---
title: "Eragon: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/eragon/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/eragon"
critics_score: 33
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Eragon (2006): what the critics said

Critics' score 33 from 8 reviews: 0 positive, 2 mixed, 6 negative.

The available verdicts are firmly negative: most critics find Eragon derivative, dramatically weak and short of the magic its fantasy story needs. Complaints repeatedly centre on thin characterisation and a failure to earn its characters’ development, leaving familiar genre ingredients with little life of their own. Praise clusters around Jeremy Irons, whose dry humour and authority offer some relief from performances and storytelling that otherwise attract little enthusiasm.

The differences concern individual strengths rather than the overall judgement. Slant Magazine finds the computer-generated spectacle competent and the brisk pace helpful in limiting the damage; Empire considers the dragon unconvincing, while Variety and Eye for Film find the storytelling rushed. There is no clearly favourable dissent in the accessible material. The New York Times and Screen Daily texts are unavailable, so their listed scores cannot establish what either publication praises or objects to.

## Screen Daily — John Hazelton

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 15 December 2006. 

The review text is behind a paywall, so its verdict is unavailable. No specific praise or complaint can be identified from the accessible page.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/eragon/4029964.article)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 15 December 2006. 

The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint is available from the supplied text.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/15/arts/movies/film-in-review-eragon.html)

## Radio Times — Stella Papamichael

Rating 2/5. 

Papamichael finds that the fantasy fails to conjure the magic of its source novel. She praises Jeremy Irons’s dry humour for easing some of the tedium.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-jv3dgm/eragon/)

## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager

Rating 1/4. 14 December 2006. 

Schager finds the film derivative and dramatically clumsy, though its brisk pace helps keep its flaws from lingering. He singles out the competent computer-generated spectacles as a relative strength.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/eragon/)

## Time Out — Nigel Floyd

Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 2006. 

The critic gives the film a strongly negative verdict. They complain that its cut-and-paste fantasy feels like a painful reminder of the genre’s shortcomings.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/eragon)

## Empire — Chris Hewitt

Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2006. 

Hewitt finds Eragon lifeless, derivative and unable to make its fantasy feel magical. He singles out the weak characterization and the unconvincing CGI dragon as major flaws.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/eragon-review/)

## Variety — Justin Chang

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 2006. 

Chang pans the film as a leaden, derivative fantasy that lacks the wonder and soul of its inspirations. He singles out Jeremy Irons for a resonant performance, while criticizing the rushed pacing and unearned character development.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2006/film/awards/eragon-2-1200511505/)

## Eye for Film — Ben Sillis

Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 2006. 

The critic finds the film a derivative, unsuccessful fantasy whose rushed storytelling undermines its potential. He singles out Jeremy Irons as the one strong performance, while criticizing the other actors and the lack of character development.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/eragon-film-review-by-ben-sillis)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/eragon.md