PREMIERE.COM'S REVIEW (posted 12/14/06)

Fantasy lovers set out year after year, hoping to find a gem of a film that faithfully and lovingly brings their favorite tales of dragons, wizards, and/or dark magic to life. In a year with neither a Lord of the Rings installment nor a Harry Potter sequel, Fox must be hoping that their teen-lit dragon tale, Eragon, will satisfy the public's proven holiday season fantasy epic hunger. Like too many snowman-shaped sugar cookies and not enough dinner, Eragon doesn't quite hit the spot.

Based on a novel by Christopher Paolini, who was only 15 years old when he wrote it, Eragon is the tale of an orphaned lad, newcomer Edward Speleers, who sets out against all odds to save his people from evil. As with J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings, 19-year-old Spelerer's titular hero comes from a jolly rural environment and is charged with protecting an important piece of property, in this case a dinosaur egg. Young Eragon also has a Potter-like natural affinity for magic, and a scar that glows significantly. There is also the creepy evil lord, the dark but caring mentor, and the friends who help the boy reach his destiny.

The similarities bring inevitable comparisons. Eragon has a likable dragon (voiced by Rachel Weisz) and its special effects far outweigh the clunky (but improving) flying effects in the Harry Potter franchise, but Eragon falls short of establishing the emotional connection that make the other franchises so successful. Perhaps it is simply that Eragon lacks history. Only two books of Paolini's trilogy have been published. And whether you're a fan of the book, or just a Chronicles of Narnia, Potter, or Rings fans looking for a new world to explore, you're most likely find that Eragon is less a gem and more cubic zirconia — nice to look at but not as preeeecioussss as its recent fantasy bretheren.

— Laine Ewen