Is "Eragon" just a cheap LOTR rippoff?

[lord of the mark]

OTOH theres a lot of stuff in the book that a good director could craft into a very nice movie, and a good scriptwriter could overcome the weaknesses in the book.

[Lazerus]

So is this going to be a trilogy or if its bad will it be done in a couple of hours for me ?
I thought the trailer looked more like a DnD rip then LotR

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Lazerus
So is this going to be a trilogy or if its bad will it be done in a couple of hours for me ?

there are two books out, and AFAIK Paolini is working on the third. I doubt there will be a second movie if the first flops, though.

[lord of the mark]

Im still waiting for the part where Galbatorix says "Eragon, I AM your father"

[Aabraxan]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui My opinion of you just dropped (and I hardly even know who you are!)

I'm sorry to hear that. In my own defense, I never said it was high literature, just a good read.

[Lorizael]

Originally posted by Impaler[WrG]
I assert that Star Wars is about 80% Arthurian, 10% Pulp Sci-fi and 10% Original Lucas. I see no non-western influence beyond the light saber being stylisticly closest to a katana.

If you would like to go into details I sugjest we start a new thread.

*shrug* As much as I love a good Star Wars debate, I don't really have the time or energy to participate in a thread about it right now, and I likely wouldn't respond until Monday.

But, well, there's also a good bit of pseudo-Buddhism in the Jedi philosophy.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Aabraxan


I'm sorry to hear that. In my own defense, I never said it was high literature, just a good read.

Makes JK Rowling look like friggin Leo Tolstoy, Balzac, and Herman Melville all rolled into one, if you ask me.

[Aabraxan]

Originally posted by lord of the mark Makes JK Rowling . . .

The HP books were good reads, too.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Aabraxan


The HP books were good reads

fixed.

Im sorry, theres too much painful dialogue and narration in Eragon. "why dont you elves eat meat"
"Mine knuckles are made of steel, and can kill an urgal" "You must protect yourself, little one"

That sort of thing. Paoline makes a good case for A. Doing a lot of writing of stories and short novels BEFORE trying a 3 volume epic and B. Doing a lot more living before trying to wrestle with psychological and political stuff. All that stuff in "Eldest" just feels so much like he got it from books he read.

[Aabraxan]

Haven't read "Eldest," so I can't speak to how good it is or isn't.

[Wycoff]

Originally posted by lord of the mark That sort of thing. Paoline makes a good case for A. Doing a lot of writing of stories and short novels BEFORE trying a 3 volume epic and B. Doing a lot more living before trying to wrestle with psychological and political stuff.

Why? He has created a cash cow, and is getting his book made into a major motion picture. He may be a hack, but he's a rich hack. I bet that that's enough for him.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Wycoff


Why? He has created a cash cow, and is getting his book made into a major motion picture. He may be a hack, but he's a rich hack. I bet that that's enough for him.

well if thats what hes in it for. I sometimes give apiring the writers the benefit of the doubt.

[Wycoff]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


well if thats what hes in it for. I sometimes give apiring the writers the benefit of the doubt.

I go by the assumption that most popular soft sci-fi and fantasy writers know that they're hacks, or at least don't care if they're perceived that way. Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, H.K. Rowling, Harry Turtledove, Terry Brooks, etc. None of them are "good" writers. They can just put together an entertaining story and have made themselves wealthy (or, as in the case of Rowling, fabuoulsy wealthy)

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by Impaler[WrG]
I assert that Star Wars is about 80% Arthurian, 10% Pulp Sci-fi and 10% Original Lucas. I see no non-western influence beyond the light saber being stylisticly closest to a katana.

You can assert that, but Lucas has himself admitted that the plot is drawn heavily from Kurosawa. Its similarities to his works are well known, and Lucas has certainly talked more about them than Arthurian Legend.

[Thue]

Originally posted by Wycoff


I go by the assumption that most popular soft sci-fi and fantasy writers know that they're hacks, or at least don't care if they're perceived that way. Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, H.K. Rowling, Harry Turtledove, Terry Brooks, etc. None of them are "good" writers. They can just put together an entertaining story and have made themselves wealthy (or, as in the case of Rowling, fabuoulsy wealthy)

Well, if they can put together an entertaining story then they are per definition not hacks...