Book To Movie Monday (4)
For this weeks Book to Movie Monday I have decided to cover the movie Eragon. I loved this book when it came out. I felt that the movie while certainly good didn't do the novel justice which is why I have dubbed this the OMG what a fail edition.
First let's discuss the Book. Below is the Cover:
Now for a little backstory in case some of you aren't familiar with the Novel. Eragon is written by the author Christopher Paolini and was released in 2002. Paolini originally self published his novel under Paolini International LLC, Paolini's parents' company and it was while touring for it that he caught the eye of publishing house Alfred A. Knopf. The Book was then re-released one year later. At the age of nineteen Paolini became a bestselling NY Times author.
Let's look at some of the characters now shall we.
Main Protagonists
Eragon- A hardworking fifteen year old who lives in village of Carvahall. One day while out hunting in The Spine he finds what appears to be a large Jeweled stone. Thinking it might be worth something he takes it into town and tries to sell it, after failing to do so he takes it home. The stone however turns out to be an egg but not just any egg, a dragon egg.
Saphira Bjartskular- Female Dragon who hatches in the home of Eragon after being mistaken for a Jeweled stone. She is called Bjartskular meaning Brightscales and helps Eragon in his travels across Alagaësia. It is also said she is the last Female dragon in existence.
Other Notable Characters
Brom- Village Storyteller in Carvahall. He explains to Eragon about Dragons before coming to the realization that Eragon has had one hatch for him. When Eragon's uncle Garrow is killed, Brom joins Eragon on his quest for vengeance, training him in swordsmanship and magic. He also gives Eragon his sword, Zar'roc.
Arya Dröttningu- Daughter to the Elf Queen Islanzadí and sole heir to the Elven throne. She was in charge of ferrying the egg between her people and the Dwarves. After being attacked by the Shade Durza and to prevent the eggs capture, Arya transports it to The Spine where Eragon subsequently finds it.
Ajihad- Leader of the Varden. He lives in underground city of Tronjheim in the Beor Mountains, depending on the dwarves to assist them in their fight against Galbatorix. His daughter is Nasuada.
The Baddies
King Galbatorix- He is the traitor that brought about the destruction of the Riders before the series began. Galbatorix is determined to rule all of Alagaësia and if that means neverending wars and total destruction of Alagaësia to do it then so be it.
Morzan- First of the Forsworn. Betrayed the dragonriders in a bid to gain more power for himself. Morzan is killed long before the start of the series by Brom. Zar'roc the sword given to Eragon once belonged to him.
Durza- Possessed by spirits he is aka a Shade. Durza is described as having red hair, red eyes, and sharp teeth and even more power and skill on the battlefield then any dragon rider. His attack on Arya while transporting the Dragon Egg is what cause Eragon to become the next Dragon Rider.
The Ra'zac- From the Eragon Wiki:The Ra'zac are extremely powerful beings of indeterminate origins. In some ways, the Ra'zac are like insects or crustaceans, in that they have a three staged life: first as eggs or larvae, then as humanoid youngsters and finally, after the first full moon of their twentieth year, they shed their skin and become as huge beasts with long tails called the Lethrblaka. The final stage is about 7 or 8 meters long including the tail, is dark grey in coloration, with a long beak, leathery/homogenous skin, and two pteranodon like wings as well as two clawed bird like feet. In non-reproductive ways, the Ra'zac are more like birds or reptiles, or even highly modified mammals. It seems that the intermediate humanoid stage that the Ra'zac pass through is derived from an evolutionary benefit of being able to mimic the humans they prey upon, rather than being closely related to actual hominids. (they literally have so much important backstory it couldn't fit here without dominating the page)
Major differences between the Book and the Movie.
In the Book you never really see much of the Ra'zac they wear long robes that cover them up except for a long beak that shows through the hood. In the movie they were displayed as almost rotting mummies covered in maggots.
In the Book Eragon is fifteen. In the movie they age him up to 17.
In the Book Galbatorix has no clue who the new dragon rider is until midway through the book. In the Movie he knows exactly who it is and where they are headed etc...
In the Book Eragon travels to the town of Teirm and meets the character of Jeod and Angele. In the Movie Jeod is completely cut out, so is the trio to Teirm and he meets Angela in Daret.
In the books, the Ra'zac didn't die until the third book. In the Movie both Eragon and Brom kill one.
In the Books the Dwarves play a crucial role. In the movie they are very lightly portrayed. You never meet the key characters of Orik and Orrin.
In the Books Murtgah is locked up the whole entire battle and isn't released until later when Eragon does this. In the Movies he's seen fighting.
In the Books Eragon gets this nasty scar on his back. In the Movie he comes out mostly unscathed.
In the Book Arya never leaves for Elesmera (this happens in Book 2 and she goes with Eragon) In the Movie She leaves alone.
In the Book the gedwëy ignasia Eragon receives from Saphira is a circle and glows silver if the Dragon Rider uses a spell or reaches for magic. In the Movie it's portrayed as an E.
In the Book Saphira doesn't breathe fire until the very end when she uses it to defeat Durza. In the movie she breathes fire before the battle and it's shown as orange not blue.
In the Book Eragon gives Saphira her name. In the Movie she tells him her name is Saphira.
In the Book Brom tells everyone the full story of the Riders' downfall and Galbatorix. No soldiers overhear him saying this. In the movie he barely relays the story, is overheard by soldiers and almost arrested.
In the Book Eragon has dreams of Arya in a cell and never communicates with her. In the movie he talks to her in his dreams and she is shown in a forest.
In the Book Galbatorix does not know the location of any of the elven or dwarven cities. In the Movie he possesses a nice little map with everything laid out on it.
Honestly I could go on and on with these differences for pages on end.
While I liked both the Book and the Movie I do feel the book was much,much better. So much was cut the movie felt like the bastard red headed step child of the book.
If you never read the book I am sure it is a completely enjoyable experience but since I hadn't I couldn't help but nitpick all the details they changed, left out or completely decided to rewrite to suit their needs. In the end I highly suggest reading the book first and then watching the movie as nothing more then a fluffy interpretation of the book.
Well that about wraps up this weeks Book to Movie Monday. I don't think the book ever had a trailer but I'll post the movie one down below in case your curious. Leave a Comment down below telling me which you liked better and why. Have a recommend for an upcoming Book to Movie let me know that as well.
You know what's dumb? I've had these books in my bookshelves and I've yet to invest the time to read them. What's wrong with me? Great post! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteI havent read the last book but I really enjoyed the first three.
DeleteThanks so much for stopping by and commenting!
I read all 4 of the Eragon books and for the most part I enjoyed them. I think he could have gotten through them a little more efficiently, but all in all they were and enjoyable read. I watched the movie after I completed all 4 and was so dissapointed. I think it was because I just came off of reading the books all back to back so the characters and story was fresh in my mind and when the movie didnt follow the books (You may have given the movie even more credit than it deserved) I found myself saying "wait, that didn't happen". I agree, if you didnt read the books then it may be entertaining. I actually rewatched Percy Jackson (I read the books a while ago) and ended up enjoying the movie the 2nd time around because I forgot most of the books (I didn't like it when I watched it right after reading the books). Anyway - love this topic - keep them coming!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
DeleteI really need to rewatch The Percy Jackson movie. I've only seen it once and I was half asleep when doing so lol.