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With high production values, several esteemed actors, and stunning CG effects, Eragon should have been the next Lord of the Rings. But the rushed character development, lackluster screenplay, and a starkly plagiaristic plotline prevent it from even becoming the next Narnia. In concept and visualization Eragon's delusions of grandeur may not have been so farfetched, but apparently something was lost in the translation to screen and it falters and dies like the dragon who's lost its rider.

In a galaxy far, far away, a young farm boy is granted mysterious powers and becomes the only hope left for a group of rebels to overthrow an evil emperor. When his uncle is killed by a dark lord's troops, the young man flees his home, and with the aid of a wise old man who teaches him the ways of the force he has gained, attempts to rescue a princess from an enemy stronghold. His mentor slain in the ensuing fight against the dark lord, the young man continues recklessly onward to the hidden rebel base, and upon his arrival joins forces with them to fight off the dark lord's army in a final epic battle. Oh, waitis that Star Wars? Apparently it's Eragon too.

I never would have thought I'd want to see another epic fantasy trilogy movie to actually be longer, but clocking in at well under two hours, Eragon could have used a beefier running time. Everything happens in the blink of an eye; a farm boy becomes a hero, a princess is rescued, an evil sorcerer is vanquished, and a baby dragon becomes a full grown dragon in, well... actually that does happen in literally the blink of an eye. Faster than Simba can walk across a branch and become a Lion King, characters are introduced and then killed off, villains appear and are then vanquished, and a band of rebels battle an army and emerge victorious. But there is no victory in the torpid character development and the plot truly suffers from the rushed feel. If the filmmakers wish to involve the audience emotionally as well as visually, they will have to allow characters a chance to fully develop before they are dispatched and never heard from again.

The strongest point of Eragon is its visuals, but CG effects alone cannot carry a film. The dragon Saphira (voiced by Rachel Weisz) is simply stunning in every scene in which it appears, blending seamlessly with its backgrounds. From grotesquely rotting henchmen to the billowing smoky demon that Durza commands, the talented animators at WETA and ILM never cease to amaze. Unfortunately not all

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