Just last month, news broke out that Disney Plus was developing a show based on the Eragon novels by Christopher Paolini. This led to a generally excited but apprehensive response by the fandom, who are afraid that the adaptation will only damage the story to which they have grown so attached.
The 2006 Eragon movie was met with disappointment from both critics and fans of the original books, meaning there is naturally going to be some apprehension about the series. But there is some hope on the horizon, with the series author deeply involved with the new production, and the 2006 movie to serve as a guideline as to what should be avoided.
The Mediocre Introduction
From the first seconds of the movie, Eragon was already raising waves of discontentment. In a book, the reader can be directly informed about how a character is feeling or their background. In a movie, unless writers take the easy way out with off narration, this becomes an issue.
For instance, in one of the first scenes, when Eragon finds the dragon egg in the mountains, audiences learn little to nothing about whom the protagonist is, or even about his hunting skills. Hopefully, he can be properly introduced in the new production.
Some Issues With The Casting
The casting choices made by director Stefen Fangmeier and his team were widely discussed in 2006. Not only were the characters' ages all over the place, but they also ignored the book descriptions of characters like Horst and his wife Elain.
This might have been a non-issue, however, it went beyond their physical aspect. In the book, Horst is spirited and earnest, which adds a layer of lightness to an overall sad and tense story. If the series takes back his literary version, they will have the chance to show this character's development which the movie overlooked as he grows perturbed with the war.
Strange Directing Decisions
At the time of the movie's development, Stefen Fangmeier had never directed a movie before. In spite of the fact that he had worked in the industry for years, including alongside Steven Spielberg, a multi-nominated for the Oscar for Best Director, this helps to explain some issues with the directing department.
The Disney+ version is already tackling this matter, and there have been some confirmations for his development team, namely Bert Salke, (via Variety) who has worked in the 2002 Flashpoint and the 2006 Sixty Minute Man.
Did Not Satisfactorily Explored The Characters
Another issue with Eragon boils down to the necessary timeframe to explore its characters. Even to those with no prior knowledge of the books, the movie left many doubts about its huge ensemble of people.
Roran, Eragon's cousin, is barely explored, not even making it to Therinsford where he had accepted work to provide for him and his wife-to-be Katrina. This may seem like a minor detail, but it constitutes a side plot line that reveals his temper, therefore adding another layer to the character, for whom there is hope in the show.
Forgot The World's Lore
In 2006, many fans were disappointed that the movie adaptation had left out a big portion of what makes Alagaësia such a whimsical world.
The lore behind the story is a fundamental part of the characters' journeys. But big portions of it were ultimately ignored in favor of centering the movie on the main character.
Located in the mountains of Farthen Dûr, Tronjheim is the city where the dwarves live in the books. On the big screen, the way they were portrayed stirred some annoyance among the fans. Now, with several years of graphic development on its heels, the show has the responsibility to deliver dwarves that are not so human-looking, as well as to show more of their rich culture and History, and rival Netflix's best original book-to-series adaptations.
The CGI Question
Speaking of graphical development, there are plenty of critiques on how the movie handled the CGI of its creatures.
most impressive CGI monsters see in the movies, because rather than "the nightmarish and mysterious figures, we get two ninja mummies made up of cockroaches".
He also raves about how the Urgals are just portrayed as human-looking bald people instead of actual monsters. There should be no worries when it comes to the show, given that it probably is properly budgeted by Disney.
Galbatorix Is Weird
One of the best-known Hollywood actors, John Malkovich has a ton of must-watch movies. Despite his multiple award nominations and winnings, his acting proficiency was not enough to save Galbatorix from becoming another point of contention.
In fact, he was not even meant to appear in the first movie, considering that is only mentioned and only shown in the last. Not only that, his scenes added very little to the story, as he was only featured in the throne room receiving intelligence from his army. This could have been used to make the audience acquainted with the villain, but Galbatorix just stood there and got angered at the end of the movie. Once again, the question of time plays a big part, with a several-episode show, it makes perfect sense that the character is presented earlier than in the books.
Arya's Arc
Sienna Guillory, played Arya Dröttningu, a character with so much to give, was so poorly treated by the movies' production. As many fans have pointed out, the elf was not properly characterized, her ears are a sensitive topic for several readers.
Besides, the movie over-sexualized her image, from her clothes to the way she behaved around Eragon, whom she is only implied to have feelings for in the book. This arc will probably still be delved into in the series, but having more time and with all the books already released, it ought to be laid down slower, building their relationship in a cohesive manner.
Speeding Up The Storytelling
It is no surprise that the movie made fans angry, especially the most enthusiastic readers. Of course, adapting a fifty-page book is not an easy task, but the two-hour length of the movie further complicated the process of writing a cohesive and satisfying story, with many plot lines being rushed in order to include scenes that could have been explored in another installment.
Fans were particularly shocked when Galbatorix appeared, especially because he actually only physically appeared in the last book. With a series, time seems to be a lesser issue, so maybe the producers can indulge in the sense of mystery and unseen fear about this character that ran throughout the first three books.
Saphira
Saphira was one of the things book fans were more excited about, and arguably their biggest chagrin. Not only was the feathery CGI questionable, but her development was rushed. The movie skipped pretty much her entire evolution, replacing the months from her hatching until her maturity is reached rather than portraying her relationship with Eragon flourishing as he raises her.
Several events and peoples' arcs from Carvahall in the meanwhile were also cut due to this. But with Paolini's supervision and dedicated writers, the show has everything to succeed in giving dragon-lovers a proper rendition of Saphira.
