I am glad that I listened to the advice of a friend and waited for its release on DVD. Eragon is a B rated fantasy film. It reminded me very much of Sci-Fi’s Original Film, “Dragon Storm“. It had the fancy dragon and some decent special effects, but the acting was horrible, the screenplay was even worse, and a powerful climax was non-existent. It just didn’t deliver to hardcore fantasy film nerds like myself.

I have yet to read the books the movie was based on, but looking at some older reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, its seems as if this film did not do this series any justice. Its a pretty scary thought considering that HBO has just bought the rights to one of my favorite series of books, The Song of Ice and Fire.

As for the Eragon series, I’ll be purchasing the DVD’s anyways. I have so many fantasy movies that this one will be no exception. The film is a decent rental especially if you have children. I’m sure they’ll enjoy the dragon, the fire-breathing, and the magic. Otherwise, if the storyline takes precedence over the special effects, I’d skip this film all together.

In his homeland of Alagaesia, a farm boy happens upon a dragon’s egg — a discovery that leads him on a predestined journey where he realized he’s the one person who can defend his home against an evil king.

Males with utters. I thought that “ADULT” film creators would know the difference when they produced an animated movie. Female “COWS” have utters and male “BULLS” have horns. I could not get this discrepancy out of my head. I understand that the animals did many other things that are not realistically possible, but come on! Why put utters on the male species?

I will admit that there were a few laughs here and there, and for this sole reason, I did not give it a bottom feeder score, but the backyard humor did not help with all the negative aspects I saw in this film. Personally, I think this movie isn’t really geared to young children at all. There are tons of references toward drinking alcohol, stealing cars, gangs, breaking and entering, etc. This movie is not the type of film that young children should be exposed to without close parental supervision. If my grandmother had caught us watching this while growing up, I’d think she’d have a stroke. Children’s films should be appropriate enough to leave children alone to view, but with Barnyard, parents need to be there and explain to their children what exactly is going on.

The animation although fairly clean is nowhere close to the quality made by Pixar or Disney. I’d rate Barnyard’s animation right there with a televised animated series. The plot was nothing new in the animated world either. We’ve seen it a dozen times. Animation studios need to come up with better plots. These types of screenplays are getting old very fast.

Synopsis:

A cow learns to walk like a man, both literally and figuratively, in this computer-animated comedy written and directed by Steve Oedekerk, the creator of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. Ben is a cow who for years has been the leader and sober voice of reason among the animals at a farm where the critters are a bit unusual — they can walk on two legs, talk, swim, and act like humans, though they have the good sense to avoid doing these things while humans are around. Ben has long dreamed that his son Otis would someday take over his duties on the farm, but Otis is a carefree and irresponsible type who would rather party with his friends and hang out with his girlfriend, Daisy. Ben and his friend Miles, a wise and patient mule, wonder if Otis will ever make anything of himself, while Dasiy’s best friend, Bessy, is convinced she can do better. However, one night Otis decides to do something about an obnoxious kid who enjoys tipping his fellow cows, and for the first time in his life he gets a taste of leadership — and he likes it.

This movie was really not worth my time in front of the tube. I think the best thing about this film were all the good looks I got of Jessica Simpson’s boobs. Otherwise, the storyline was pretty bad and the acting was mediocre at best. There were a couple of funny moments, but there was nothing memorable about it. The story was very predictable and tiresome.

Personally, I would tell you to pass it by at your local video store. Its not worth a rental at all. If you must see it, wait until it comes out on comedy central or a premium movie channel if you have it.

Synopsis:

At Super Club, a large warehouse store, the employees strive to obtain the “Employee of the Month” award with the benefits of having their picture featured on the wall of fame in the staff lounge. Zack Bradley, a box boy, and Vince Downey, a cashier, are two competitive Super Club employees. Vince has become head cashier of the store and winner of seventeen consecutive “Employee of the Month” awards. Zack, on the other hand, is a slacker but is popular with his colleagues. Zack has not won any “Employee of the Month” awards and has no desire to except when Amy, a new cashier who only dates “Employee of the Month” winners, transfers to the store. Zack and Vince compete to get Amy’s attention through competition and courtship. Vince attempts to impress Amy with skills as a cashier and his seventeen “Employee of the Month” awards, while Zack attempts to use several methods of charm and comedy to win her affection. After realizing that Amy is falling for Vince, Zack believes his only chance to get her is to win Super Club’s next “Employee of the Month” award.