magic. Eragon soon learns how to produce small scale magic and to bond his powers with Saphira.
After seeing Ra'zac's fall, Durza uses his black magic on Arya, setting a trap to make Eragon come to him and try to rescue her. Even after Brom's warning, Eragon comes and rescues Arya till he is confronted by Durza. During the fight, Durza magically hurls a spear at Eragon, but Brom throws himself in the way and is mortally wounded. During the fight, Eragon shoots an arrow into Durza's head, causing him to disappear. They all escape from there and soon Brom dies of his wounds, while flying on the wings of a dragon one last time.
Following the way to find the Varden, Eragon takes oath so that he may fulfill Brom's destiny: to overthrow the tyrannical empire of the evil king, Galbatorix. As Arya goes weak from Durza's poison, Eragon confronts a hooded figure that has been following him. He reveals himself to be Murtagh, who offers to take them to the Varden. Once there, the Varden welcome the new rider, but expose Murtagh for what he really is, the son of the traitorous Morzan who betrayed the dragon riders. Eragon, Saphira, Arya, and the Varden prepare for war as Durza and his men surround the rebel camp. The Varden fight with Galbatorix's men as Eragon & Saphira duel in the skies with Durza flying on a shadowy beast of dark magic. Eragon & Saphira are successful in killing Durza, but not before Saphira is mortally wounded in the battle. Eragon uses his magic to heal her wounds and once again passes out from the strain.
The following morning, Eragon awakes with Murtagh at his side. He calls for Saphira, fearing she might have died from the battle, but she appears fully healed. They fly off together to catch up with Arya as she is on her way to Ellesméra to help lead the elves against Galbatorix in the coming war. She calls Eragon "Shadeslayer" and bids him goodbye. Meanwhile in Galbatorix's castle, angered that his men were defeated by a mere boy, the King rips off a curtain, revealing his pitch black dragon, Shruikan, who breathes fire, and the film ends.
[Spoilers End]
Cast and Crew[]
- Edward Speleers as Eragon
- Jeremy Irons as Brom
- Sienna Guillory as Arya
- Robert Carlyle as Durza
- John Malkovich as Galbatorix
- Garrett Hedlund as Murtagh
- Alun Armstrong as Garrow
- Chris Egan as Roran
- Gary Lewis as Hrothgar
- Djimon Hounsou as Ajihad
- Rachel Weisz as the voice of Saphira
- Richard Rifkin as Horst
- Steven Spiers as Sloan
- Joss Stone as Angela
- Caroline Chikezie as Nasuada
Quotes[]
Notes[]
- In 2014, James Cruise of Ronin Fox Trax named this riff as one of his "picks" in his interview with RiffWiki Interviews.