No, the effects aren't bad; they are simply nothing special (the dragon looks good but the fx quality is not better than 3-4 years ago). No, the acting isn't bad, but it can be seen the director had no real experience in telling the actors what to do. No, the pacing isn't bad, but it simply isn't too interesting. Sorry, Eragon fans, but this movie - differing a bit from the book which it runs through - shows even more clearly that the story is simply a rip-off of Star Wars IV: A New Hope. No, I don't think it would be a problem if it was spectacular enough (e.g. the castles and cities are only 2-second inbetweens; it's like in TV shows when you see actors in studios and for some seconds they show the city/building they are supposed to be in), if it had enough tiny details that could make us amazed and let us forget the way too obvious similarities in the plot. Patrick Doyle's music is dynamic and emotional; too bad the movie is not - and as they just run through the story we really can't feel anything for the characters, we can't even know the world of Algäesia (we can hear there are elves and dwarfs etc., but can't really see or separate them from humans). There is nothing really bad in this movie; but certainly there is nothing memorable. If they want to make a trilogy they should try harder.
