I had high hopes for this movie, because it was like LOTR, but with a dragon. Just up my alley. And I'm not saying it was a bad movie, but it wasn't overwhelming either.
Dragon riders at one time were the defense of this country. One Dragon Rider turned on the rest, convinced a few to rebel, and then he turned on them and killed them all...setting him up as king. And as a king (John Malcovich), he's a prick, forces kids into the army, and rules by fear. He doesnt want Dragon Riders to reappear, so since he has the last dragon, he keeps the eggs to himself. Aria steals one, and before she is caught, she teleports it to Aragon. And thus it starts.
The quest starts when his uncle is slain, because the magic guy for the king traces the egg to him. He meets up with an old Dragon Rider, and he teachs him, and it goes on from there.
The magic guy serving the king was probably the best character in the movie. Good special effects around him, ugly as sin, and well acted.
jeremy Irons and John Malcovich were great as usual. The makeup on the trools were good too.
The bad parts were the ending, definitely a sequal. The CGI on the dragon, once it got big, was very disappointing. Sometimes you got the feel that they just threw it in there.
I'm sure they're going to milk it for as many sequels as they can, so hopefully things are tied together better.
All in all, I give it a 6 1/2 out of 10. Geared way to much for kids, and politically correct, but watchable for sure.
